Laura Perkins - Laura Perkins Animal Behavior [Episode 26]

Animal Training Academy: Making Ripples

Laura Perkins resides in Michigan with her husband, 2 dogs and 2 cats. They are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their baby daughter in December!

Currently, Laura provides 1-1 behavior consulting for families and their dogs through her business Laura Perkins Animal Behavior. She also provides virtual services through Kiki Yablon Dog Training. For the first time this summer Laura served as a TA for Susan Friedman’s Living and Learning with Animals course.

Laura began training dogs as a young kind in 4-h where she was introduced to what we would today call “balanced training”. Her “aha” moment regarding clicker training and positive reinforcement based methods was via an agility instructor who used Laura’s dog Sammy as a demo to free shape getting on the table and laying down. This was the moment that led Laura to pursue an understanding of how this stuff works!

Laura graduated from the University of Illinois in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. She wasn’t satisfied with her learning regarding behavior specifically so she went on to pursue a master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas where she graduated in 2012. There she studied with Jesús-Rosales-Ruiz and was an active member of the ORCA lab (Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals).

Between graduate school and now, Laura has worked at a doggy daycare, has served as the behaviorist on staff at a county shelter in Oregon, and has continued to grow her business.

Laura’s dog hobbies are doing nosework, obedience and occasionally some at-home agility with her two dogs Dan (Herding Dog Multi Blend) and Doug (Border Collie). Outside of dog training, Laura enjoys hiking, gardening and is learning to play the guitar.

For links CLICK HERE >>> https://atamember.com/2022/11/03/laura-perkins/