Clicker Concepts!

I had Boston all planned out for the next week, when Emma Parsons and Alison Payne of Helping Hands got in touch with me because they weren't able to make the initial dates we had arranged to meet. Helping hands was supposed to happen tomorrow but instead we met yesterday, which was fine but now means I have Friday open, and Emma Parsons and I were going to meet up Tuesday and Wednesday next week but she is taking a seminar in Texas and won't be back in time, so we agreed to meet up before she leaves for Texas, today.

The plan for today was to meet up with Karen Pryor, but Karen and Emma are good friends so with talks to and fro, it was decided that I meet up with Emma this morning, we meet up with Karen for lunch, and then I spend the afternoon with Karen at her office Sunshine Books in Waltham, just outside of Boston.

Emma and Lizzie Taylor, her golden puppy.

I caught a cab through to Sunshine Books in Waltham, and met up with Emma there. We got some coffee and headed off to where she works during the week. She has done a huge amount of work dealing with aggression in dogs, and teaching them to be calmer, and to look to their owner rather than try to take things into their own hands. It's also really good at teaching owners to proactive and realise when their dog is not happy with a situation, and learn to prevent the dog from getting stressed.

Emma has written a book on using Clicker Training to prevent and manage aggression in dogs, which is available from Amazon. She has written a great deal of information for the different seminars on aggression that she runs as well. She still works as a nurse at a Veterinary Clinic, dealing with day to day health problems with the animals that come in, from ear infections to cardiac arrest. She says its vital to her, it keeps her in touch and helps her to feel like she's doing her bit.

We took Lizzie, Emma's 8-month old Golden Lab out for a walk on the green when we arrived at the veterinary practice, and then once we were inside and had settled Lizzie in one of the dog pens, Emma gave me a tour of the facility. We met up with the vets, the other technicians and two cats who had taken up permanent residence at the clinic. A bit later we headed back to Sunshine Books to meet up with Karen Pryor for lunch. We talked about dogs and using Clicker Training to relieve stress, and we talked about how Emma runs her aggression clinic that she holds once a week.

Fran, Emma and I chat as we wait for Karen to arrive.

I wandered around the store at Sunshine Books, trying not to get too excited about all the wonderful goodies they have on sale. I did succumb but who wouldn't? And I was given a 15% discount! Emma and I chatted with Fran, who is one of the administrators there, while we waited. Fran is one of those rare individuals, an angel of a person, so warm and gentle, you could help but enjoy her peaceful company. Julie DeNucci arrived a bit later. She is the Animal Behaviour Coordinator for the Hawaiian Humane Society, and had returned to Massachusetts for her sister's wedding. She chatted about her move to Hawaii and how much she is enjoying it there. Wow - what a job. Sun, sand and dogs!

When Karen arrived we all headed out to a Bar n' Grill place that did fantastic "toasted" sandwiches with sweet potato fries. It was such a privilege to sit and listen and talk with such wonderful people who are doing so much good in the animal world. We discussed a range of things from the science of clicker training to not getting confused with trying to build a relationship with a dog you don't know before you start clicker training - the process of clicker training is a fantastic relationship builder in itself. We talked about Julie's work in Hawaii and the Winston Churchill Fellowship and my plans for the future. The time just flew by and was just amazing.

Me, Karen Pryor, Emma Parsons and Julie DeNucci at lunch.

Emma had to leave right after lunch as she had a lot to do before heading off to Texas. Karen, Julie and I headed back to the office and spend the rest of the time talking and looking at books. At one point Fran and I watched a DVD by Kay Laurence while Karen had to take a conference call. They were all so lovely and welcoming, I just didn't want to leave.

Outside Sunshine Books with Karen and Emma.

Later, Karen talked to me a bit more about the international training programme that they have set up with Terry Ryan which incorporates some of Bob Bailey's Chicken Camp (it's cool, I promise!) and all the important concepts of becoming a Clicker Trainer Instructor. It really looks amazing - and I would sooo love to do that course!

Julie and I chatted with Fran for a while longer, and then Julie gave me a lift back to Kenmore Square which was so appreciated. She told me a bit more about her job and how the position has been created fairly recently. She applied for the job and was accepted. She has been working on bringing in better training programmes that are run by members of the Humane Society, using positive reinforcement and clicker training. It really sounds like such a fabulous opportunity for her.

It had been a sweltering hot day but by the time Julie dropped me off at the Barnes & Noble near my hotel it was raining cats and dogs (excuse the pun), so I headed into the Starbucks there and waited for the rain to pass over a Latte. Mmm!

Day 30