In 2015, I took Dr. Susan Friedman’s very popular LLA course; Living and Learning with Animals. She is well known as a pioneer in the use of applied behaviour analysis to change behaviour in companion and captive animals.

This course changed the way I think about animals and my approach to training. It was a 2 month online course with an unusual format. Each week we met via telephone conference while Dr. Friedman delivered her lecture. We all had access to her slides either online, or with the option to download them and organize in our own format. Between each weekly tele-conference we communicated via the now defunct Yahoo groups.

The course was divided into two parts; the first one being an introduction on how behaviour works in animals, and the second part putting applied behaviour analysis into action. We were each assigned tutors who would guide us through the homework each week. When we were able to answer each question successfully, they would pass us on to the next level with a different tutor. The finale ended with each of us completing a FAID (functional assessment and intervention design) based on our own training situation.

I could honestly listen to Dr. Friedman for hours. She has a mesmerizing way of delivering information; every sentence holds your attention. This is a course I would recommend to all dog trainers and anyone working with animals of other species.