Welcome to Pet Owners Academy!

Learn from Experience

Become a student to knowledgeable pet professionals and improve your pet's life
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LEARN MORE

about how to be a better pet owner.

Do More

to improve the lives of your pets.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

in their quality of life and happiness.

What we offer

We're just getting started! We will be regularly adding new courses!

New!
baby-girl-with-a-beagle-dog-YRUC8CY
Preparing for Babies with Dogs
Course Price: $4.99
This short course will help you prepare your pet for a new human sibling. Get advice from a certified dog trainer on how to involve your dog in baby prep!
Category: 
  • Dogs
  • , Family
We talk about: 
  • babies
  • , preparation
Instructor
Amanda Fedric

ABCDT, APDT Member

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new-puppy-potty-training
Puppy Potty Training
Course Price: $14.99
In this course, we will discuss the 4 keys to potty training success, proper potty training protocol, and helpful tips for the busy pet owner.
Category: 
  • Dogs
We talk about: 
  • potty
Instructor
Amanda Fedric

ABCDT, APDT Member

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Want to be an instructor?

Can you see your course listed here?

We are looking for pet professionals that work with pets of all types!  Create supplemental courses for your in-person clients and make your knowledge available on a virtual platform.

Become an Instructor!

Do you take pet ownership seriously?

Educating yourself and becoming a high-quality owner is the way to provide your pet with the highest quality of life.

Complete courses that pertain to you and your pet.  Learn ways to manage health and behavior, and discover new ways to provide your pet with the best quality of life you are able!  Remember, the more you know, the better equipped you will be to make responsible and well-informed decisions for your pet.

Take the knowledge you gain here and apply it to your pet.  Seeing your pet benefit from your application of what you’ve learned is a special kind of reward, and you will see the bond and understanding between you grow.  Learn to do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do with your pet.

Complete training courses that allow you to be a better volunteer, shelter worker, or rescue.  Learn more about the organizations you want to participate with and the industry and systems that drive the need for their work.  Learn how to make a difference in the lives of your pets and the lives of pets around you.

What are our standards?

We follow LIMA standards, as they are defined by various authorities in training. From the IAABC's website, LIMA is defined as "an acronym for the phrase 'least intrusive, minimally aversive.' LIMA describes a trainer or behavior consultant who uses the least intrusive, minimally aversive strategy out of a set of humane and effective tactics likely to succeed in achieving a training or behavior change objective. LIMA adherence also requires consultants to be adequately educated and skilled in order to ensure that the least intrusive and aversive procedure is used."

Source: Steven Lindsay, Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training Vol 3 pgs. 29 & 726
We follow these standards for the reasons stated by the IAABC, which are detailed below. You can view all of these statements from the IAABC, here.

LIMA is competence-based

LIMA requires trainers/consultants to work to increase the use of positive reinforcement and eliminate the use of punishment when working with animal and human clients. In order to ensure best practices, consultants should pursue and maintain competence in animal behavior consulting and training through continuing education, and hands-on experience. Trainers/consultants should not advise on problems outside the recognized boundaries of their competencies and experience.

Preventing Abuse

We seek to prevent the abuses and potential repercussions of inappropriate, poorly applied, and inhumane uses of punishment and of overly-restrictive management and confinement strategies. The potential effects of punishment can include aggression or counter-aggression; suppressed behavior (preventing the trainer/consultant from adequately reading the animal); increased anxiety and fear; physical harm; a negative association with the owner or handler; increased unwanted behavior; and, new, unwanted behaviors.

Positive Reinforcement and Understanding the Learner

Positive reinforcement should be the first line of teaching, training, and behavior change program considered, and should be applied consistently. Positive reinforcement is associated with the lowest incidence of aggression, attention seeking, avoidance, and fear in learners.

Systematic Problem Solving and Strategies

The trainer/consultant is responsible for ensuring learner success through a consistent, systematic approach that identifies a specific target behavior, the purpose of that behavior, and the consequences that maintain the behavior.

We took these points directly from the IAABC website

because we couldn't say it better ourselves.

It is so important to train our animals and care for them.  But it’s even more important that we do so the right way, and we believe that requires following LIMA standards, in all cases.  We do not accept instructors that wish to provide content that fails to meet LIMA standards, and will prevent the publication of any courses that fail to meet LIMA standards.

We will continue to detail how our courses and partnerships reinforce LIMA standards as the default standard of care when training or caring for our pets.

Love, Amanda & Joe
Founders, Pet Owners Academy
Learn More about LIMA Standards
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