Pat Miller writes book about training for dog owners - The Herald-Mail
Miller, a certified dog trainer and author of "The Power of Positive Dog Training," followed standard coercive dog-training practices when she began training dogs when she was a teenager. Years later, when a beloved pet hid from her, it was too much.
In 1996, Miller was training Josie, a favorite dog, for competition, and Josie was progressing well. But, one day, when Josie saw Miller approaching with the training equipment, the dog hid under a deck.
Miller was stunned. Josie was afraid of training with her.
So Miller suspended training and searched for new training techniques. She developed a new approach based on positive reinforcement and behavior modification.
She presents this approach to nurturing dogs in her most recent book, "Do Over Dogs: Give Your Dog a Second Chance for a First Class Life."
The book is written not for professional trainers, but for dog-owning families, especially those who own dogs with troubled pasts.
"Shelter dogs and dogs in trouble are so close to my heart," she said. "This book focuses specifically on dogs who had a rough start in life."
In her book, Miller advises people to have a realistic attitude.
"There are numerous reasons why your dog might need a Do-Over," she writes in the first chapter. "He may have been abused or neglected before he joined your family. Perhaps you adopted your dog from a shelter or rescue group that saved him from a puppy mill or a hoarder environment. ... Whatever his history, somehow he ended up being under-socialized, reactive, aggressive, ... destructive, ... or host to one of many other problematic behaviors."
Dogs can change their behavior if encouraged, Miller said. Her book shows how. "Do Over Dogs" is a hands-on book chock full of sensible advice nearly any dog owner can follow.
There is also information about how dogs learn and how an owner can communicate his or her desires to a dog.
"All my books are science-based, using positive reinforcement," she said. "This one contains more information about behavior modification using science."
Miller is owner of Peaceable Paws Dog and Puppy Training in Fairplay, where she lives with her husband, Paul. She has worked with animals since she can remember. Originally, she said, she wanted to be a veterinarian. But she didn't do well in organic chemistry class in college, so she switched to animal protection.
She worked for 20 years with Marin Humane Society in Novato, Calif., north of San Francisco. In 1996, she opened Peaceable Paws in California. A bit more than seven years ago, she and her husband moved to Fairplay. Paul Miller took the position of executive director of the Washington County Humane Society. Pat Miller reopened her training facility under the same name.
The Millers have no children, but Pat Miller considers her animals to be family. "All my children have four legs," she joked. The Millers have five dogs, three cats, five horses, a donkey and a potbelly pig.
Miller offers dog-training classes to local owners. She is a certified dog- and horse-behavior consultant and a speaker at conferences for professional animal trainers. A previous book, the second edition of "The Power of Positive Dog Training," was recognized by the Association of Animal Behavior Professionals as the best dog book for owners published in 2008.
Miller emphasized that "Do Over Dogs" is aimed squarely at ordinary dog-owners, not professionals.
"Behavior is almost always modifiable," she said. "It's a matter of, is the owner able to implement the (training). People have told me that's my forte — I take the behavior stuff and make it doable."
About the book
Author: Pat Miller of Fairplay
Title: "Do Over Dogs: Give Your Dog a Second Chance for a First Class Life"
Genre: Dog-training manual
Pages: 199
Price: $17.95
Website: peaceablepaws.com, www.dogwise.com
Available locally at: Peaceable Paws, 17816 Spielman Road, Fairplay
02 Sep, 2011--
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This is a great article. Good to know about Pat Miller. I have read many articles on Dog Training. But for the first time reading an article about giving training to dog owners. As a Dog Trainer, I follow articles about canine training regularly. Keep sharing informative articles.