Constructional Approach to Animal Welfare and Training
33 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago -A podcast bringing you the latest information to help build stronger relationships with our animal companions, enhance training, assist shelter animals, and address other important issues related to animal welfare and training. If you are like us who love, live, and work with animals, this is the show for you! Please enjoy! Please contact us or find more information at Facebook page "Constructional Approach to Animal Welfare and Training" or email us at [email protected]
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Episodes
Episode 31 - Brand New Approach to Leash Walking with Chuu
November 01, 2022 14:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBHow can we teach our dogs to have mutually enjoyable leisure walks? How can we apply Constructional Approach to achieve our goals on a walk? These are big questions we have been asking ourselves since 2020. In this episode, we will update you on the leash-walking procedure that has been successful with our dog, Chuu, and the dogs of the CAAWT Members. We will walk you through the procedure while navigating five critical features of the Constructional Approach and our journey of refining and ...
Episode 30 - Lions and Tigers and BARRY, Oh my!
August 31, 2022 14:00 - 31 minutes - 22 MBWe are back to podcasting!! In this episode, we share our recent work with one of the shelter dogs - Barry! Barry, a 9-month-old, 100-pound puppy, was jumping and mouthing all over us to an extreme level. And he needed help to learn how to interact with people to obtain what he wanted, which was attention and interaction from people. You will hear how we applied Interaction Guidelines to effectively teach him how to ask for and receive affection from us. We hope you enjoy listening to Barry...
Episode 29: Spotlight on Sammy!
May 26, 2022 15:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MBIn this episode, we share Sammy's journey of finding his forever home. Sammy was a dog that loved people. However, he was engaging in behaviors that prevented him from getting adopted. He would excessively jump inside his enclosure and when interacting with people. But all he wanted was affection from people. So, we used Constructional Affection to teach him how to ask for and receive affection from people and engage in desirable behaviors when greeting new people! On 5/22, a sweet family we...
Episode 28: Touching New Frontiers - Applications of Constructional Affection to Other Species
April 30, 2022 15:00 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MBIn this episode, we explore the application of Constructional Affection to other species, such as equines, tortoises, birds, etc! To get us started, Sean and Maasa are discussing the conjugate reinforcement schedule and several questions to consider: When is it ideal to use Constructional Affection? How can we program our affection as a reinforcer? How can we set up the environment to ask the animal whether affection is working as a reinforcer? What are the desirable behaviors we want to sha...
Episode 27: Three Dogs' Journeys - Ryder, Carmel, and Shelby
March 31, 2022 13:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MBWe have been going to our local animal shelter and working with their dogs for a while now! So, we wanted to share stories of three dogs that we got to work with: Ryder, Carmel, and Shelby. You will hear how the Constructional Approach helped them learn desirable behaviors to ask for and receive our interaction and affection, which is critical for finding their forever homes! Watch the first session with Carmel *We will soon be publishing Carmal's follow-up video and Ryder's video on CAAWT...
Episode 26: Interview with Dr. Susan Friedman (Part 2 of 2)
February 28, 2022 16:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MBIn part 2 of our interview with Dr. Susan Friedman, we have a thought-provoking discussion about the contributions, similarities, and differences the Constructional Approach has with other approaches to training and other behavior analytic approaches. Please enjoy as we explore this approach from its philosophic implication to its influence on real-world procedures! Below are the links we mentioned during the episode: 🌼 CAAWT conference 2022! Save the date on July 25th to 30th! https://www...
Episode 25: Interview with Dr. Susan Friedman (Part 1 of 2)
January 30, 2022 16:00 - 40 minutes - 27.5 MBHappy New Year, everyone! We are kicking off our first episode of 2022 with an interview with Dr. Susan Friedman! In this first part of two episodes, Dr. Friedman describes her passion for behavior analysis, the contingencies that motivate people to continue learning and growing in this field, and the importance of adopting this animal training philosophy. Please enjoy this amazing interview with one of the pioneers of applications of Applied Behavior Analysis! Below are the links we menti...
Episode 24: CAAWT's Vision for 2022!
December 29, 2021 16:00 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MB2021 is almost ending, and 2022 is at the corner! We are sure that you are starting to set goals and things you want to do in 2022! In this episode, we reflected on the goals we set for 2021, what we did to achieve our goals, and we also talked about our goals for 2022! We are looking forward to continuing learning and exploring the Constructional Approach and meeting our goals together in 2022! Thank you for listening to the CAAWT podcast for two years!  We wish you happy holidays and hop...
Episode 23: Interview with Stuart Hoffman
November 30, 2021 17:00 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBThe Constructional Questionnaire (Goldiamond, 1974) is a powerful tool that can help guide our consulting and help achieve our client's meaningful goals that will sustain themselves easily in our absence. In this episode, Stuart Hoffman shares his learning journey of understanding the Constructional Approach, his first experience using the questionnaire, and its impact on the dog and their family. We hope you enjoy this wonderful interview! Below are the links we mentioned during the episod...
Episode 22: Interview with Chase Owens (Part 2 of 2)
October 31, 2021 15:00 - 25 minutes - 17.7 MBJoin us for another fun and inspiring conversation with Chase Owens! Chase and Sean talked about how we can be constructional and practical for helping shelter dogs get adopted and stay adopted. Their conversation highlights the importance of how we choose a specific procedure and set our training goals. In the case of helping shelter dogs, the dogs need to learn desirable human-animal interactions that will help the dogs get adopted and stay adopted. Chase describes how Constructional Affec...
Podcast Episode 21: Interview with Chase Owens (Part 1 of 2)
September 30, 2021 14:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBJoin us for a fun and inspiring conversation with Chase Owens. Chase and Sean talked about their experience developing the procedure of Constructional Affection with the dogs they worked with in animal shelters! They shared many stories and discussed how the idea of using affection came about and how they systematized the use of affection to teach the dogs easier-to-do, less costly, and "desirable" behaviors in an errorless manner. By teaching those "desirable" behaviors, the dogs can get ad...
Episode 21: Interview with Chase Owens (Part 1 of 2)
September 30, 2021 14:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBJoin us for a fun and inspiring conversation with Chase Owens. Chase and Sean talked about their experience developing the procedure of Constructional Affection with the dogs they worked with in animal shelters! They shared many stories and discussed how the idea of using affection came about and how they systematized the use of affection to teach the dogs easier-to-do, less costly, and "desirable" behaviors in an errorless manner. By teaching those "desirable" behaviors, the dogs can get ad...
Episode 20: Interview with Barbara Heidenreich (Part 2 of 2)
August 31, 2021 15:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBIn part 2 of our interview with Barbara Heidenreich, she discusses challenges, and their solutions, to applying the Constructional Aggression Treatment with various exotic animals in zoological settings. Through sharing some amazing stories, she explains the importance of why our training procedures need to be functional. Please enjoy this wonderful episode! Below are the links we mentioned during the episode: If you are interested in learning more about Barbara's work, you can go to her w...
Episode 19: Interview with Barbara Heidenreich (Part 1 of 2)
July 31, 2021 21:00 - 27 minutes - 18.6 MBIn this episode of part 1 of 2, Barbara Heidenreich shares her journey of becoming an animal training consultant, her introduction to the Constructional Approach, and the benefits of this approach in helping animals and the staff in a zoological setting. She also shared creative applications of the Constructional Aggression Treatment with exotic species! We hope you enjoy this amazing interview! Below are the links we mentioned during the episode: If you are interested in learning more abo...
Episode 18: Contingencies - It's Plural!
June 30, 2021 19:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MB"It is not contingency, but it is contingencies. It is plural!"Â - Dr. Israel Goldiamond This episode will start with what we mean by "contingency" and introduce two sets of analysis: linear and nonlinear analyses. We will go beyond looking at a single contingency and begin discussing how multiple contingencies are interacting to influence behavior. When we look at behavior nonlinearly, we can make sense of why our animal companions do a specific behavior instead of other behaviors, underst...
Episode 17: Chuu's Update on Separation Anxiety - Turning Small Steps into Giant Leaps
May 29, 2021 15:00 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MBIt has been seven months since we shared our life with Chuu. Since then, we have accomplished quite a bit, so we want to share our progress with Chuu, mainly focusing on the separation anxiety problem discussed in episodes 7 and 10. In this episode, we talk about the application of Affection Loop to solve separation anxiety. You will hear how we can start our journey from removing our hands from Chuu when being pet for one second to leaving Chuu home alone for 6 hours. We hope this informati...
Episode 16: Assessment and Data Collection
April 30, 2021 02:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBIn our everyday life, we collect data on the things that are important to us, such as health, finances, or education. This practice also applies to our animal training to solve problems. Rather than relying on our gut feeling, we can take data and assess the situation to help us understand what is going on and decide what to do next. In this episode, we share our stories and discuss easy methods of conducting assessments and collecting data. Please enjoy! Below is the links we mentioned dur...
Episode 15: Interview with Carol Novello from Mutual Rescue
March 31, 2021 20:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBJoin us with Carol Novello from Mutual Rescue. During this interview, Carol shares her work of raising awareness of how rescuing animals can help people and animals, partnering with animal shelters and communities, and the relationship between human services and animal welfare. Please enjoy! Below are the links we mentioned in the episode: Mutual Rescue: https://mutualrescue.org Enjoy the Mutual Rescue Film "Eric and Peety": https://youtu.be/Rm0qYRWQpZI CAAWT Webinar Lectures Video on Dema...
Episode 14: Interview with Morgan Katz
February 24, 2021 15:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBJoin us in this episode as we introduce you to Morgan Katz! Morgan is the Director of Behavior Services for multiple animal shelters in the Boston area, and one of the presenters at our upcoming webinar at the end of March. In our interview, Morgan shares where her passion for helping animals comes from, her journey learning about various techniques used in animal training, and how her history shapes the way she helps the animals and their new families in her shelters. Please enjoy this inte...
Episode 14: Interview with Morgan Katz from MSPCA
February 24, 2021 15:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBJoin us in this episode as we introduce you to Morgan Katz! Morgan is the Director of Behavior Services for multiple animal shelters in the Boston area, and one of the presenters at our upcoming webinar at the end of March. In our interview, Morgan shares where her passion for helping animals comes from, her journey learning about various techniques used in animal training, and how her history shapes the way she helps the animals and their new families in her shelters. Please enjoy this inte...
Episode 13: CAAWT's Vision for 2021
January 28, 2021 16:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBHappy New Year from CAAWT Podcast! Here is the first episode of 2021! In this episode, we reflected on the big topics we covered in 2020 and passionately talked about our vision for 2021. We share our vision of exploring animal welfare issues from the perspective of the constructional approach in a much larger and broader context, collaborating with experts from different fields, and exchanging information to improve animal welfare. We will further engage with our audience this year through ...
Episode 12: An Introduction to Conjugate Reinforcement
December 29, 2020 03:00 - 26 minutes - 18 MBJoin us as we explore a critical concept in Constructional Affection - Conjugate Reinforcement. Our discussion focuses on what conjugate reinforcement is, how and why we use this delivery of reinforcement during Interaction Guidelines. Please enjoy this episode and visit our Patreon page for bonus material that takes a deeper dive into the research behind Conjugate Reinforcement. Thank you so much for listening to our show for a whole year! We will see you in 2021! Happy Holidays! Here are ...
Episode 11: Constructional Approach to Leash Walking
November 30, 2020 04:00 - 26 minutes - 18.6 MBJoin us as we talk about a Constructional Approach to Leash Walking. We will highlight the importance of identifying a current relevant repertoire to shape desirable behavior on leash and avoid extinction during training. This episode will help point us in a direction to build towards our goal while still leaving our companion's tails wagging. The outcomes of having good leash walking behavior will touch other aspects of our lives together and undoubtedly increase the number of beautiful mem...
Episode 10: An Update on Chuu - A Lesson on Shaping and Small Steps
November 02, 2020 00:00 - 19 minutes - 13.6 MBIn this episode, we give you all an update on our life with Chuu and discuss how we have addressed the new challenges he has thrown our way. Often, overcoming behavioral challenges can seem like an overwhelming task. Even knowing where to begin can be a challenge unto itself. Join us as we discuss overcoming Chuu's biting and jumping on us and his destructive behavior when left alone by taking small steps and shaping towards a goal. Please check our training videos and bonus content at htt...
Episode 9: Constructional Aggression Treatment with Dr. JesĂşs Rosales-Ruiz (Part 2 of 2)
September 23, 2020 00:00 - 25 minutes - 17.9 MBFor the first time, the public will have the opportunity to hear the newly revised procedure for the Constructional Aggression Treatment or CAT!! In this episode, Dr. Rosales-Ruiz describes some of the criticisms that Constructional Aggression Treatment received, and how it improved the procedure. These significant updates on the procedure ensure that animals experience as little stress or aversion as possible. Through CAT, we can teach alternative behaviors to deal with stressful situation...
Episode 8: Constructional Aggression Treatment with Dr. JesĂşs Rosales-Ruiz (Part 1 of 2)
August 30, 2020 22:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MBWe begin our two-episode journey of exploring Constructional Aggression Treatment with Dr. JesĂşs Rosales-Ruiz. Constructional Aggression Treatment, also known as CAT, applies the Constructional Approach to the treatment of fearful and aggressive behaviors. Dr. Rosales-Ruiz is the creator of CAT, and is going to share with us his journey of bringing the Constructional Approach to help improve the lives of animals showing fearful and aggressive behaviors with enlightening stories. Please enjoy...
Episode 7: Welcoming Chuu
July 26, 2020 15:00 - 32 minutes - 22.2 MBWe rescued a new puppy from our local city animal shelter! He is an 8-month-old puppy, and his name is “Chuu,” which means “kiss” in Japanese. During the past week of us welcoming him into our family gave us so many things to share with you. So, this episode is all about that! In this episode, we will walk you through our 7-day journey of welcoming Chuu into our family. We begin the story with how we immediately fell in love with Chuu when we first met him, and how we welcomed Chuu into ou...
Episode 6: Constructional Affection - Procedure
June 29, 2020 20:00 - 22 minutes - 15.7 MBIt’s no secret that dogs love our attention. For us, it almost seems like loving animals is part of who we are. However, sometimes dogs will find funny or problematic ways to get our attention. Some dogs are calm and other dogs can get really excited, they may jump on you or bark. As mentioned in our previous episode, those dogs who approach you and jump or bark at you are telling you that they want your attention and affection! For the dogs that are like this example, Constructional Affec...
Episode 5: Constructional Affection - Introduction
May 26, 2020 20:00 - 26 minutes - 18 MBHello everyone! Welcome back to our podcast! In today’s episode, we will share a new approach to training and living with our animals that has been featured for many years in Clicker Expo and The Art and Science of Animal Training Conference. This approach has changed the lives of countless animal companions and their families, and animals in zoos and shelters. Sean, a founder of Constructional Affection, will be sharing stories of milestones in the journey that he and his colleague had w...
Episode 4: Relationships
April 22, 2020 15:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBHello everyone! Welcome back to our podcast! For this episode, we are going to talk about “relationships,” an important topic that ties directly to our animal companion’s quality of life. First, we will talk about the critical components of good relationships with our animal companions. Ideally, they need to approach us and seek for our affection, and the interaction must be mutually enjoyable for both parties. The next question is how we can make this wonderful relationship with our anim...
Episode 3: Interview with Dr. Joe Layng (Part 2 of 2)
March 31, 2020 16:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBHello everyone! Welcome back to our podcast! For this episode, we will continue our interview with Dr. Joe Layng, where he describes critical questions that we can ask ourselves or our clients to figure out how we can build desirable relationships with our animal companions. We hope you enjoy it! First, we will identify our goal, or where we want to go. We will describe our goal in terms of what behaviors we want to build or see more of, rather than the absence of problem behaviors. To a...
Episode 2: Interview with Dr. Joe Layng (Part 1 of 2)
March 06, 2020 17:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBHello everyone! Welcome back to our podcast! Â For the next two episodes, we will welcome our special guest, Dr. T.V. Joe Layng, to explain the foundations of the Constructional Approach. Dr. Joe Layng studied with the founder of the Constructional Approach, Dr. Israel Goldiamond, for many years at the University of Chicago. In this episode, he describes the origin and development of the Constructional Approach, how he got involved with the works, and the defining characteristics of the Con...
Episode 1: Introduction
January 21, 2020 21:00 - 23 minutes - 16.4 MBWelcome to the first episode of the Constructional Approach to Animal Welfare and Training podcast! Join the hosts, Maasa and Sean, as we introduce ourselves and the Constructional Approach while sharing a story from volunteering at a local animal shelter. Please enjoy! Below are the organizations we mentioned in this episode: Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals (ORCA): https://orca.unt.edu The Art and Science of Animal Training: https://www.artandscienceofanimaltraini...