WATCH: Animal behaviourist shares thoughts on dog training
Her goal in animal welfare is to educate people about the importance of sterilisation and responsible breeding.
Charmaine Southon, resident animal behaviourist at JSPCA, shares some thoughts with our readers about the importance and benefits of dog training.
She told the CHRONICLE that for as long as she can remember, she has always had a passion for animals.
“Most of my working career, I worked in boarding kennels and this is when I decided that I wanted to understand animal behaviour in greater depth. “I obtained an advanced diploma in animal behaviour from COAPE SA in 2016, and I have completed the first two levels as dog training instructor with the SA Dog Training College, where I have taken all my dogs through obedience training. I have also attended man trailing, tracking and detection seminars,” she said.
She volunteers as an animal behaviourist and shares her skills at the Johannesburg SPCA.
“During this time I was nominated to sit on the board of directors. Shortly after, I was offered a position as the kennel manager, which I accepted and have since successfully completed the SPCA’s inspector’s course and the animal welfare assistant (AWA) training.”
She currently lives on a smallholding with her five dogs, three horses, five chickens and her fiancé.
Her goal in animal welfare is to educate people about the importance of sterilisation and responsible breeding, as well as helping people to understand their pets’ needs by means of animal behaviour and positive reinforcement training.
“This is a mammoth task which I take one day, one animal and one pet owner at a time,” Charmaine said.
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