About

Barrie Finger, CDBC, CPDT-ka, has been helping humans help their dogs in the Denver metro area for over 23 years. She is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC.com), a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CCPDT.com), Certified Fear Free Professional (www.fearfreepets.com), and completed the esteemed Living and Learning with Animals Course (behaviorworks.com).

Through her business, Mindful Dog Training, she combines her deep desire to treat both dogs and their humans with appreciation, compassion and insight, as well as a dedication to continuing education to more skillfully serve the needs of the families that come to her for support. Barrie is also an avid student of mindfulness and Buddhist philosophy, psychology and practice. She regularly encounters how these teachings intersect with the science of behavior in profound ways, and has found immense value, both personally and professionally, in how each perspective informs and supports the other.

Barrie’s training philosophy is firmly rooted in positive reinforcement, focusing on strengthening the relationship between dog and human to foster harmony and promote behavioral wellness.

More info:

“The IAABC promotes professionalism and continuing education in the field of animal behavior.  Animal behavior consultants respect the client’s right to self-determination and embrace a non-judgmental approach. Our certified members are required to demonstrate competency in six core areas including assessment and intervention strategies, counseling skills, behavioral science, knowledge of animal behavior, and species-specific knowledge.”
www.iaabc.org


“The Certified Professional Dog Trainer (“KA”=Knowledge Assessed) program is an internationally recognized certification program for professional dog trainers based on humane training practices and the latest scientific knowledge related to dog training. CPDTs have earned this credential by demonstrating their knowledge and experience in dog training.

Certified Professional Dog Trainers maintain their credential through continuing education by attending workshops, conferences, and hands-on seminars for professional dog trainers. This continuing education requirement ensures that CPDTs are knowledgeable about the most current thinking, research, and techniques in the field.”
www.ccpdt.org

Fear Free Pets

“Founded in 2016, Fear Free provides online and in-person education to veterinary professionals, the pet professional community, and pet owners.  Our courses are developed and written by the most respected veterinary and pet experts in the world, including boarded veterinary behaviorists, boarded veterinary anesthesiologists, pain experts, boarded veterinary internists, veterinary technicians (behavior), experts in shelter medicine, animal training, grooming, boarding and more.

By closely listening to the needs of the profession and those of pet owners, Fear Free has become one of the single most transformative initiatives in the history of companion animal practice, providing unparalleled education on emotional well-being, enrichment and the reduction of fear, anxiety and stress in pets.”

www.fearfreepets.com

Living and Learning with Animals: The Fundamental Principles and Procedures of Teaching and Learning

“Purpose and Objectives

LLA Professional is designed to provide the foundation for a comprehensive and coherent understanding of behavior analysis as it relates to facilitating the lives of captive and companion animals. The principles and procedures discussed throughout the class apply to all species. To meet this goal, the following objectives will be explored:

1) The fundamental principles of learning and behavior.

2) A model for assessing the functional relationships between behavior and environmental conditions.

3) The teaching technology of applied behavior analysis and its ethical guidelines for implementation.

4) A systematic model for building behavior-change interventions.

With this information, animal professionals will be able to better guide clients to proactively teach their animals successful captive and companion behaviors and effectively analyze and resolve behavior problems that inevitably arise.”

www.behaviorworks.org