On Dog Play! Along with posting my own tutorials on this channel I am hosting trainers I admire who are experts in their field. Today I would like to introduce you to Mara Velez who is a trainer I admire and an expert in dog play. Today she will be discussing what appropriate dog play looks like, what inappropriate play looks like and then will show demos of the process of introducing dogs and how to assess interactions. This is just a brief introduction. Check out the website of Shelter Playgroup Alliance for a wealth of information on dog play:


https://www.shelterdogplay.org/


This video goes over how you can set up dogs who are friendly and social with other dogs for successful introductions and appropriate play. If you have a dog who can behave fearful, reactive or your dog hasn’t been around other dogs or you just don’t know what your dog might do, I suggest getting help from a professional trainer who uses positive reinforcement to help you with a training plan for your specific dog.


ABOUT THE TRAINER:

Mara Velez, Executive Director, MA, CPDT-KA

Mara Velez is the Executive Director of the Shelter Playgroup Alliance and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Prior to co-founding the Shelter Playgroup Alliance, Mara was a behavior and training consultant for several years at Contra Costa Animal Services (CCASD), an open-admission county shelter. At CCASD she collaboratively designed, developed, and implemented behavior program structures, including a robust volunteer training program, the behavior evaluation, and the canine enrichment and playgroup guidelines.

In addition to working with canines, Mara enjoys training other species because it expands her training and observation skills. She has worked with cats, rabbits, wolves, foxes, guinea pigs, coyotes, buffalo, donkeys, goats, alpacas, chickens, parrots, corvids and other birds, and a fish.


Mara holds both a bachelors and masters degree in psychology and completed all of the course work for a doctorate in education. She also completed University of the Pacific Animal Shelter Management Program and the Summer Shelter Institute. Mara has also completed KPA, LLA, and several other animal behavior and training-related programs. Mara continually develops her skills and knowledge of canines by attending seminars and reading science-based canine literature. To date, she has completed over 1,400 hours of continuing education.


#professionaldogtraining #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogplay