Behavior Modification Foundations

My turn! tbh not much has been going on; just vibing with our new little friend and showing him our world, going to weddings together, loving on our older furred friends and dealing with their age related ailments as they come. I started a veterinary behavior residency (long time coming!) based in Ohio with a very wonderful and patient mentor, Dr. Elizabeth Feltes and as a result have had to really perfect the art of travelling without a baby while breastfeeding 🫠 but mostly lately i just beg family and friends to come over and play board games with me, feed me, hug our baby, then snooze through and accidentally take screenshots of my pump alarms :)

Life updates!! I’ll (Lauren) go first: in May, I got married to my stud of a husband @clarkrhee ❤️ We jetted away to a dream honeymoon to Italy, and before we knew it we learned we’ll be a little family of three come February! I couldn’t feel luckier.

Thank you so much to @susanlightla for having me on her podcast to discuss one of my favorite topics: puppy socialization. If you will ever interact with a puppy, this episode is for you…so yes, it’s for everybody! A little sneak peak: “socialization isn’t the same as exposure. Exposing them to new things can teach them any outcome. They could learn from all of those socialization outings that men in hats at Home Depot, other dogs, vacuums, etc. are scary. Everything is scary. If you don’t pay attention to your puppy’s body language, if you’re not pairing [the exposures] with high value food rewards at the right timing.” You can find the episode wherever you listen to podcasts. Link in bio 🔗

Happy birthday (and bachelorette weekend 😜) to this perfect auntie! You are an inspiration to us all, to continually be and do better. We love you Lauren

Grain free!? Add grains!? Raw!? Fresh!? Human grade!? Big name brand!? Boutique!? The “Nutrition” category of comprehensivecompanionship.com (link in bio) has veterinarian recommended, science backed answers to the many questions swirling around about what to feed your dog or cat. Spoiler alert: there are some dangerous choices, but there isn’t one right answer. Check it out!

Dogs will be dogs, and cats will be cats. That doesn’t mean we can’t set boundaries! The “Species-Typical Behaviors” category of comprehensivecompanionship.com (link in bio) will help you troubleshoot how to give your pet appropriate outlets for their normal behaviors, how to teach them what NOT to do so that we can meet our human needs, and how to teach them all of it humanely and effectively. Check it out!

Introduction

Pets Are (Sort of!) People Too

What Do Dogs and Cats Understand?

Body Language

What Does it Have to do with Behavior Mod?

Learn Their Language

Take Their T.E.M.P.

Find The Learning Zone

Handout: Your Pet’s Threshold Thermometer

Zoom Out

If Needs Aren’t Met, Unwanted Behavior is More Likely

Handout: Checklist for Mental, Physical, and Emotional Needs

Motivation

Choosing the Best Reward Makes Success More Likely

Rewards Library

Treat Interview

Handout: Your Pet’s Rewards Ladder

Punishment "Works," Why Don't You Use It?

Learning Principles

Classical vs. Operant Conditioning

Trigger Stacking

Describing Unwanted Behaviors

Handout: Defining Unwanted Behaviors

Who We Are

Contact

Requests