The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2018 | Page 3
EDITOR'S LETTER | SUMMER 2018
Got Memories? We Want Them
to Celebrate 25 Years of APDT
It’s the Year of the Dog for Chinese astrology, which dovetails nicely here at the Association
of Professional Dog Trainers, because it’s also the 25th anniversary of the conference where
APDT was born – 1993 in San Mateo, California.
In the next few issues of the Chronicle of the Dog, we plan to remember the history and the
reasons that led up to Dr. Ian Dunbar founding this association, your accomplishments as
trainers, and reflect on the future of dog training and APDT. I think I’m gonna need a lot more pages!
I’d like to introduce Priscilla (see below), our Memphis conference mascot, drawn by Jeroen van Rossum of The
Netherlands, the creator of the Dogs Don’t Whisper cartoon. Jeroen has doodled oodles of poodles, so you’ll see
Priscilla prancing or playing on the occasional page in the COTD and the conference registration booklet (included in
your polybag, which is recyclable!).
As much as we enjoy celebrating all things APDT, we’ve still got a full issue on a variety of provocative topics
in this issue of COTD. Many of our authors nailed it with our Canine Behavior theme, from Cindy Ludwig’s
postulation that training shelter dogs to relieve stress may be more important than training for obedience; Laura
Donaldson’s explanation on combining relaxation techniques with animal cognition insights for a hybrid version
of counterconditioning to combat fear and reactivity, and Meg Harrison’s expertise in using the power of flowers to
improve a dog’s mental, emotional and behavioral health.
Other food for thought includes Rachel Brix’s reminder that all creatures deserve advocacy,
not just our companion animals but even those we consume, and Angelica Steinker gives
us a peek into her personal experience at the heart of the Truth in Training ordinance that
requires dog trainers to be licensed in Hillsborough County (Tampa), Florida.Please take a
moment when you can kick off your shoes, put your feet up, snuggle with a furry friend
and peruse all we have to offer for this Summer issue.
Devon Hubbard Sorlie,
Editor
[email protected]
This issue will have part one of an interview with Dr. Ian Dunbar. It will give many of our newer members a chance to
find out what the training environment was like prior to the creation of APDT. The second part of that interview (Fall
issue), will be a discussion on where the dog training industry may go in the future, and the part APDT should play in
that evolution. In that same issue, right before our 25th annual conference, we’ll also have the opportunity to hear from
our charter members and even some longtime APDT presidents/chairs.
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Summer 2018
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