About Tom Beitz
Tom earned his initial certification through the Puppy and Dog Obedience Academy, (PDOA), a school devoted to working exclusively with house pets. His area of specialty is resolving behavior issues, ranging from housebreaking to aggression. In addition to working with behavior problems, Tom also conducts private lesson in the home, instructing various levels of obedience. This includes beginner obedience (on-leash) up to more advanced off- leash training.
Subsequent to receiving his certification at the PDOA, Tom participated in the Canine Behavior Study at Cornell University. The program’s focus was on serious behavior problems such as aggression and its effective solutions.
Tom also earned a certification from the Triple Crown Dog Academy (the world leader in pet education) in “Gentle Touch Training.” Gentle Touch training is a new pet-friendly method of training dogs to an containment system- which is revolutionizing the entire containment industry. This certification was overseen and endorsed by the International Association of Canine Professions, IACP- an international association consisting primarily of dog trainers, vets, kennel owners, and groomers.
He also received a certification from “Sit Means Sit” and the “No Limitations” training school. No limitations certification is an advanced method of training difficult dogs in an “off-leash” environment with any kind of distraction.
Tom also produced a 2 hour training video dealing with obedience training and behavior modification. He is a freelance writer who has written a column for the Cherry Creek Gazette for over 5 years. He has also written a column for “What’s Happening in Western New York and North East Pennsylvania” for the past several years. Tom has had a number of his articles published in the SafeHands Journal, a quarterly journal published by the International Association of Canine Professionals, IACP. Several of Tom’s published articles are on his website, which may be helpful and informative to the dog owner.
Tom continues his education by attending various seminars and conferences throughout the country each year.
Tom, Thanks for the articles… esp on Balanced Training. I am a long time believer in using balance, altho I lean towards the positive side of training. I started training in the 60′s and remember well the force that was used on dogs, even soft dogs. So when treat/reward training came into being, I fully followed the crowd. I quickly learned
that you could manage a dogs behavior by keeping him away from enviroments that could bring out the worst of his behavior. But I wanted a dog that could be off leash, come when called etc…other words be under control. Thats when I became a ‘balanced trainer’ Train the dog you have and train the owner so that right combination of method will result in a happy team. I enjoyed your articles !
Shirley,
Thanks for your comment. In the end analysis obedience training really is all about control. Although different people have different expectations of their dog, one will never obtain complete control with positive reinforcement alone. I heard Gary Wilkes (author of clickandtreat.com) once say that “dogs that compete on the regional or national level have all gotten to that point with some aversions techniques.” After all, Operant Conditioning is a four part learning model.
Best wishes,
Tom Beitz