Erica Beckwith’s passion for animals was rekindled when she started volunteering at Busan Abandoned Pet Sanctuary in South Korea and began fostering dogs. During this time, she discovered the joys and benefits of positive reinforcement training. After moving back to America, she worked in the behavior department at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, gaining experience in behavior modification, basic and advanced training, dog and cat behavior evaluations, doggy playgroups, puppy class teaching, and behavior and training consultations. She then enrolled in The Academy for Dog Trainers and developed A Matter of Manners to help keep dogs in homes with happy parents.
Training Philosophy
Erica Beckwith uses force-free methods based on the science of animal learning and behavior. She does not use coercion, fear, pain, or intimidation to train dogs, including devices that cause fear or pain, like choke chains, prong collars, and shock/e-collars. Instead, she uses the presentation and removal of rewards to get more of the behaviors she likes and less of the behaviors she doesn’t like.
Services
- In-home training
- Day Training
- Coaching
- Remote training
- Canine Good Citizen Exam
- The Empowered Puppy Package
- Cat Behavior Consulting and Training
- Behavior Consultation
- In-home training
- Day Training
- Coaching
- Remote training
- Kitten socialization
Certifications
- Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC) from The Academy for Dog Trainers
- Certified Behavior Consultant Canine – Knowledge Assessed (CBCC-KA) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers
- Fear Free Certified Professional (fearfreepets.com)
- Certificate in Advanced Feline Behavior for Cat Behavior with Distinction from the International Cat Care Course
Specializations
- Dog aggression
- Fear and phobias
- Tricks
- Manners
- Puppy socialization
- Human aggression
- Food/toy guarding
- House-soiling
- Fears and phobias
- Carrier/travel training
- Fighting/aggression with housemates (cats or dogs)
- Integrating a new dog/cat
- Manners
- Tricks
- Kitten socialization
Training Methods
- Positive reinforcement training
- Force-free methods
Media Appearances
- Santa Fe Animal Humane’s Bow To Wow – YouTube
- Join Diego Campaign 2014 – YouTube
- One Shelter, One Dog, and the Battle for a Life — A Must See Ending – YouTube
