May 2014 KPA CTP of the Month
Bev Maahs, KPA CTP, is both a trainer and a blogger these days. Switching from a variety of business careers, she is finally doing what she dreamed of, as an instructor at Cowichan Canine (owned by Lisbeth Plant, KPA CTP!).
Growing up with dogs (German shepherds, Norwegian elkhound, and several mixed breeds), Bev has always been a dog (and horse) lover. However, it had been a while since she trained a dog when she made a cross-provincial move in her home country of Canada.
Searching for the right dog-education program for herself and a dog she rescued from the SPCA, Bev’s research led her to Lisbeth Plant and an Orientation class at Cowichan Canine. Immediately, Bev was hooked on the science of training, and how dogs learn force-free with a click and treat. She knew she also wanted to train dogs like this!
“Crossing over” to force-free or clicker training was not a difficult choice for Bev. She says, “Training without using force is an empowering choice for the learner and the teacher.” Bev is a contributor to The Crossover Trainer website and blog where she has explained her decision to use only force-free methods. “What a difference compared to how I used to train—no choke chain! Marking the behavior, watching the dog learn, all backed by science… awesome! I had dogs before, including two German shepherds that I wished I had trained this way!”
Bev began volunteering for Cowichan Canine as an assistant instructor in 2010. Graduating from Karen Pryor Academy in May 2011, she then became an instructor at Cowichan Canine. Bev’s association with Lisbeth Plant introduced her to KPA and the KPA Dog Trainer Professional program, where she “…loved the science and its application toward the communication between two species.” Bev considers Karen Pryor to be revolutionary in the marker/reward training world.
While positive training existed before Karen used it, Karen was the one who made it mainstream. What an accomplishment!
Throughout her enrollment in the KPA Dog Trainer program, Bev was challenged by the need to think about what she really wanted to train, and the desire to make that training fun!
Having taught Foundation course for three years now, Bev really enjoys the relationships between the people she teaches and their dogs. She also enjoys the variety of learners who come to her. Her joy is communicating to the human learner how to build a better relationship with the canine learner, and then seeing amazement when the dogs understand the communication. Bev’s favorite lesson is shaping the “down” behavior on a mat without talking or gestures, but with only a click and treat.
When asked, “Is clicker training a method or a philosophy?” Bev answers that it is a choice. “I choose to train force-free. I use a clicker because it works, it is proven to work, and it is supported by science.” She also believes that “training dogs and people should be positive for both learners. When you teach people, it is important to give feedback when they do something right, too!”
In a recent blog, Bev continues her support of positive training. Explaining that clicker training is not “pushing cookies and never ever saying no,” Bev says that there are many half-truths out there, incomplete knowledge that gives owners and learners incorrect information. A substantial amount of information about modern dog training is available, and Bev’s wish is that people explore that information. Bev urges owners to make decisions based on knowledge and fact, without defaulting to doing something since “it has always been done this way!”
Her experience at KPA not only improved Bev’s dog training skills, but jump-started her writing habit and blog contributions as well.
I like to communicate about what I am passionate about.
Bev is also beginning to compete in Rally with her two-year-old German Shepherd this year, and hopes to branch out into other dog sports.
Since completing the Dog Training program, Bev has completed many other courses, including KPA’s Puppy Start Right for Instructors course. She will be enrolling in the KPA Canine Freestyle course next year. Bev has also attended ClickerExpo for the past four years, a conference that she describes as “a great experience for all dog trainers.” For Bev, education is an ongoing and constant process. While she trains dogs and their humans, she also works on training herself—all positive training, of course!