SANTA ROSA BEACH, FL – Dog-Harmony, Inc. will virtually host Amanda Rietheimer in its second virtual education seminar focusing on dog behavior on May 20 at 5 p.m.
Rietheimer is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA). She is a lifelong animal advocate and a former animal control officer from New England.
Dog-Harmony’s complimentary seminar, “Ask Amanda: Shelter Enrichment, Expectations and Equipment,” will be beneficial for employees and volunteers of animal rescue organizations, as well as all dog lovers.
Dog-Harmony, Inc., is a Santa Rosa Beach-based 501(c)3 dedicated to helping dogs rescue people through humane education programs and positive training methods.
During the seminar, Rietheimer will address the importance of canine enrichment and recommended handling techniques for dogs in the shelter in a live Q & A format.
Increasing numbers of shelters are focused on making kennel stays more comfortable and providing enrichment activities to increase the dogs’ chances of adoption. According to the ASPCA, “shelter enrichment programs help reduce the stress and boredom of kennel life.”
Shelter dogs that don’t receive stimulation, such as playing, chasing, and sniffing, may find other ways to enrich themselves. This often results in unwanted behaviors that decrease the probability of adoption.
Register to join Dog-Harmony for this virtual educational seminar at the following link: www.dog-harmony.org/events. There is no fee to attend this seminar, although donations to support Dog-Harmony’s humane education programs are welcome. (Donations can be made at www.dog-harmony.org.)
ABOUT AMANDA RIETHEIMER, CDBC and CPDT-KA:
Rietheimer owns and manages Behavior Focus of Houston, LLC, which focuses on modifying fearful and aggressive behavior of animals in the Houston, TX area. She has partnered with Dr. Lore Haug, the only Veterinarian Behaviorist in the Houston area, on many cases.
Rietheimer has also donated many hours to various rescue organizations to help assess dogs and create behavior modification plans for newly adopted and/or fostered dogs.
Prior to founding Behavior Focus of Houston in 2012, Rietheimer was an Animal Control Officer for`12 years in the New England area. For three of those years, she oversaw the animal shelter and staff.
Rietheimer shadowed many local trainers to help train dogs at the shelter in order to increase their chances of being adopted. Later, she became a police officer and was training to become a K-9 handler when she realized that she missed helping animals at the shelter.
Rietheimer moved to Houston in 2010 to pursue a job as the Assistant Animal Care Manager at a local shelter. At the shelter, she ran several general obedience classes at night for newly adopted dogs. She rebuilt the Behavior Department at the shelter and developed and implemented dog and cat behavioral assessment tests and enrichment programs.
Rietheimer currently lives with her fiancé and two Great Danes.
