Kim Miller of Hearts in Harmony Hosts Fear-Free Dog Training Sessions
Hamilton, Virginia (March 7, 2018) — As a gift to the Northern Virginia community Hearts in Harmony and Joyful Dog hosted a Fear-Free dog training seminar in Hamilton, Virginia on March 3rd. The admission free event focused on teaching pet owners how to train their dogs to become more comfortable with veterinary handling and grooming. Speakers included Fear Free Certified Professionals Kim Miller (Hearts in Harmony) and Marnie Montgomery (Joyful Dog)as techniques were discussed on how to encourage dogs to become a willing participant in their own care.
For some dogs who don’t enjoy trips to the groomers, activities that seem mundane to humans such as nail trimming and clipping can be quite stressful and even traumatic to some extent. To provide much needed help and information to concerned pet owners, Kim is offering 4-week Fear Free training classes starting March 18th. During the classes, participants will learn methods of alleviating and preventing fear, anxiety and stress in their pets, as well as how to prepare your dog for veterinary, grooming visits and care.
The Fear free approach aims to protect the emotional experience of animals during care. This is done by positively influencing animal emotional wellbeing during care and in other areas of their life. For instance, building happy associations with the vet, medical equipment and treatment, grooming and handling are essential when puppies begin socializing. Such training should be included as a basic part of manner classes early on. At the same time, owners will learn how to recognize signs and triggers of fear, anxiety and stress in their animal, as well as techniques to manage and alleviate them.
Fear free trainers like Kim are vital in this type of training in that they work to preserve the human-animal bond. A Fear Free Certified Professional is someone who has completed the Fear Free Animal Trainer course, allowing him or her to work with the pet owner and the veterinary team to protect the physical and emotional wellbeing of pets. They must also meet a standard for education or certification, experience, and ethical codes of conduct for training so that they may also help redeem care situations in which an animal is already fearful, anxious and stressed.
For more information on Fear Free Training and to register for classes, visit
https://www.heartsinharmonyllc.com/specialty-classes.
About Hearts in Harmony, LLC
Serving Leesburg, Hamilton, and extended areas in Virginia, Hearts in Harmony, LLC is a company that provides dog training services to citizens and fatigue workshops to animal care professionals. The company’s owner and primary instructor, Kim Miller, is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) with over 40 years working with dogs and other animals. Kim has recently completed the Fear Free instructors training course and is a Fear Free Certified Professional. She is also a Pat Miller Certified Trainer (PMCT), a Compassion Fatigue Instructor, and an esteemed member of several venerable animal training organizations.
