Joy Aldrich, CPDT-KA
Joy Aldrich, of Joy for Dogs, combines years of experience working with dogs with a background in teaching humans, and is able to not only get desired behavior from dogs, but also make training and behavior modification clear and easy for owners to follow through.
Joy uses the principles of Operant Conditioning to achieve behavior change in dogs. When she first studied these concepts in a dog training course in 2007, she had no idea how useful this knowledge would later become. Operant Conditioning is used in Applied Behavior Analysis, to create therapies for people, especially those with autism, and its effectiveness is backed by decades of research. In 2015, her then 3-year-old son was diagnosed with autism, and began receiving ABA therapy. Since then, Joy has learned a great deal from watching and talking with her son’s therapists and BCBAs (Board Certified Behavior Analysts), and continues to study and refine her understanding of the techniques to not only help her son, but to be better able to achieve behavior change in dogs.
In July 2016, Joy completed Parvene Farhoody’s 40-hour “Chicken Training” Operant Conditioning Workshop, in which participants used clickers to train chickens (the idea being that chickens have extremely fast reflexes, so if one can train a chicken, he or she ought to be able to train any slower animal, such as a dog). “Intense, but extremely educational” is how she describes the experience.
Joy says: “My years of experience teaching have refined my ability to share information in a way that makes sense and that can be immediately put to work to achieve results! I know how precious people’s dogs are and strive to be compassionate and respectful of both dogs and owners. A well-behaved dog is a joy for everyone, and I want everyone to experience the joy of life with a wonderful dog (or two, or more)! Years in academia also left me with a passion for learning, and the science of dog behavior and training is fascinating! The individuality of dogs, and their lovable nature keep the work interesting and rewarding.”
She holds a Master’s in English, and previously taught college-level Writing and Critical Thinking as well as English to non-native speakers in Germany.
More about Joy:
- Earned CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed) from the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers
- Certified as a dog trainer by Animal Behavior College and honors graduate
- AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
- Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College
- Member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers
- Joy’s own Boxer, Cassie, earned the Canine Good Citizen certificate
- Former Trainer for Petco
“Lots of people talk to animals. Not very many listen, though. That’s the problem.”
~Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh