C.D.T.A. Presents!

Meet Dr. Sophia Yin

Dr. Sophia Yin knows what it's like to have a problem pet and nowhere to turn for professional help. And she has witnessed countless fractured relationships between misunderstood pets and their frustrated humans companions. As a result, her mission in life is to improve our understanding of animals and their behavior so that we can care for, appreciate and enjoy our time with them better.

Ever since she was a child, Sophia wanted to be a veterinarian, and in 1993, her dream came true. But once out in private practice, she quickly realized that more pets were euthanized due to behavior problems than medical ones. She went back to school to study animal behavior, and earned her Master's in Animal Science in 2001 from UC Davis where she studied vocal communication in dogs and worked on behavior modification in horses, giraffes, ostriches, and chickens. During this time she was also the award-winning pet columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Upon receiving her degree focused on animal behavior, Dr. Yin served for five years as a lecturer in the UC Davis Animal Science Department. Through these and an eclectic collection of other animal behavior experiences, she came to realize the true secret to successful behavior modification.

Sophia learned that every pet needs a human who can lead. Not like a boss, but like a partner in a dance—someone who gives clear signals, rewards desirable behavior as it occurs, removes rewards for inappropriate behavior immediately, and sticks to the plan consistently until the new, good behavior is a habit. She found that because pets don’t understand spoken language, they rely on body language plus desired or undesired consequences in order to learn. This means that humans must be aware of their movement and actions because every move they make while interacting with the pet influences the animal’s behavior and perception of them.

*The working spot dogs will be selected by speaker. The following is a description of dogs appropriate for hands on working spots. Dogs should be comfortable in the training environment. When they are not “working” they should be in a comfortable crate. They must be quiet, relaxed during lecture. Dogs should be highly motivated for treats in the workshop environment. Dogs can have fear, arousal or reactivity/aggression issues, as long as they have not bitten people or dogs (due to liability issues) and can be relaxed enough to work in the workshop environment while other dogs are in the room, but kenneled.

For additional information, please contact Alecia Elvstad by e-mail or by calling 360-927-7621

AGENDA

Saturday, 17 March 2012 - Start Time is 8:30 a.m.

Sunday, 18 March 2012 - Start time 8:30 a.m.