ABOUT THINKINGPETS
Karin has been involved in the field of Animal Behaviour since 1997. She originally worked in Cape Town, where she was one of the co-founders of an Animal Behaviour Centre. She has done extensive research into the field of kitten socialization and habituation, and in 2006 launched Confi-Kitten classes. Since moving to Johannesburg, she has established the ThinkingPets Behaviour Practice and she consults with clients daily on all aspects of feline and canine behaviour problems, as well as offering puppy, puppy II and clicker training classes. She also lectures on the development of kittens and puppies country wide, and hosts Mobile Clinics throughout SA together with other ThinkingPets instructors. She writes the regular series "Consultation Hour" for Cats Life Magazine and "On the Couch" for Animaltalk Magazine, and since April 2006 has been co-writing articles with Dr Peter Neville in the UK. Karin has been the guest speaker at seminars, as well as appearing on radio and television. She is currently contracted to Iams South Africa to develope their puppy school system, ensuring a high standard in all the Eukanuba puppy schools. Karin holds an OCN UK accredited Diploma through the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology in the UK, as well as a Certificate in Companion Animal Behaviour from the Ethology Consultancy.
Niki and Karin started the ThinkingPets behaviour practice in July 2006. Niki brings to the mix her experience in TTouch and training, as well as hosting Confi-Kitten, Confi-Puppy and clicker training classes in Bryanston. Niki qualified as a TTouch Practitioner Level 1 in 2003 and went on to qualify as a Level 2 Practitioner in 2005. She consults with clients at their homes as well as at her premises. She has been presenting TTOUCH workshops at various venues all over South Africa, including one day lectures for Veterinary Nurses at Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty. In December 2003 she qualified to give Puppy Socialization classes and went on to incorporate the clicker training method into all these classes after qualifying as a clicker training instructor in March 2004. In December 2005 Niki qualified as an Obedience Instructor and in January 2006 she qualified as a Confi-Kitten Practitioner. Niki is one of the co-presenters of the ThinkingPets Instructor courses nationwide and has been the guest speaker on radio and television programs. Niki has written articles on TTOUCH for CatsLife, Animaltalk and several different breed clubs.
Dr. Peter Neville is a Companion Animal Behaviour Therapist and has been in practice for the referral and treatment of behaviour problems in cats and dogs for nearly twenty years. He is a frequent media broadcaster, public speaker and regular feature writer in leading UK pet magazines Dogs Today and Your Cat, and a consultant to major pet food and accessory manufacturers. Peter holds a BSc(Hons) degree in Biology from the University of Lancaster, England and completed post graduate studies on feral cat and seal behaviour and human/companion animal relations during 3 years as Research Biologist for the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare. His doctorate was awarded by the Etologisk Institut, Denmark for studies on feline behaviour and the development of treatment for pet behaviour problems. He established the first companion animal behaviour referral clinic at a UK veterinary school at the Dept of Medicine, University of Bristol in 1990, and was appointed Visiting Scholar to the Department of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University, USA in November 2002, where he now lectures annually on animal behaviour and behaviour therapy.
COAPE co-founder and Director Dr. Peter Neville is a Clinical Professor at the Dept of Veterinary Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Japan and a Visiting Scholar at the Dept of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University in the USA. The Centre of Applied Pet Ethology offers a range of residential and correspondence courses in companion animal behaviour and behaviour therapy. Peter is a member of the Coape Association of Animal Behaviour Practitioners, as well as the international Behaviour Consultant for the ThinkingPets Behaviour Practice.
Lindi De Beer
Practice Manager
Lindi De Beer is an animal lover and has owned all kinds of pets over the years. In 2004 she took her dog to a puppy class for the first time in her life and was upset by the harsh methods and choke chains. When she got her Boerboel puppy, she went in search of a better way to teach dogs and came across a ThinkingPets Puppy School, run by Karin Landsberg. Under Karin’s tutelage, Lindi came to understand and love positive training methods and saw her Boerboel achieve new heights of obedience. From that day on she decided to stick with ThinkingPets and even went so far as to work her way into the company. In 2008, she completed the COAPE CO4 course (an Introduction to Canine Behaviour and Training). Lindi owns 2 dogs, 2 cats, 3 rats and a husband and resides in Pretoria. She is also happily managing the office administration duties for ThinkingPets, which includes editing the ThinkingPets newsletter, and using her Canine Behaviour knowledge to manage the ThinkingPets Day Care and Cattery. She hopes to stay on and grow with the company for years to come!
Tracy Gogle
Accounts Manager
If it has four legs, a tail and fur then there will always be a place for it in Tracy Gogle's heart. An animal lover from a very early age, Tracy has had a variety of pets over the years including orphaned bush babies and pigs. At present she owns a very talented JRTCSA registered Jack Russell Terrier, a domestic short haired cat and a retired Thoroughbred horse. She is a keen horse rider and is instructed by Mary Anne Forder of Ride with your Mind. She enjoys the Ride with Your Mind techniques because they encompass the need for ensuring the physical and mental wellbeing of both horse and rider in a non-invasive manner. She has done obedience and agility training with her Jack Russell Terrier and has participated at various JRTCSA shows over the years. Ultimately she would like to become a breed judge. She has also done mobile dog grooming in the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg. She wants to further her knowledge of animal communication and has joined the team at ThinkingPets as the Accounts Manager.