Kathy Sdao - Anything you resist persists [Bright Spot Dog Training!]

May 27, 2019

Kathy Sdao, an expert in positive reinforcement animal training, shares her journey from training dolphins to working with dogs. Topics discussed include the difference between cues and commands, phrases from non-violent communication, and dealing with compassion fatigue. She also provides five tips for non-violent communication and discusses her hopes for the future of positive reinforcement animal training.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Introduction

00:00 • 1min

A Journey into Positive Reinforcement Animal Training

01:30 • 20min

The Importance of Cues in Training

21:49 • 18min

Discussing 'The Power of Now' and the Importance of Allowing Clients to Come to Their Own Conclusions

39:30 • 2min

Effective Listening and New Perspectives

41:41 • 27min

Practicing Benevolent Glancing and the Importance of Peer Partners

01:09:06 • 5min

Taking Responsibility and Shaping Behavior Change

01:13:38 • 8min

Podcast Outline

* 1:40 - Ryan introduces Kathy.

* 4:00 – Kathy shares where she first learned about positive reinforcement animal training and some of the first animals she trained.

* 22:22 – A couple of stories from Kathy about her time training dolphins.

* 19:38 – What Kathy is up to now and where you can find her at www.kathysdao.com.

* 22:57 – The difference between cues and commands and why this is important.

* 42:13 – Some potential phrases from non-violent communication to use in consultations.

* 47:31 – How Kathy deals with compassion fatigue or "attachment to outcome fatigue."

* 52:50 – Five tips listeners can use to move toward non-violent communication.

* 1:15 - Kathy discusses what she’d like to see happen in the next 5-10 years in the world of positive reinforcement animal training. About Kathy Sdao

Kathy is an applied animal behaviourist. She’s been a full-time animal trainer for thirty years, first with marine mammals and now with dogs and their people. At the University of Hawaii, she received a master’s degree as part of a research team which trained dolphins to solve complex cognitive puzzles. She then worked for the United States Navy to train dolphins for open-ocean tasks. Next, Kathy worked as a marine-mammal trainer at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma Washington. After leaving the zoo world, Kathy created Tacoma’s first dog day-care.

Since 1998, Kathy has owned Bright Spot Dog Training. Services include consulting with families about their challenging dogs and mentoring professional trainers who want to maximize the power of positive-reinforcement training. Kathy is proud to be an original faculty member for Karen Pryor’s ClickerExpos and has taught at thirty-eight of these popular conferences. Kathy has travelled extensively across the United States, Canada and Europe, and to Australia, Israel, Japan and Mexico. In 2012, she published her first book, Plenty in Life Is Free: Reflections on Dogs, Training and Finding Grace.