Trainer offers 'kinder, gentler' methods

Sisters dog trainer and dog behavior consultant Anne Geser has taken her training skills to a new level. Geser recently became certified as a Training Partner with the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Behavior and Training, graduating with distinction.

"I know people want to do (dog training) in a kinder, gentler way," said Geser. The methods she'll be teaching in her upcoming classes stress that.

Geser uses force-free training, utilizing a clicker and food reward to build behaviors in the dogs. She also uses an approach called teaching with acoustical guidance (TAG) with the owners. Much of successful animal training depends on the trainer's ability to recognize and reward the desired behavior the instant it occurs.

If an owner hasn't had training experience, that recognition is potentially frustrating to learn. Geser uses the TAG clicker by observing the owners interaction with the dog, clicking at correct responses. The subconscious mind remembers that, enabling the owner to recognize the corresponding correct behavior in the dog and reward promptly.

Clicker training is based on behavioral psychology, marking (clicking) desirable behavior and then rewarding it. There are numerous Web sites devoted to explaining the method.

Geser said, "I'd dabbled in it but didn't understand it completely, so I decided to do (Karen Pryor's) course. I wanted to really immerse myself in it."

Geser's business, A Better Behaved Dog, has been around for 15 years. She's taught obedience classes through COCC Continuing Education, and consults with clients individually. Her expanded role as a Certified Training Partner comes at a time when she has more time to devote to training classes. Daughter Aubyn, who is no slouch at training both dogs and horses, recently left home to attend college in Montana.

Much of Geser's knack for teaching comes from her background. Her father was a social psychologist and both her brothers are psychologists, giving her good resources for understanding human behavior. She's been involved with animals both professionally and for fun since she was a teenager. Her first job was as a veterinary technician, a vocation she pursued for 15 years. She also showed an Irish Water Spaniel in obedience and agility, and when people asked about the secrets of her success, she gladly shared them.

Helping dog owners achieve a happy and controlled relationship with their pets motivates Geser. She sums up the connection, "We're good at being two-legged slot machines and our dogs are four-legged gamblers. Their behaviors are the money they stick into the slots, and we need to be careful with the outcome. Be sure the cherries are all lined up before pouring out the rewards."

Clicker training techniques are very forgiving of mistakes, she said, and are easily incorporated into busy lifestyles. Geser is due to start a new training session very soon. For more information or to register for classes, go to http://www.betterbehaveddog.com or call 923-5665.