Timothy Thai, Rehabilitative Trainer / Owner

Timothy Thai worked very closely with renowned Animal Behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin (DVM, MS) at U.C Davis. What started off as a 3 month internship became a full time paid job after Timothy showed his dedication to rehabilitating dogs a priority in his life. ‘‘Working 8+ hours a day alongside Dr. Sophia Yin, 40 hours a week, was one of the best education experiences I could ever ask for.’’ We took on the most aggressive cases, the most anxious dogs, and observed how a Veterinarian Behaviorist worked her magic (or should we say science.) Timothy wants to continue to spread Dr. Sophia Yin’s legacy wherever he goes and anybody who works with him can see his passion in helping the community, the same way Dr. Sophia Yin gave back to the entire dog community with her extensive research and sharing of knowledge.

Outside of rehabilitating dogs, Timothy spends his time studying psychology, neuroscience, and behavior. He works in his spare time as a Behavior Therapist working with kids on the spectrum. He believes that that low income communities and schools are deserving of the same high quality services as anyone else and is often trying to figure out how to create a sustainable business model achieving this.

Timothy pulls his wide knowledge of +R training from his experience with Dr. Sophia Yin, Guide Dogs For The Blind, Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, Karen Pryor Clicker Academy, his work at SPCALA Humane Society.

Your Trainer is Low Stress Handling Certified:

 Certification requires each individual to demonstrate mastery of a wide variety of Low Stress Handling skills and articulate understanding of the methods, such as:

• Recognize the overt and subtle signs of fear and anxiety in dogs and cats.

• Identify the common errors people make that may lead a dog or cat to be more fearful or aggressive.

• Learn how to approach fearful and aggressive dogs and cats in a non-threatening and safe manner so that the pet feels calm and secure.

• Recognize how unruly behavior and overarousal can lead to aggression, and learn the general approach to addressing these issues.

• Learn the four methods of behavior modification: flooding, desensitization, classical counterconditioning, and operant counterconditioning

• Training is a technical skill. See how subtle differences in timing, rate of reinforcement, choice of motivator, and the ability to define appropriate criteria can make vast differences in your efficiency of training.