Association of Pet Dog Trainers

2006 Speakers

We had a schedule of speakers who were innovative, interesting, educational, and just plain fun! Click on their name for complete bio information.

	Allan Bauman, CPDT Allan Bauman has been actively training dogs for over 28 years. He started his early career by successfully competing in Obedience Competitions. This developed into a career of Pet Care and Dog Training. He operated Goldenbrook Kennels for 18 years, where they handle over 300 dogs per week. Through his pet care facility, Allan discovered the need for training family pets.
	Ray Coppinger, PhD Raymond Coppinger majored in literature and philosophy as an undergraduate at Boston University. His Ph.D. thesis in biology (at the University of Massachusetts) is on the effect of experience and novelty on avian feeding behavior. He joined the founding faculty at Hampshire College in 1969, where he is a professor of biology. He teaches and does research on animal behavior, especially the behavior of canids.
	Steve Dale, CPDT, CCBC Steve Dale currently hosts Pet Central on WGN-AM, interacting with listeners from all around the world. He has a short-form daily radio feature, “The Pet News with Steve Dale” which offers helpful tips on companion animal care, ranging from ferrets to dogs and cats. Steve is also the host of Animal Planet Radio. He authors the most well-read pet column in the nation, My Pet World, which is syndicated to more than 100 newspapers.
	Jamie L. Damato, CPDT Jamie founded AnimalSense Canine Training and Behavior in 1999 in an effort to help pet owners cultivate and enrich the human-animal bond, and in seven years it has grown from a one-woman operation, to a staff of eight instructing over 25 classes per week in three locations and visiting private clients throughout the Chicago area.
	Donna Duford Donna Duford is the Director of Behavior and Training at the San Francisco Department of Animal Care and Control, where she is responsible for training volunteers, creating and conducting canine behavior assessments, providing staff and volunteer education, and coordinating an enrichment program for animals.
	Susan Garrett, BSc A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan Garrett is recognized as a leading educator of dog trainers.Â Her understanding of how to apply learning principles to dog training has made her a much sought after speaker throughout North America and as far away as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda and Europe.
	Dr. Ian Dunbar, CEO CAAB Inc. BSc, BVetMed, MRCVS, PhD, CPDT Veterinarian and animal behaviorist, Dr. Ian Dunbar is currently Director of the Center for Applied Animal Behavior in Berkeley, California. Dr. Dunbar received his veterinary degree and Special Honors degree in Physiology & Biochemistry for the Royal Veterinary College (London University) and a doctorate in animal behavior and aggression in domestic dogs.
	Don Hanson, CPDT, BFRP Don Hanson is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, Maine, where he is also the Director of Behavior Counseling and Training. He and his staff teach as many as 17 dog training classes per week, helping people and their canine companions become best friends for life.
	Shelia Harper, BED Shelia Harper works with dogs on a professional basis, holding pet dog classes and working with behavior problems. She also conducts courses for anyone wanting to learn more about dogs, and regularly lectures internationally. She has a one year in-depth International Dog Trainers Program which she delivers in England, Germany, Switzerland, and Holland.
	Wayne Hunthausen, DVM Dr. Wayne Hunthausen is a veterinarian and pet behavior consultant who has been working with pet owners and veterinarians throughout North America to solve companion animal behavior problems since 1982. He received his Bachelor of Arts (Zoology) and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (1979) degrees from the University of Missouri. Dr. Hunthausen is director of Animal Behavior Consultations in the Kansas City area, which provides behavior consultations and training services for pet owners, as well as a behavior support services for veterinarians.
	Doug Knueven, DVM, CVA, CAC Dr. Doug Knueven received his veterinary degree from Ohio State University in 1987 and has been practicing veterinary medicine in Beaver County, Pennsylvania ever since. Dr. Knueven owns and operates Beaver Animal Clinic, a full service animal hospital, and shares clinical duties with two associates.
	Janice Koler-Matznick, MS, CPDT Janice Koler-Matznick has been working with dogs in a professional capacity for 35 years. She has taught behavior observation classes at Southern Oregon University and in private settings. She has collaborated with Dr. Brain Hare, the Max Planck Institute, and Harvard on cognitive testing of New Guinea Singing Dogs [NGSDs]. Her ethogram for the NGSD consists of over 240 behaviors, some of them apparently unique to this canid. She has also replicated other canid behavior studies with her colony of NGSDs.
	Patricia McConnell, PhD Dr. Patricia McConnell received her PhD. in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison researching dog behavior and communication between professional trainers and working domestic animals. She is currently the owner of Dog’s Best Friend, Ltd., a training and consulting business that offers family dog training classes and diagnosis and treatment for serious behavioral problems in companion animals.
	Mary Lee Nitschke, PhD, CPDT, CAAB Dr. Nitschke’s lifelong focus on behavioral observation of other species is the foundation of her identity. She was exhilarated to discover this passion could be grounded in the study of Animal Behavior and Psychology as she became educated in the systematic foundation of science. Dr. Nitschke continues to seek a better understanding of the most effective ways to communicate with other species as well as educate her own.
	Emma Parsons, CDBC Ms. Parsons is the Canine Behavior Training Consultant for the VCA Rotherwood Animal Hospital and the Training Director for Karen Pryor’s Clicker Training. Emma is the respected author of Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog.
	Karen Pryor Karen Pryor is a behavioral biologist with an international reputation in two fields, marine mammal biology and behavioral psychology. Karen was a founder of Hawaii’s Sea Life Park, where her work with dolphins pioneered modern, force-free animal training methods. She is the author of Don’t Shoot the Dog! The New Art of Teaching and Training, a Bantam bestseller on training without coercion. She is also the author of several other books and many scientific papers and popular articles on learning and behavior.
	Ken Ramirez Ken Ramirez has been a professional trainer for more than 30 years. He is currently the VP of Animal Collections and Animal Training at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, where he oversees the daily training programs for the entire animal collection. Ken’s experience includes work with guide dogs, search and rescue dogs, standard pet training and a variety of exotic animals ranging from whales and dolphins to birds, big cats, and primates.
	Esther Schalke, PhD, DVM Dr. Esther Schalke holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover that she received in 1997. She was awarded her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the Department of Animal Welfare and Behavior at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in 2000.
	James Serpell, PhD Dr. Serpell is Professor of Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, where he also directs the Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society. He received his BS degree in zoology and his PhD on the behavior of Loriine parrots.
	Thom Somes Thom; “The Pet Safety Guy” is an accomplished speaker, presenter, instructor and author of the PetSaver Program and Knowing Your Pet’s Health. He also is the founder of Pet Tech. Thom’s career in the human medical field began when he trained with the Michigan State Police over 30 years ago.
	Sue Sternberg Sue Sternberg is founder and owner of Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption, a small open admission animal shelter which serves the local (upstate New York) community and runs national shelter programs. These national programs are dedicated to helping shelters ensure safe and lasting dog adoptions through behavioral and temperament assessments, by improving the quality of life for dogs in shelters, and by encouraging innovative and proactive community outreach programs.
	Janet Velenovsky CPDT Janet is interested in strengthening relationships between pets and their people. She excels at problem-solving and helping owners to develop pet friendly strategies that include both management and training techniques, in order to cultivate enjoyable companions. Janet teaches group classes in basic obedience, Canine Good Citizen preparation, Agility, and Rally at All Dog Playskool in Richmond.
	Nicole Wilde, CPDT Nicole Wilde has worked with canines, both domestic and exotic (specializing in wolves and wolf hybrids) in training and rescue for many years. She is the author of Living with Wolfdogs, Wolfdogs A-Z, So You Want to be a Dog Trainer, It’s Not the Dogs, It’s the People!, and One on One: A Trainer’s Guide to Private Training. Nicole is on the Advisory Board of Cynology College.