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Episode - 29 June, 2021
Host: Barbara Heidenreich
Guests: Kellie Snider, MS
Constructional Aggression Treatment, also known as CAT, first debuted in the animal training community in 2007 when Kellie Snider made the procedure the focus of her thesis. Since then it has been fine-tuned, practiced, applied and successfully replicated countless of times with a wide variety of species. Kellie and I discuss what inspired her studies and why it is such an important procedure for improving animal welfare. We also get into the mechanics of practical application and some points to consider for those new to the procedure. If you have been on the fence about CAT, we also clear up the confusion by diving into the behavior science behind function-based interventions. CAT fans and fans to be, will love this episode. Visit the episode webpage for links to Kellie's book and webinar on CAT.
Links:
Guest Bio:
Kellie Snider, MS
Kellie Sisson Snider was introduced to clicker training when she had an aggressive cockatoo in the late 1990s. She was advised to read Karen Pryor’s “Don’t Shoot The Dog” book while being coached via email about how to work with her bird. She got hooked on behavior. When she had read everything she could understand on behavior analysis as a self-taught learner in the 1990s and early 2000s, she was advised by Marian Bailey to study under Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz at the University of North Texas.
Kellie earned her B.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis and her M.S. in Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Her thesis was the Constructional Aggression Treatment, which became an influential technology in aggressive dog work. Kellie and Dr. Rosales-Ruiz taught seminars about the procedure across the US and internationally. Their DVD on CAT became a bestseller for Tawzer Dog Videos.
Kellie focused on understanding and treating canine aggression, and on environmental adjustments for emotional behaviors. She worked in her own practice with aggressive dogs for about 6 years, and for 13 years in shelter animal behavior as a manager and director. Her book, Turning Fierce Dogs Friendly: Constructional Aggression Treatment for Rehabilitating Aggressive and Reactive Dogs, was published in 2018 by Companion House Publishing. She currently works as an artist and writer and lives in Pittsburgh, PA.
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