The pledge I took to be a dog trainer who puts letters after her name

Me and Karen Pryor, March 2011

In 2010, I graduated from The Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior. Truth be told, I applied on something of a whim; I knew little about dog training and not much about the program. I was skeptical of its “low-residency” setup: I only had to devote eight days to in-class work, and the rest would be done online. But I had a good gut feeling. So, I put the tuition on a credit card and hoped for the best.

The education I received changed my life, setting me on a path that has affected both my career and my overarching life philosophy. The six month course had a greater impact on my life than the four years (and small fortune) I spent getting a BA at a top ranked university.

As a graduate, I earned the right to put six letters after my name: KPA CTP. This stands for Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. I'm well aware that most people don't know what those letters mean. But I string them after my name in my email signature because I'm proud to have the endorsement of Karen Pryor, one of the world's most vociferous proponents of positive reinforcement training, and her school. The Academy, which was founded in 2007, has only had 500 graduates, and not all of them maintain their certifying credentials. Those of us that do pay a nominal annual fee, and sign a pledge. The pledge is simple. It's maybe 100 words long. But, as a professional in an unregulated field full of widely differing approaches, I think it says a lot.

The school recently sent an email about this pledge, and what it means. In the future, if anyone asks me about the six letters I put at the end of my name, I'll direct them to read this:

My Karen Pryor Academy graduating class, October 2010 in Endicott, NY. Left to Right: Me with my dog Amos, Deb Ross with Kelly, Steve Benjamin (our instructor), and Mirkka Koivusalo with Dea.

When you become a Certified Training Partner, we ask you to sign a Pledge to teach and train using “force-free principles and techniques,” and to conduct yourself “in a manner consistent with the KPA approach to behavior change and learning.”

The Pledge embodies the knowledge and skills you possess, the desire you have to focus on the good, and your belief in the power of positive reinforcement as a way of life.

The Pledge is deliberately worded very simply. It doesn't dictate or spell out what you should or shouldn't be doing. We know what you have learned during your course work. We know you have good judgment, common sense, and the maturity to decide for yourself what fits the Pledge and what doesn't. However, we find that circumstances crop up now and then where a little more guidance would be appreciated.

What does the Pledge mean to me and you?

It means we take a proactive approach to teaching behavior rather than focusing on stopping behavior. We create training plans that set our learners up for success. We look for opportunities to reinforce behaviors we like, and ignore or manage undesirable behaviors.

It also means we choose not to use aversive tools or force-based principles toteach or train better behavior. We use more effective alternatives instead. The Pledge, in essence, provides us with some guiding principles to draw from. Before we act, we can ask ourselves, is there a better way? For example, we would not intentionally use leash corrections when training loose-leash walking—because there are better ways to train that behavior.

That doesn't mean you can't intervene to stop risky behavior. If a dog is about to run into the street, of course you can grab the leash or his collar to stop him. The Pledge doesn't ask us to give up all physical control. Please continue to use management and good judgment in scenarios like these, without feeling that you are in violation of the Pledge.

Values

The Pledge asks us to conduct ourselves in a way that “upholds the values and principles associated with the KPA brand.” What does that mean, exactly? It means that we continue to practice applying the principles of positive, force-free training in the rest of daily life.

This does not mean being “nice” all the time. It means treating other people thoughtfully, and reinforcing behavior you want, instead of criticizing or rebuking behavior you deplore. The course is designed to enable you to internalize these principles and use them in everyday life. The pledge asks you to do your best—and we all know it's not always easy—to maintain that world view.

Maintaining standards

The pledge also reminds us to “value lifetime learning by continuing to improve my skill as a teacher and trainer.” This part is very clear. The accomplishments of those in the KPA community give us almost daily evidence how this technology continues to develop. A fine teacher seeks new learning opportunities and places high value on continued growth and collaboration.

Many graduates have found that one huge benefit of the program is being able to refer people to other KPA grads. Imagine that a family member or a cherished student is moving across the country with their dog, and they want a trainer “like you.” When you can refer them to a KPA graduate, you know they will get the same knowledgeable, thoughtful attention you would give them yourself. By maintaining our own high standards, we continue to be able to trust that the rest of us are doing so as well.

That's what the pledge is all about. It's not about specifics—never using this or that tool or always behaving in this or that way—but about focusing on the principles underlying what we do and how we do it.

Signed,

Karen Pryor, CEO and Founder

Tia Guest, Program Director

Aaron Clayton, President

Annie Grossman
annie@schoolforthedogs.com