In this episode I’m joined by Kim Palermo to took about the look at that game. There are many reasons why our dogs bark and lunge at stimuli in the environment, and there are also many methods and philosophies that are meant to “fix” this behavior. But what if you could go beyond fixing? What if you could actually have a conversation with your dog about the environment and their triggers? And help them change from being a reactor to a reporter?

Control Unleashed, founded by Leslie McDevitt, is best known for the Look At That Game (LAT). Because of its popularity, at times this game has been misinterpreted and improperly taught in ways that either prevent it from working or actually build more arousal. Certified Control Unleashed Instructor Kim Palermo discusses a step-by-step process to build a LAT skill that is fluent, calming, and effective in the shelter environment.

About Kim Palermo

BlueDog founder and trainer Kim Palermo (she/her) has been training dogs personally for 25 years and professionally for over 10 years. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor, a Level 1 TAGteacher, and an AKC Canine Good Citizen & S.T.A.R. Puppy evaluator. She has a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire with a minor in Animal Behavior and Psychology.

Kim has only ever wanted to work with animals. She grew up surrounded by many pets of all different shapes and sizes, raised litters of puppies, competed in horse shows and dog shows, and has been working in the pet industry since she could get a job. In 2008, she followed her dream and started BlueDog as a solo dog walker. Very soon she became so busy that she began hiring employees to help her, and in 2011 she pursued her lifelong passion for training dogs by opening BlueDog’s very first training facility in Andover. Since then, Kim continues to grow and improve her business and expand her knowledge endlessly.

Kim is a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor and specializes in dogs that have big feelings about the world around them. She is the CU Teaching Assistant for a worldwide dog training school, Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, has taught CU in dog sports workshops, and presented in the Control Unleashed Conference. Her passion is helping other trainers pursue their dreams. She is a mentor for the Control Unleashed certification process, a CATCH Canine Trainers Academy mentor, and has mentored a number of local trainers directly through BlueDog who have gone on to have successful careers in their field.

Kim actively trains for and competes in Rally-Obedience and Obedience, also trains for Nose Work, Agility, and Herding with her two sports dogs, Jane her Collie and Walt her Miniature Poodle, and occasionally competes in a few other sports like FastCat and Barn Hunt. She owns three other dogs: two Collies named Reese and Lincoln and a Golden Retriever named Fern, as well as a clicker trained cat named Fig. She is the vice president of the Collie Club of New Hampshire, working towards building more opportunities for performance sports for Collies. During her free time she likes to escape to the woods to hike, is a beekeeper, raises a flock of chickens, ducks, turkeys, and guinea hens, and dreams of the day when she has a farm.

Links

Kim’s current classes https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/people/786-people/faculty/43971-kim-palermo

Leslie’s episode. https://open.spotify.com/show/1Ea6VTImAPcnlXilJYunij