Community Highlights: Meet Amelia Wieber of Caring Behavior

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amelia Wieber.

Hi Amelia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Bergen County New Jersey as an only child to a single. mom. My mother loves horses and dogs so growing up I spent the majority of my time out of school at the stable getting to know the horses and barn cats while also running around with my Shetland Sheepdog Emmy. Emmy had a few litters of puppies over the years.

My father took a pup named Rocky so on weekends we’d go hiking, apple picking, and pumpkin picking with Rocky in upstate New York. My father also had a few cats, most notably J.R., Shadow, and Matilda. Over the years I cared for several cats, pet rabbits, rats, hamsters, mice, and one lovable ferret named Zoe. I just always felt comfortable around animals and decided to make my life work by increasing the understanding between animals and humans.

I went to the University of Connecticut and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Behavior through the college of liberal arts and sciences in 2005. I had planned to improve the lives of animals in captivity through enrichment and training. I moved to Los Angeles to gain work experience and quickly learned that simply having a degree and life experience with animals was not going to get me very far at all.

I volunteered relentlessly for The Los Angeles Zoo and Forever Wild while working as a veterinary receptionist and assistant. I fine-tuned my training chops volunteering with Janine Pierce’s J9’s K9s dog training company. Janine taught me many skills and brought to my attention the injustices that many dogs face at the hands of undereducated individuals who claim to be canine behavior and training professionals. Especially because they are the ones that get TV shows since good training is boring (ie slow and methodical).

I moved to Fort Collins Colorado in 2012 and expanded my career by working for a doggy daycare (Dog Tales) and a wolf-dog sanctuary (W.O.L.F.) I earned my Certification for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) to maintain industry standards and continue my education. In 2014 I re-opened my LLC, Caring Behavior. Although I love to work with dogs, I really wanted to become a respected member of the cat behavior consulting and training community. Not to undermine my love for dogs, but like to joke that dogs are my bread and butter, and cats are my jam.

Through Low-Stress Handling and Fear-Free certifications, I was able to gather more skills with cats and I eventually earned my Certified Cat Behavior Consultant accreditation through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. I teach these techniques to Front Range Community College veterinary technician students and the Feline B-Mod Squad of Animal Friends Alliance. This brings us up to date.

Currently, I help dog and cat parents in person and virtually gain a better understanding of their pet’s behavior and work to mitigate problem behaviors through environmental management and enrichment, desensitization with counter conditioning, and positive reinforcement to teach alternative behaviors.

Positive punishment tools(shock collars, prong collars, choke chains, scat mats, and spray bottles) are not utilized nor necessary because an effective trainer knows how to get results without negatively affecting the animal’s mental and emotional state.  When a pet parent is feeling out of control of their pet’s behavior, that feeling can trigger past trauma from that person’s life causing them to feel dysregulated and distraught. Reading books on helping people through trauma while also respecting the fact that this person may be experiencing a real emotional reaction to their pet’s behavior has helped me to meet people on their level, and work with them and their pet in ways that preserves the human-animal bond.

My partner Scot and I have a 14-year-old Chow Chow mix named Cabernet, 3 rescue cats Shironeko, Moscow, and Sterling, 5 chickens Oprah, Gayle, Elaine, Beaker, and Loofah, 6+ pond koi (they keep reproducing), and a tropical fish tank. We live in the historical downtown of Frederick CO. As I look into the future, I am working towards becoming a wildlife rehabilitator for felines and canines as my next endeavor. I am also passionate about expanding my animal behavior career into teaching cooperative care techniques to exotic animals in sanctuaries and zoos.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I graduated from college, the country shortly went into a recession thereafter. Finding work in the pet care industry that pays a livable wage is very challenging. When the economy struggles, pet care is often the first place people cut back to save money.

Big corporation pet stores and many animal hospitals pay their employees very poorly and lean too hard on their “labor of love” which quickly leads to burnout. It is a hard industry to stay in and therefore a challenging industry to improve because so many good people leave for more lucrative work.

The outdated and openly disproven “alpha theory”, and the careless use of “balanced methods” cause so many animals to suffer at the hands of their misguided pet parents. Television shows proliferate this misinformation and cause more harm than good to viewers’ pets. 

But overall, I take pride in being there to help pet parents that want to solve problem behaviors while also maintaining joy in their pet’s life. My style is not for everyone, but I give pets and their people a safe place to land and get the help they need by setting sustainable training plans and setting attainable goals.  The community of pet parents I have created around me has brought me gratification in my career and personal life.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Caring Behavior began as Amelia’s Pet Care in 2007. At that time I was a pet sitter and dog walker in the East Valley of Los Angeles County. By 2010 I began to add dog training to my service list and eventually changed the name of my company to Caring Behavior. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this is a terminology used in human nursing in regard to caring for patients.

I specialize in building the confidence in nervous/ fearful dogs and cats, creating environmental enrichment, as well as household cat integration. I take the time to do my research and continue to stay up to date on dog and cat behavior findings. It is important for pet parents to know that when they hire me, we are in this together. I am honest, supportive, and compassionate.

I keep pricing affordable so I can help as many pets as possible. If someone is tight on funds, virtual options as low as $40 are available so you can get the guidance you and your pet need. Many behavior problems inside the home can be remedied through virtual consultations. I am very successful at guiding pet parents to teach their dog or cat without ever meeting them in person.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I am confident in my ability to help, and I meet each client with kindness and compassion. I don’t set false expectations and cater each training plan to the pet parent’s lifestyle.

Pricing:

• $120 90-minute virtual consultation
• $80 60-minute virtual consultation
• $40 30-minute virtual consultation
• $100-$175/hour in-person consultation based on location (up to 20 miles from 80530)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.caringbehavior.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caringbehavior/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caringbehavior/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AmeliaWieber 

Image Credits
Carissa Stancer