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positive outlook for dog trainers in this new year
p r o f i l e Promoting Companion Bird Education
In our ongoing series of PPG member profiles, this month BARKS features Sheila S. Blanchette of Heart of Feathers Education & Training, LLC in Atkinson, New Hampshire
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Sheila Blanchette has had lorikeets as companion birds for over 25 years and started learning more about behavior and training when the only resources she could find were books that contained outdated methods.
Q: Can you tell us a bit more about yourself, how you first got into animal behavior and training and what you are doing now? A: About 10 years ago, I began volunteering at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) – Nevins Farm, a multispecies rescue in Methuen, Massachusetts. Over time, I became an assistant dog trainer, which I did for four years. It was during my sessions doing positive reinforcement training for dogs that I decided to start researching to see if there was a way to become a professional companion bird trainer.
In 2015, I earned my certified parrot behavior consultant certification via IAABC and opened Heart of Feathers Education & Training, an inthehome or online behavior consulting and training service for companion birds. And now here I am celebrating my fifth anniversary in business.
Q: Why did you become a trainer/pet care provider? A: I have been involved in the companion bird community for over 20 years. While volunteering in the exotic bird area at the MSPCA – Nevins Farm, I noticed how many companion birds were surrendered because of behavior issues (e.g. biting, screaming, and plucking). I wanted to find a way to help people keep their birds or assist those adopting companion birds with behavior issues.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your own pets. A: ShiAnne, a fawn pug; Tuque, our yellow streak lorikeet; an adopted peachface lovebird; and a very old adopted quaker parakeet share our home.
Also, when assisting local rescues in my area, I foster companion birds. When fostering these birds, the goal is to address any behavior issues before the bird gets adopted. We fostered the peachface lovebird because of medical issues and we fell in love with her. I was hoping she would be my education bird, but although she loves to perform in our house, she does not enjoy doing so outside the home.
The quaker parakeet was surrendered because of biting issues. While in foster, I brought her to my avian vet for a checkup and we discovered she had cataracts. Since she was so old, we decided to just let her retire at our house. She still happily hangs out with us after being adopted four years ago. Q: What is your favorite part of your job? A: Speaking, i.e. promoting companion bird education, whether at a rescue, schools, conferences, or anywhere else. Q: What do you consider to be your area of expertise? A: Assisting clients on biting and “aggressive” behavior, along with working with newly adopted companion birds. I also enjoy teaching clients about foraging and enrichment.
Sheila Blanchette with yellow streak lorikeet, Tuque after they had finished training –the reinforcer for Tuque is spending time with his trainer
© Sheila Blanchette
Q: Are you a crossover trainer or have you always been a force‐free trainer? A: I am forcefree trainer, but I call it “Choice Training.” I would prefer the bird to have choice to participate in the training and do so only if they wanted to.
Q: What drives you to be a force‐free professional and why is it impor‐tant to you? A: In my experience, dog guardians are increasingly looking for forcefree professionals to assist with canine behavior issues. In my opinion, this should be the case for all companion animals, especially birds. My mission is to promote companion bird education to understand how positive reinforcement can promote the humanavian bond. Heart of Feathers Education & Training promotes education, enrichment, and empowerment for companion birds.
Q: What are some of your favorite positive reinforcement techniques for the most commonly encountered behavior issues? A: My favorite positive reinforcement technique for “biting” behavior is teaching offcontact training, like targeting and stationing in the cage.
Q: What is the reward you get out of a day's training with people and their pets?: A: During an inthehome or online behavior or training consultation, my reinforcement comes from the person seeing their bird’s behavior
change when they do the training (not me). Q: What is the funniest or craziest situation you have been in with a pet and their guardian? A: After a speaking engagement at a local rescue, a woman came up to me and thanked me for all the information. She then said, “Could you come to my house and do a consultation for my condor?” I repeated, “Condor?” “Yes, my condor,” she replied. “He likes to attack feet.” Again I asked, “Your condor?” (to make sure I was annunciating the word properly) and again she said, “Yes, my condor.” Still not convinced I
made the letter C with my hand using my finger and thumb and said “conure” and then opened both my hands really wide and said “condor.” She started to laugh and said, “oh right, sorry, my conure.” She continued, “You must have wondered if I still had any toes, if a condor was chasing my feet!” We both laughed and it still makes me chuckle. [A conure is a small to mediumsized parrot; a condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere – Ed.].
Q: What awards or competition placements have you and your pet(s) achieved using force‐free methods? A: My companion birds have not won any awards or competition. I do not show them because they are not comfortable away from home, so of course I do not force them. Instead, I promote them in online seminars or articles.
Q: Who has most influenced your career and how? A: Lara Joseph of The Animal Behavior Center, Barbara Heidenreich of Good Bird, Inc, and Dr. Susan Friedman of Behavior Works. Without these pioneer women promoting avian education, I would still be in that cultural fog that I was in 20 years ago. Q: What advice would you give to a new trainer starting out? A: I would recommend contacting colleges to see if they have a small business development center. These centers can sign you up for free courses, assist with project plans and loans, and give advice on starting your business.
I would also recommend networking with other trainers (whether in your field or not) to see if you can join them at a client session or ask them for assistance, if ever needed. When you build a good network family, you can reach out when you need someone to bounce things off in a tricky behavior case. A trainer in your network may also send clients your way. Conversely, as a new trainer, you can send more challenging cases to someone who is more knowledgeable and experienced.
Q: How has PPG helped you to become a more complete trainer? A: The logo: No Pain, No Fear, No Force applies not only to all animals but also people. When I attended the annual PPG summit in 2016, the speakers, participants, and staff all treated me (a bird behavior consultant and trainer) just the same as they did the dog trainers. I felt no fear about speaking with people about companion bird training. I did not have to force myself to become a part of PPG family, I was accepted instantly. With its network of trainers, PPG has assisted in improving my abilities. I feel that I am not alone. n
Heart of Feathers Education & Training, LLC is located in Atkinson, New Hampshire. To be featured in the BARKS Profile section, please complete this form: bit.ly/2y9plS1
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