Heather Mohan-Gibbons, M.S., Owner
Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (ACAAB)
Certified Dialogue Education Practitioner (CDEP)
Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)
Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT)
Certified Behavior Consultant-Canine (CBCC)
beluga & heatherAlthough I grew up riding and training horses, my inspiration for animal behavior did not spark until I had the opportunity to work with marine mammals at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in 1997. I saw a different way of interacting with animals than what I had ever known. Training was an exchange based on respect, motivation, and clear communication with definable goals.  You cannot get a Beluga whale to rise out of the water unless that whale wants to rise!  
Today, my work requires knowledge from psychology, biology, and veterinary medicine to find solutions for people and their companions. For my philosophy and methods on how I train, click here.
I practice applied animal behavior, and am an Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. This is the non-veterinary route to become an animal behaviorist and it allows me to be uniquely qualified to handle behavior cases <click here to find out more>. There are about 55 of us in the US, several in CA, and none in the Ojai Valley Area. I am an active contributor to this field of animal behavior via lectures and publications in order to maintain my certification. I am also a Certified Dialogue Education™ Practitioner (CDEP) through Global Learning Partners. This professional development designation honors hard work and a commitment to high quality learning designs and teaching. To learn more about this click here.
My Master of Science degree focused on Animal Behavior/Zoology. This formal education allows me to understand how animals learn, in addition to the years of experience of applied knowledge. As a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, I follow the APDT Code of Professional Conduct and Responsibility Guidelines.  I also am a member of the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians and I support their mission (found here).
 I currently travel around the country to facilitate a 2-day aggression assessment training offered by the ASPCA®called the Meet Your Match™SAFER™ assessment. I also perform research for the ASPCA. Their research focus has been to develop more useful and practical tools that can result in saving more lives in animal shelters nationwide.
I have worked in a variety of environments including: veterinary clinics, federal government, Colorado and California state governments, behavior department at the University of California, and non-profit organizations. I have dedicated my life to helping people live fuller more connected lives with their animals.  My dedication has enhanced the mental health and well being of hundreds of animals over the years. I achieve long-term behavior change by using the least intrusive and most reinforcing methods. I have lived with animals that had severe behavior problems so I understand how frustrating and time intensive this can be.  I promise to rely on my education, experience, and current research to find a solution for your companion no matter if they have hair, feathers or scales.
In 2007, I started Collected Wisdom Animal Behavior in Milwaukee, WI.  In June 2010, I moved my business to Ojai, CA.  In Jan 2012 I took a full-time position as the new Director of Applied Research and Behavior for the American Society of Prevention and Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Due to this great opportunity to help animal shelters around the country to implement research that saves lives, I no longer offer group classes or private consults for dogs or cats in the Ojai area.
I also volunteer at the Behler Chelonian Center by taking photographs of turtles, providing medical care, and some training of various turtle species. I have a wonderful red-bellied parrot, two phenomenal shelter dogs, and a small array of rescued reptiles. On my occasional day off,  I bike, canoe, hike, rock climb, and find a new species to train. 
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Below you will find an abbreviated curriculum vitae of my education and experience: 
Education: Degrees, Licenses & Current Certifications 
  • Certified Behavior Consultant-Canine (CBCC) - June 2011
  • Certified Dialogue Education Practitioner (Global Learning Partners) - Sep 2010
  • Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (Animal Behavior Society) - March 2009
  • Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) #70578  - Nov 2005
  • Master of Science (emphasis in Behavioral Ecology) from Western Illinois University - Dec 2004
  • Certificate of Aquarium and Zoological Studies  (Western Illinois University- experience obtained at John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL)- Dec 2004
  • Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)  CA582 - July 2001
Professional Animal Handling and Behavior Experience
  • Domestic dogs and cats (since 1995)
  • Medical care for many species (since 1995)
  • Reptiles, birds, rabbits and exotic companion pets (since 1997)
  • Marine Mammals (1997-2000)
  • Large Felids (1998) 
  • Birds of Prey- including trapping (since 2000)
  • Funded animal research projects (since 2000) 
  • Shorebird trapping and telemetry (2003)
  • Bat Trapping and Handling (2004)
  • Animal Welfare/Shelter Work (since 2005) 
  • Aggression Assessments (since 2005)
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