Pet Professional Guild Announces Let's Celebrate +R Competition Winners

The Lets Celebrate Medallion

TAMPA, Fla. – Dec. 19, 2018 – PRLog — The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has announced the winners and runners-up in its Let’s Celebrate +R photo and video competition, which marked PPG’s International Day of Advocacy on November 17, 2018. The competition provided a platform for pet professionals and enthusiasts to showcase positive reinforcement-based pet training and education as a way to celebrate the first anniversary of the official launch of PPG’s international advocacy initiative, the Shock-Free Coalition (https://www.shockfree.org/).

Separate competitions were run in tandem on PPG’s US/International and UK/Europe websites with categories including Best Pet(s) and Handler Team, Best Group Photo, Best Pet and Child Interaction Photo, Most Creative Complex Training Video, Best Educational Video, and Best Volunteering Video. Winners from each category were then forwarded to the final judging category, Best Overall Entry. Entries were judged anonymously by a private panel using an objective criterion.

Jeannine Lampe of Adelaide, South Australia won the Best Overall Entry category for North America/International and Nikki Thorpe of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England won the Best Overall Entry category for UK/Europe. Lampe wins a free entry ticket, including gala dinner, to PPG’s Canine Aggression & Bite Prevention Education Seminar (https://petprofessionalguild.com/2019-Portland) in Portland, Oregon on April 26-28, 2019 while Thorpe wins a free entry ticket to Woof (https://www.domesticatedmanners.com/woof2019) in Nottingham, England on February 9-12, 2019 hosted by Domesticated Manners and PPG British Isles special counsel member, Chirag Patel.

Other North America/International winners (and prizes) included:

Best Overall Entry Runner-Up – Rebecca Mason (The Jean Donaldson Dog Training 101 online program DVD Copy).

Best Pet(s) and Handler Team – Melissa Koh (a selection of professional books by individual authors).

Runner-Up – Mary Perrego ($50 gift certificate with DogWise and $50 gift certificate with Peaceable Paws Intern Academies).

Winner Best Group Photo – Rebecca Mason (a selection of six training videos from a PPG Summit and a $100 gift certificate from Doggone Safe).

Runner-Up – Tricia Case (a free Pet Dog Ambassador program for each person in the group. Choose from Guardian, Instructor or Assessor level).

Winner Best Pet and Child Interaction Photo Rebecca Mason (a free Junior Membership to PPG and opportunity to partake in the Junior Membership Accreditation program plus a Deluxe Downloadable Be A Tree Program Kit).

Runner-Up – Jess Dunduk ($50 Doggone Safe gift certificate).

Most Creative Complex Training Video – Kim Cavanaugh (one enrollment to the DogNostics Dog Training Certificate Program).

Runner-Up – Nancy Freedman-Smith ($100 gift certificate to DogBiz programs).

Best Educational Video – Jeannine Lampe (a 12-month subscription to PPG webinars).

Runner-Up – Christine Michaud (Your Collaborative Care Program from DogNostics Career Center).

Other UK/Europe winners (and prizes) included:

Best Overall Entry Runner-Up – Lhanna Frost (Mission Possible: A self-guided online separation anxiety course for guardians or trainers and a $100 webinar credit with PPG).

Best Pet(s) and Handler Team – Natasha Attwood (a selection of professional books by individual authors).

Best Pet and Child Interaction Photo – Nikki Thorpe (a free Junior Membership to PPG and opportunity to partake in the Junior Membership Accreditation program plus a Deluxe Downloadable Be A Tree Program Kit).

Most Creative Complex Training Video – Lhanna Frost (one enrollment to the DogNostics Dog Training Certificate Program).

All winning entries will be featured in the March 2019 issue of PPG’s official trade publication, BARKS from the Guild (https://barksfromtheguild.com/).

“The incredibly high standard of skill, expertise, knowledge and creativity demonstrated in the competition entries showcases again and again the efficacy of positive reinforcement and force-free training and pet care protocols,” said PPG founder and president, Niki Tudge. “All of the photos and videos featured pets who were happy, relaxed, engaged, and in a positive emotional state, which, as we know, facilitates learning. I am looking forward to sharing the winning photos and videos with our members and supporters as we work towards eradicating outdated, punitive training methods that aim to reduce or stop behavior through pain and fear. This includes removing electric shock training devices from the supply and demand chain, which is the ultimate goal of the Shock-Free Coalition.”

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About the Pet Professional Guild

The Pet Professional Guild (www.petprofessionalguild.com) (https://petprofessionalguild.com/) is a 501(c)6 is an international membership organization founded on the principles of force-free training and pet care. Its membership represents pet industry professionals who are committed to science-based force-free training pet care philosophies, practices and methods. Pet Professional Guild members understand force-free to mean that no pain, force or fear, and no shock, choke or prong are ever employed to train or care for a pet. Pet Professional Guild’s adult membership represents veterinarians, veterinary technicians, behavior consultants, trainers, dog walkers, pet sitters and groomers across many species, including cats, dogs, horses, birds, small animals (such as rabbits and guinea pigs), and exotics.

About the Shock-Free Coalition

The key purpose of the Shock-Free Coalition is to build a strong and broad movement committed to eliminating shock devices from the supply and demand chain. This goal will be reached when shock tools and equipment are universally unavailable and not permitted for the training, management and care of pets. The Shock-Free Coalition believes that pets have an intrinsic right to be treated humanely, to have each of their individual needs met, and to live in a safe, enriched environment free from force, pain and fear. The initiative has been developed purposely to bring together parties that have mutual business interests and a personal investment in the welfare of pets and embraces stakeholders of similar values and interests, enabling all parties to combine their resources and become more successful in achieving the stated goals. Members of the Shock-Free Coalition consider it to be their responsibility and utmost obligation to be vigilant, to educate, to remain engaged and work toward eliminating shock as a permissible tool so it is never considered a viable option in the training, management and care of pets.

Important Links

Shock-Free Coalition: https://www.shockfree.org

Shock-Free Coalition on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shockfreecoalition

Key Pet Professional Guild Position Statements

The Use of Shock in Animal Training: http://petprofessionalguild.com/shockcollars

The Use of Remote Electric Shock: http://petprofessionalguild.com/The-Use-of-Remote-Electric-Shock

The Use of Pet Correction Devices: http://petprofessionalguild.com/Equipment-Used-for-the-Management-Training-and-Care-of-Pets