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When we adopted Kate, she was afraid of people and dogs. Even daily walks were a chore with Kate constantly straining at the lead and going into a barking frenzy every time she saw another dog. After our first consult and week of practice we could already see a tremendous difference in Kate's behavior both at home and on walks. Kate continues to improve each week. Dr. Yin really understands animals and is patient in teaching owners such as myself how to communicate better with them.
--Betsy Ramsey, Psychoanalyst
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Our friends told us to put our Golden Retriever, Ben, to sleep because he was dangerous around the food bowl, but Dr. Yin worked diligently with him and us and now we feel confident keeping Ben as part of our family. If there's one thing we really learned through this experience, it's that training is as much an art as it is a science.
-- Dr. Neil Fleming, Anesthesiologist
Related Links: Ben |
Since Dr. Yin's been working with us, we're enjoying our dog Licorice so much more. Now we realize how bright he is. Dr. Yin really gets inside the mind of the animal.
-- Fran Mazza Hair dresser, business owner
Related Links: Licorice |
Sophia Yin is a TERRIFIC speaker. Her powerpoints with the descriptive videos are WONDERFUL. She definitely meets the needs for a keynote speaker. In fact I’m getting ready to contact her now about presenting at another of our conferences. I highly recommend her. If you have room on your schedule to give her more time, it is absolutely amazing to watch her actually work with a dog. Here are some of the comments we received on our evaluation....
An intriguing, informative, and enlightening presentation of concepts varying from the “norm” of veterinary practice. Dr. Yin’s demo was great! Even with dogs that weren’t crazy, I was able to see a big difference.
All of Dr. Yin’s presentations were very practical and interesting. She gave lots of excellent real life examples. Videos were very helpful, especially for this topic. Great conference!
Linda M. Johnson, PhD
Instructor/Director, Instructional Technology Center
Coordinator, Veterinary Medical Conferences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506
Phone: 785-532-4024
email: johnson@vet.ksu.edu
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The Capital Kennel Club of Juneau (CKCoJ) invited Dr. Yin to Juneau, Alaska last spring to address animal behavior issues. These lectures were open to both club members and the public. I found Dr. Yin to be very well-organized, adaptable and easy to communicate with in making arrangements for the seminars. She kept our attendees spellbound for several evenings and two weekend days. Word of mouth spread and even more people came as the weekend wore on. She kept everyone's attention whether they were new to the field or had done a great deal of animal training. Dr. Yin has an amazing depth of well-edited videos and slides to illustrate examples of animal behavior and how to shape it. She's an enthusiastic, concise, natural speaker who knows her subject well.
Linda Shipman
2/16/06 Linda.Shipman@chezor.com
Golden Retriever Club of America
Western Regional Director
Public Education Committee Chair
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When I began Dr. Yin’s animal behavior courses during my first year as an undergraduate at UC Davis, I was of the opinion that owning a horse for many years had made me a behavior pro, at least with horses. Boy, was I mistaken. Dr. Yin entered full of energy and cautioned us to work hard in her course because it would be challenging, but she assured us that we really would learn incredibly useful material if we were interested and worked hard.
I have never had another class where I gained such a large amount of practical knowledge. Dr. Yin’s way of teaching utilized real life recorded examples of behaviors and methods she used to modify them. We could see immediately that the methods she was describing to us in lecture were actually working to improve the behavior of animals by watching video clips of her performing a technique as she explained the way to go about it. After having the opportunity to assist Dr. Yin with her dog training courses and put her recommended methods to use, I was certain that she was more knowledgeable about the way animals think and prefer to learn than any other “trainer” I had encountered previously. I found that I could teach a dog to sit not by yanking on a choke collar until the dog was crouching in fear, but I could wait for him to sit on his own and reward that behavior so he looked forward to performing it again later on. I took two more of Dr. Yin’s courses as an undergraduate, including one that required us to perform a behavior experiment in small groups and present our results to the class.
This course really opened my eyes to how incredibly fascinating it was to watch an animal “figure out” what I was asking. I am now a veterinary student at UC Davis and have the opportunity to use the knowledge bestowed upon me by Dr. Yin for many things from medicating patients and introducing inpatient horses to a scale for the first time to loading client horses into trailers when they are frustrated and the whip they brought along just isn’t working this time. I have a better sense of the real reasons animals behave the way they do when we are convinced they are behaving out of spite or out of stupidity. I feel that I possess the most important knowledge a veterinarian can posses because knowing a diagnosis is worthless unless you are able to gain trust from your patients to perform a treatment procedure. Dr. Yin always said she ran her courses like vet school classes, but they were so much more useful than any vet school class I’ve yet to encounter.
Thank you, Dr. Yin!
Sara Sammons BS Animal Science- UC Davis 2005
Comparative Pathology MS candidate-UC Davis
DVM candidate-UC Davis 2010
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I was a student in three Animal Behavior classes taught by Sophia Yin during my undergraduate career at UC Davis. This was my first introduction to the subject and ignited my passion for studying behavior. I went on to apply this knowledge during my master's degree studying primate behavior and I am currently working on my Ph.D. in Animal Behavior at UC Davis. What I learned in Sophia's courses has proven invaluable in my graduate work and I find myself applying principles and methods introduced by her almost everyday.
I have made extensive use of the sampling methods, learning theory, and approaches to behavioral data analysis taught by her. Sophia has an impressive ability to relate complicated information in an approachable way. She teaches how to put theory into practice and troubleshoot real-life problems. If you ever have an opportunity to see her speak I highly recommend you take it. It will change the way you relate to animals, the people around you, and even yourself.
Ina Rommeck, M.S.
UC Davis Animal Behavior Graduate Group Ph.D. student
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Dr Yin’s behavior classes were challenging but well worth it. I sailed through the freshman behavior class in vet school due to what I learned in these classes.
Gail Sanders
Class of 2008
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
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Thanks you for a wonderful three quarters. Your classes were all fun and very interesting, and probably the ones that will be most useful to me in every-day life. My only regret is that there were only three.
Thanks again, and happy new year!
Greta Glassner
UC Davis Animal Science Department , 2006
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Dr. Yin has been my professor and mentor for the past two years. I took my first behavior course with her during my junior year of college, and since then, she has inspired me to go into the field of behavioral research.
Dr. Yin's classes have forced me to change my way of studying, but more importantly, expand my way of thinking. As her student, I’ve learned the difference between memorizing the facts and really understanding the material. Most professors require you to regurgitate facts, but few actually test your ability to problem solve and apply your basic knowledge to everyday situations.
The greatest lessons with Dr. Yin have always been outside the classroom. As her intern, she has always challenged me to solve animal behavior problems we came across in her consults from the lessons I had learned in class. As a dog, cat, rat, chicken, giraffe, ostrich, and many times a human trainer, Dr. Yin has always taught that the basic principles in psychology and behavior can be applied cross species and cross situations.
Currently, as a research technologist at UCSF, I perform various behavioral assessments on mice in studying neurodegenerative diseases. Although I did not have extensive mouse behavioral experience in the past, I was quickly able to apply the knowledge I already knew to the mice I am working with. I was immediately able to problem solve and troubleshoot training problems, problems that others lacking behavior training did not recognize. Dr. Yin’s methods and techniques have prepared for my position now, but ultimately will prepare me for graduate school. I don’t think I could have made the transition from an undergraduate student to working in the field of neurobehavioral science so smoothly without Dr. Yin’s guidance.
Iris Lo
Research Technologist
UCSF
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Classes:
ANS 104 and 105 were two of my favorite classes at UC Davis. Dr. Yin did a brilliant job explaining very complicated principles and research findings and breaking them down into very understandable interpretations. The Animal Science major at UC Davis seemed to place more focus on livestock than companion animals, but ANS 104 and 105 applied to every animal. One of the reasons I loved these classes so much is that there was an emphasis on companion animals. The concepts I learned in these classes are so applicable to training any animal I might possibly encounter. The classes gave me the tools to effectively determine the root of any behavioral problem and then for applying a well thought-out training plan to modify the unwanted behavior. The techniques I learned in class and from volunteering for dog and puppy classes have truly prepared me for my job in the Behavioral Management department at the Primate Center. Without the knowledge and hands-on experience I gained from Dr. Yin, I would definitely not be effective at training monkeys today. Dr. Yin also showed a lot of interesting videos on specific training examples. Her classes infused in me a passion for training. Although her tests were not easy, they really did set me up for success in the real-world because they demanded more than a simple understanding of the concepts. Memorization wasn’t enough. I had to practice thinking about complicated real-life situations and learn how to assess what is really going on and how to best approach the problem. This has been an extremely valuable tool as I am constantly facing new challenges and difficulties while training monkeys. And that’s what set these classes apart. ANS 104 and 105 were designed to give you the tools you need to effectively use the training techniques outside the classroom, and they certainly accomplished that mission.
Dr. Yin:
Everyone has their theories on what training is and should be, but Dr. Yin based her methods and terminology on hard-core science. She was also very good at articulating her thoughts. Training techniques can be difficult to explain, but Dr. Yin had a gift at demonstrating and describing precisely what she meant. Dr. Yin was my favorite teacher at UC Davis.
Volunteering:
Dr. Yin had a wealth of knowledge and experience in dog training, and volunteering for dog class was an excellent way to improve your training skills and for learning how to troubleshoot when your training plan is not working. I not only assisted owners, but often worked one-on-one with a dog for practice. Dr. Yin was very eager to answer questions. I learned a lot just by simply watching Dr. Yin. I felt so much more confident about my dog training abilities and knowledge after a couple of quarters. Anyone who’s interested in dog training needs to invest in volunteering. You’ll get much more out of it than you think.
Stephanie Ghirardo
UC Davis Primate Center
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"The MannersMinder is utterly amazing! We tried for months to get our dog to remain calm when visitors came to the door. But no matter what we did, she would jump on everyone from our mom to the mail man. Then we got MannersMinder. After just a few short training sessions, our dog's entire behavior changed when visitors arrived. Now she sits calmly in front of the machine, instead of wrecking havoc at the front door. It's like a little doggie babysitter. We cannot recommend this product highly enough, especially if you have an energetic dog in your life. Thank you!"
C.C. USA
May 4, 2005
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"I'm currently helping my son and his service dog make the transition into the school setting. My son is able to reward his dog without missing a beat. We love it!"
Julie Shaw R.V.T.
Indiana
March 28th, 2005 |
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"I was in the audience last summer when Dr. Yin presented her results of her studies and the MannersMinder and I was practically jumping out of my chair with the realization of the possibilities that this product represented as a humane remote training system. I think that this system is a humane advance in pet dog behavior management and for the benefit of dogs, their owners and the human animal bond; I really want to see it succeed."
J. Willard DVM, MS
March 25, 2005
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This is one of the best pieces of training equipment brought to the public in the last 30+ years. Not only is the device designed so that the average public consumer can operate it effectively, the instructions that accompany the MannersMinder are just outstandingly well presented. This product applies sound principles of learning and makes it clear.
Mary lee nitschke
mnitschk@linfield.edu
Professor of Psychology
Linfield College, Portland, Oregon
Animal School Services
AnimalSchoolServices.com
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The MannersMinder is a bone-a-fide winner for both dogs and their humans. Dogs get quality playtime with their owners and owners get a better behaved dog in the house. Like the dog and human suddenly speak each other's language, the MannersMinder is a great way for dog and human to communicate better and bond more strongly. Every dog whether "show dog" well-behaved or a ruffian in need of serious indoor manners, should have one. Two opposable thumbs, two furry paws up!
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--Dr. Marty Becker,
Veterinarian for Good morning America and Author of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. |
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She's the pet columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle* and she's written for The Bark, Dog Fancy, Cat Fancy, and Dog & Kennel.
