Note:
This article was first published as an APDT member profile in the January/February 2004 issue of The APDT Chronicle of the Dog, Vol. XI, No. 1. For more information about the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), please visit their web site at www.apdt.com.
Edited by Nicole Wilde, CPDT
- Name: Audrey Schwartz Rivers, MS.
- Business Name: PetShare.
- Location: Houston, TX.
- Phone: 281-772-0069.
- E-mail: asrivers@pets-share.org.
- Years in Business: 4 years.
- Personal Training Philosophy: Respect all no matter what creed or breed.
How long have you been in business and what types of services do you provide?
In 2000 I founded PetShare, a nonprofit that provides animal-assisted programs (AAP) and humane education to at-risk youth. I serve as a full-time volunteer. I also train and test human-animal teams for therapy work. I am a registered Delta Society® Pet Partners® handler and a licensed Delta instructor and evaluator.
PetShare offers several programs. I am lead instructor for Project GRADE, which teams shelter dogs with juvenile offenders to improve both groups’ futures. Teams spend six hours per week training while learning about animal care, pet overpopulation, dog fighting, and breed bans.
Our weekly after-school program, “Kayla’s Club” (named after my Sheltie who attends all meetings), uses dogs and other animals to teach tolerance. The club looks at the world from Kayla’s perspective. Members learn about dog communication to improve their interpersonal skills. We demonstrate training methods to show that “nothing in life is free” and to “praise the positive, ignore the negative” in others. We started four years ago with three students and today we average 30 per week.
The newest project is animal-assisted therapy (AAT) with sexually abused children. AAT teams work with clients and licensed therapists at the County’s Children’s Assessment Center. We use the dog’s actions, feelings, and history to make the child comfortable, share feelings, and heal. Many of the dogs lived in foster homes, so the children really connect. We have seen miraculous breakthroughs through this bond.
In my “spare” time, I write articles about AAP and a newspaper column about the human-animal bond.
How did you get started?
I worked over twenty years in public relations, my last ten as a strategic planner and public affairs officer for NASA. When I “retired,” I adopted Kayla and trained to be a therapy team. I also volunteered as a court-appointed guardian ad litem to foster children. I could not reach one depressed boy pulled from his home due to sexual abuse. When I told him Kayla had lived in foster homes too, he opened up. So I started PetShare, to bring animals and abused children together. It took years, but our AAT program serves as a model for others around the country.
I hold a BA in Journalism, an MS in Human Sciences, and continue to study human and animal behavior.
Who or what was the biggest influence on you as a trainer?
Henry David Thoreau, the first ecopsychologist, is my greatest inspiration. Sam Ross’s pioneering Green Chimneys Farm in NY represents the epitome of what AAT can be. Dr. Lynn Loar provided ideas for development of AAT with sexually abused children.
I took much of Project GRADE’s activities from Sue Sternberg’s work; Peggy Tillman’s Clicking With Your Dog’s illustrations since many of our clients cannot read well; Turid Rugaas’ calming signals to practice stress management; and Robert Abrantes’s Dog Language for a great dictionary on nonverbal communication. I introduced a version of Pryor’s “Training Game” to teach about teasing. Instead of click-and-treat, we first shout hurtful words (stupid, dumb, no!) when the victim does the wrong thing. Then we repeat with encouraging words (great, go, yes!) as the student progresses. We discuss how each exercise made us feel and how R+ promotes success.
Describe your personal training philosophy or approach.
I’m more Jungian than Skinnerian – I practice more “connection” than “conditioning.” Dogs possess individual personalities, interests, feelings, and concerns which must be regarded by trainers.
We cannot teach dogs or children by a standardized, cookie-cutter approach. I do not believe dogs or children must be “obedient,” but rather “well-mannered” – a substantial difference. Not all dogs enjoy therapy work. As a handler, I must respect my dogs’ needs and interests, even when they do not coincide with my own. Some of the worst therapy dog candidates are show or obedience trained dogs. While they execute commands precisely, they too often perform without feeling. I want a therapy dog who will ignore a recall if the child needs extra cuddles. Kayla makes a perfect therapy dog not just because she is well trained, but because she possesses a caring, empathetic soul.
How do you get your business?
PetShare doesn’t make money, but tax-deductible donations are always welcome. Networking with other agencies helps leverage our limited resources and gives added credibility. I speak with civic groups, at local dog events, and PTAs with donation jar in hand. I always carry business cards, as you never know when a child will turn out to have Donald Trump as a dad!
What kind of “tools” do you keep in your toolbox?
Dogs wear a leather or fabric collar, martingale, head halter, or harness. No metal collars, leads, prongs, or electronic equipment. My bag of tricks includes a two-foot lead so children can “walk” my dog (I control the main lead), treats, brush, and a ball as a reward for Kayla and a way to break the ice with shy or fearful children.
What do you like most about being a trainer? What do you find most challenging?
People ask whether I become depressed dealing with abused children. I have never worked in a more fulfilling capacity. We find the painful symptoms and the breakthroughs evolve faster with AAT. To see a child suffering and then finally tell her secret to a dog makes everything worthwhile.
Dealing with handlers is the greatest challenge. Our programs differ from typical visits to a nursing home or hospital: therapy sessions frequently become emotionally intense, crises can occur, and handlers must understand the therapist’s intent and listen for subtle nuances. When a team misses a therapy session with a child, the client views the absence as another rejection. Volunteers must be unusually dedicated to continue weekly visits for months or even years.
As a Delta evaluator I frequently pass dogs in temperament tests, but the handler fails. Try explaining that to a human. Dogs don’t have their egos invested in their work, but humans do.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a trainer?
Read every training book, whether or not you agree with the methods. Discover what resonates and why. Attend professional conferences, workshops, and meetings. Network with trainers. Ask questions. If you’re interested in AAP, read everything you can about the clients you seek to serve. What issues, concerns, hopes, and fears do they have? Shadow an experienced team on visits. When registered, visit with your dog. Learn from mistakes, but only make them once.
What advice would you give to “seasoned” trainers?
Ditto to what I said above – you’ll forget more than you’ll ever learn. Trust what the dog tells you. Whether in body language, vocalizations, behavior, or attitude, the dog explains its interests, feelings, and concerns. Training problems occur because we refuse to listen.
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t assume the most popular training technique or tool works for all. Fit the equipment to the individual, not on the individual!
What are your business training goals for the future?
My dream is to start a retreat where at-risk children and animals can care for each other. This haven would serve not only abused children, but youth from violent backgrounds – Israelis and Palestinians, Muslims and Hindus, Orange and Green Irish, and rival gang members. I envision these youths learning to peacefully cooperate, rehabilitate abused animals, and in turn, rehabilitate their cultures. The human-animal bond can break through hatred, hurt, and hopelessness to be a catalyst for positive change. PetShare states, “Interaction with a pet enriches a human life, especially a child’s, and, hence, transforms the world.”
