Just the idea of medicating your pet can send both of you running for the hills. Mikkel Becker, CBCC-KA, KPA CTP, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CTC and Debbie Martin RVT, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior) explain how you can make this stressful task rewarding and Fear Free for both you and your pet.
Mikkel Becker, CBCC-KA, KPA CTP, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CTC and Debbie Martin RVT, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior) show how you can make needed eye treatments safe and Fear Free for your pet.
When just the word “bath” can set off your dog, you know something is wrong. Mikkel Becker, CBCC-KA, KPA CTP, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CTC and Debbie Martin RVT, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior) show you how you can make bath time a rewarding and Fear Free experience for your pet.
Just the idea of medicating your pet can send both of you running for the hills. Mikkel Becker, CBCC-KA, KPA CTP, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CTC and Debbie Martin RVT, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior) explain how you can make this stressful task rewarding and Fear Free for both you and your pet.
Creating a Fear Free Treat-Ment station can help you and your pet make needed procedures such as nail trims, injections, and grooming easier. Mikkel Becker, CBCC-KA, KPA CTP, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CTC, and Debbie Martin RVT, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior), will show you how to put the “treat” in treatment!
Could you use some Fear Free help with your most difficult pet-sitting clients? Help is here from Fear Free’s lead animal trainer Mikkel Becker! You know the pets we mean—the picky ones, the “unpillable” ones, the ones who are pretty sure those ear drops will kill them. What pet sitter hasn’t felt their stomach drop when those pets are on the schedule?
In this recorded webinar, Mikkel Becker covers:
About the Presenter
Mikkel Becker is a certified trainer, dog behavior counselor, and the lead animal trainer for Fear Free. From early life it was undeniably clear that Mikkel’s number one focus was always going to be animals.
Mikkel’s childhood consisted of two joys; horses and dogs. Her training career started early with help from her childhood dog, a Wire Haired Fox Terrier named Scooter, who delighted in fun games like running in the opposite direction when called, leading the neighborhood bark patrol and terrorizing other dogs in a blaze of terrier-fueled fury. But where frustration created what could have been rifts the size of the massive holes Scooter dug in the yard, pure love was able to bridge those gaps and create a wiser, more resilient child and dog who together became grand champions in 4-H obedience. Unlike many children her age, Mikkel traded sports and other hobbies to instead chase after blue ribbons at horse shows and memories on trail rides. Her special passion was taking horses who were deemed less suitable by others and revealing the true champion inside.
In pursuit of formal animal training education, Mikkel graduated from the rigorous San Francisco SPCA Dog Training Academy with Jean Donaldson (earning a Certificate in Training and Counseling; CTC), the Karen Pryor Academy (becoming a Karen Pryor Certified Training Partner; KPA CTP), the Purdue Dogs and Cats Course, and Mikkel shadowed Dr. Nicolas Dodman at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Mikkel’s favorite educational experience was providing enrichment and positive reinforcement guidance to orangutans at Jungle Island in Miami. Along with her growing knowledge, Mikkel achieved other certifications, including becoming a Certified Behavior Consultant Canine (CBCC-KA), a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and a Certified Dog Behavior Counselor (CDBC).
Locally in the Seattle area Mikkel is the dog and cat behavior counselor at Homeward Pet Adoption Center, resident trainer for veterinary behaviorist, Dr. Wailani Sung, and a trainer at Doggy Haven Resort.
When it comes to home life, Mikkel’s four-legged pug kids were eventually joined by a now seven year old daughter, Reagan, who is blossoming into her own rights as a trainer (Reagan’s current passion project is taming farmyard chickens and goats and pursuing ambitions to run an animal rescue and become a veterinarian like her Papa, Marty). Today, Mikkel’s family lives in in a country getaway space outside of Seattle along with the family’s cherished pug genius, Willy who charms guests with his arsenal of tricks and delights in giving his version of wet willy’s with his surprisingly long, frog-like tongue.
Mikkel recently co-authored “From Fearful to Fear Free: A Positive Program to Free Your Dog from Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias” with Dr. Marty Becker, Dr. Lisa Radosta and Wailani Sung.
Behavior Solutions for Declawed Cats with Dr. Lisa Radosta
An important part of setting a declawed cat up for successful life at home is understanding and molding their behavior. Join Lisa Radosta, DVM, DACVB, a leader in behavior and a member of the Fear Free Advisory Team, as she discusses behavioral solutions for declawed cats to help reduce their fear, anxiety, and stress both at the clinic and at home.
About the Presenter
Lisa Radosta, DVM, DACVB, graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. After completing an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Coral Springs Animal Hospital, she worked as a primary care veterinarian for two and a half years. She completed a three-year residency in behavioral medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 2006 and passed the board examination later that year. During her residency, she received the Resident Research Award from the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) two years in a row.
Dr. Radosta lectures nationally and internationally for veterinary professionals and pet owners and is the author of a number of textbook chapters and scientific research articles, She also co-authored “From Fearful to Fear Free: A Positive Program to Free Your Dog from Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias” with Dr. Marty Becker, Mikkel Becker, and Wailani Sung.
She is the section editor for Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery and served on the 2015 AAHA Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines Task Force.
The chin rest is a valuable cooperative care behavior that allows for a hands-off, consensual way to keep an animal still for veterinary exams, husbandry care, grooming, and other procedures. A chin rest serves as an indication from the animal that he is ready to engage in a handling or care procedure. By giving him a choice to “opt out,” even for a few seconds, chin rest empowers the animal to have a voice and greatly reduces his FAS.
In this course, you will learn the steps for training a solid chin rest behavior to an advanced level and discover its many practical, on-the-job applications.
This course includes three lessons:
This course was written by Mikkel Becker, CTC, KPA CTP, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CDBC.
This course builds upon the foundational concepts covered in the Fear Free Nail Trims: Trimming Away the Terror course, which included finessed use of distractions, desensitization and counter-conditioning methods, and finely tuned choice of nail care tools.
An understanding of these foundational nail care concepts is recommended before starting this more advanced course. Cooperative care techniques taught in this course are useful both as preventive strategies to improve ease of nail care and as an interventional approach to address already existing FAS with nail care.
Since there is no “one size fits all” approach to nail care training that will work for every animal every time, this course aims to empower you with many options to choose from, depending on the animal you are working with at the time.
There are six short lessons in this course:
This course was written by Mikkel Becker, CTC, KPA CTP, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CDBC.
Download this handy treat ladder guide from Blue Buffalo and Fear Free.