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Tag: training

  • Natomas teachers ready to strike over contract disputes

    Educators in Natomas have informed the district of their readiness to strike if a new contract is not secured, marking a significant development in ongoing negotiations.The Natomas Teachers Association, representing more than 600 educators, has been working without a contract since June. Outside the Natomas Unified School District Wednesday evening, dozens gathered in support of the Natomas Teachers Association, chanting, “We can’t wait!” and “When we fight, we win!” They are advocating for a new contract with fully paid benefits and competitive wages.Ashley Battle, a parent of a student in the district and the wife of a teacher, said that educators are the backbone of the district and are being underpaid. “If you’re not paying them, how are they supposed to support their family? You want them to support everyone else’s child, but you don’t want to pay to help them support themselves?” Battle said. Battle brought these concerns to the board meeting, where dozens of teachers, parents, and students filled the room. Nico Vaccaro, president of the NTA, also spoke to the board, urging the district to use its millions of dollars in reserves to pay teachers more.”We know they have the ability to reprioritize their budget with the resources that they have. And that’s what we’re asking for,” Vaccaro said. KCRA 3 reached out to the district about the ongoing contract negotiations. They replied with an emailed statement reading:“We value our employees and prioritize providing competitive salaries and high-quality programs for our students. Even with the staffing crisis across California and the nationwide shortage of teachers, Natomas Unified has a high fill rate with 98.4% of our classrooms filled with credentialed teachers. For the classroom positions that are not filled, fully credentialed contractors or substitute teachers serve our students while recruitment efforts continue and candidates are in the hiring process.While prioritizing employee compensation, we are committed to being good stewards of our district finances. Our reserve protects us against unexpected expenses or changes in funding. This allows us to continue to pay staff, utilities and other basic services, all while maintaining consistent support to students. Reserves should not be used to fund ongoing salary or benefit increases, as reserves are one-time funds that are gone once they are spent, much like a savings account. In NUSD, the category that NTA leadership frequently refers to as the budget for “consultants” or “contractors” covers a wide range of professional services for the district. These funds provide more than just training and professional development to teachers and contractors who fill vacant certificated staff positions. They actually include expenses for essential services such as fire and safety requirements, heating/air conditioning maintenance, routine and preventative pest control, needed classroom repairs, vital health services for our students, after-school programs, staff training to implement state-required curriculum and assessments, and general district operations. Without allocating funding for these areas, we would not be able to provide these necessary services for our students and staff.”Vaccaro presented the board with a copy of the union’s strike readiness petition, which he said more than 90% of their members have signed. “While we do not want to strike, we are ready to strike if that’s what it takes to reprioritize the NUSD’s budget for our schools and our students,” he said. The Natomas Teachers Association will return to the negotiation table on Dec. 10.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    Educators in Natomas have informed the district of their readiness to strike if a new contract is not secured, marking a significant development in ongoing negotiations.

    The Natomas Teachers Association, representing more than 600 educators, has been working without a contract since June.

    Outside the Natomas Unified School District Wednesday evening, dozens gathered in support of the Natomas Teachers Association, chanting, “We can’t wait!” and “When we fight, we win!” They are advocating for a new contract with fully paid benefits and competitive wages.

    Ashley Battle, a parent of a student in the district and the wife of a teacher, said that educators are the backbone of the district and are being underpaid.

    “If you’re not paying them, how are they supposed to support their family? You want them to support everyone else’s child, but you don’t want to pay to help them support themselves?” Battle said.

    Battle brought these concerns to the board meeting, where dozens of teachers, parents, and students filled the room.

    Nico Vaccaro, president of the NTA, also spoke to the board, urging the district to use its millions of dollars in reserves to pay teachers more.

    “We know they have the ability to reprioritize their budget with the resources that they have. And that’s what we’re asking for,” Vaccaro said.

    KCRA 3 reached out to the district about the ongoing contract negotiations. They replied with an emailed statement reading:

    “We value our employees and prioritize providing competitive salaries and high-quality programs for our students. Even with the staffing crisis across California and the nationwide shortage of teachers, Natomas Unified has a high fill rate with 98.4% of our classrooms filled with credentialed teachers. For the classroom positions that are not filled, fully credentialed contractors or substitute teachers serve our students while recruitment efforts continue and candidates are in the hiring process.

    While prioritizing employee compensation, we are committed to being good stewards of our district finances. Our reserve protects us against unexpected expenses or changes in funding. This allows us to continue to pay staff, utilities and other basic services, all while maintaining consistent support to students. Reserves should not be used to fund ongoing salary or benefit increases, as reserves are one-time funds that are gone once they are spent, much like a savings account.

    In NUSD, the category that NTA leadership frequently refers to as the budget for “consultants” or “contractors” covers a wide range of professional services for the district. These funds provide more than just training and professional development to teachers and contractors who fill vacant certificated staff positions. They actually include expenses for essential services such as fire and safety requirements, heating/air conditioning maintenance, routine and preventative pest control, needed classroom repairs, vital health services for our students, after-school programs, staff training to implement state-required curriculum and assessments, and general district operations. Without allocating funding for these areas, we would not be able to provide these necessary services for our students and staff.”

    Vaccaro presented the board with a copy of the union’s strike readiness petition, which he said more than 90% of their members have signed.

    “While we do not want to strike, we are ready to strike if that’s what it takes to reprioritize the NUSD’s budget for our schools and our students,” he said.

    The Natomas Teachers Association will return to the negotiation table on Dec. 10.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • The Role of Interactive Toys in Reducing Anxiety and Aggression in Dogs | Animal Wellness Magazine

    It’s hard on pet parents when dogs act out of aggression or anxiety, but these behaviors communicate a problem you must address. Sometimes, the problem might be physical, like pain or discomfort. However, these behaviors can also stem from stress. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to relieve stress-related aggression and anxiety, and interactive toys are an excellent tool at your disposal.

    Supporting Dogs with Anxiety

    Canine anxiety comes in many forms, and outward signs and symptoms include:

    • Hiding or retreating to a corner or safe spot
    • Constant whining
    • Physical signs like their ears down or their tail between the legs
    • Abnormal behavior, such as chewing destructively or pacing

    Common anxiety triggers are loud noises like fireworks or being left alone. However, it can also be related to trauma, stress, pain, or aging. If your dog shows symptoms, talk to your veterinarian.

    Typical solutions to anxiety include providing immediate comfort, using calming tablets or sprays to reduce stress, and ensuring your dog gets enough mental and physical stimulation. For example, dogs with separation anxiety may find comfort in a cuddly or squeaky toy that helps them feel less alone and more secure. What’s more, squeaky toys excite a dog’s prey drive, giving them positive feedback and stimulation when they play with the toy.

    Managing Aggression in Dogs

    Aggression is always a worrying behavior. Canine aggression can be caused by lack of stimulation, boredom, and anxiety. Again, consult with your veterinarian, a trainer, or a dog behaviorist for professional advice, but part of the solution for managing aggression can include using interactive toys to provide:

    • More exercise to burn off excess energy.
    • Entertainment to stave off frustration and b
    • Greater socialization to build animal and human bonds.
    • Anxiety and stress relief because interactive toys and games stimulate and distract.
    • Comfort and security, as dogs can develop positive emotional connections with toys through learned association.
    • Lessons in impulse control that help prevent dogs from hoarding or acting aggressively if people try to interact with their toys.

    What To Look for in Interactive Toys for Dogs

    The world of dog toys is a huge business with endless varieties, and buying the right one for your dog requires some consideration. Here are some tips:

    • Your dog’s size will determine the type of toys you can get, but most are available in multiple sizes. Just make sure there are no small parts a dog can break off and swallow.
    • Age also plays a key part in the selection process. For example, an older dog won’t have the reflexes to catch a high-velocity rubber ball and may prefer something softer and less unpredictable.
    • Consider how a toy will impact their behaviour and address anxiety or aggression. Durability should be high on the list for aggressive dogs.
    • Toys that deliver treats are a great way to support a dog that’s anxious around food.
    • For dogs with trouble sleeping, try a cuddly toy that doesn’t have uneven shapes or hard parts.
    • Some toys make a noise through squeakers or rattles or have different materials to provide textures and grab points to make them easy to carry and fling.
    • Clicker training can be a valuable complement to toys, helping to reinforce positive behaviors and reduce anxiety or aggression through consistent, reward-based methods.
    • Whatever type of toy you buy, make sure it’s durable and made with safe, non-toxic materials.

    Aggression and anxiety can be a challenge in dogs, but consistent training and socialization, positive reinforcement, and interactive toys can address the root cause and help your dog become calmer and more balanced.


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    Jennifer Sy

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  • Want Better Results From Your Gen-Z Employees? Tell Them the ‘Why’ Behind Every Task

    Every generation differs from the one before, especially in the workplace — as media reports never stop telling us. Millennials were famously “lazy,” Boomers are (according to younger workers) pretty much stick-in-the-muds, and Gen-Z? Well, they’re a completely different kettle of fish, even at work. They’re reportedly quick to quit, sensitive to mental health matters and keen to shun boring office traditions.

    A new report highlights a subtly different aspect of working with Gen-Z staff, which may help you understand some of the difficulties managers report when wrangling Gen-Z workers through the day. Gen-Z won’t just hop to it when you “order” them to work. It may not be so much a case of generational entitlement, nor disrespect for their elders. Gen-Z may just need to be told why a task is important before they agree to tackle it.

    Writing for Psychology Today, Georgia-based executive coaching expert Tim Elmore points out that sports brand Nike has tried a new campaign to appeal to younger customers: the new “Why Do It?” push, a play on the famous “Just Do It” motto, is all about “igniting that spark for a new generation, daring them to step forward” according to Nike’s chief marketing officer Nicole Graham. 

    He says the trick to motivating and training Gen-Z workers rests on presenting the “why” reasons behind tasks right from the beginning. It helps younger workers “see the big picture,” which motivates them “to invest more time and energy,” Elmore explains. Allowing workers to peep behind the curtain is also a powerful motivational maneuver, he notes, since it can foster better decision-making, creativity and problem-soling, because people may make “wiser choices” if they know a project’s overall context. It can even increase employee ownership. This could be the most important aspect of telling workers why, he says, since once they “buy into both ‘what” and “why,’ they ‘own’ their job instead of ‘renting’ it.” 

    As to why Gen-Z needs this kind of support, which older managers may easily dismiss as young, inexperienced workers making demands above their station, Elmore suggests it’s partly due to the way Gen-Z voraciously consumes social media—a system that sometimes allows them to “see everything” about parts of the world in ways that just weren’t possible before. This may be driving the high anxiety Gen-Z suffers, as well as their frustration with what they may perceive to be a lack of transparency from management or company cultures that simply encourage a “do it because I said so” mentality. Gen-Z may need more “whys” than older workers because some “know too much and need to be convinced it’s worth it to step into action and become involved,” he writes, while others need an explanation “because they know too little,” since they’ve never had a full-time job before and need a leadership figure to walk them through the process. 

    In a Reddit discussion on the way Gen-Z behaves at work, some commenters wrote opinions that showed conflict with the way Gen-Z workers behave. “I won’t go as far as labeling Gen Z as lazy, but the entitlement is real,” one person wrote, arguing that “they would rather quit rather than work through challenges because they think they work isn’t supposed to be hard or stressful.” 

    But another Reddit user explained things in a way that chimes with Elmore’s thinking. Gen-Z workers are “largely immature in my experience,” they said, adding “but they’ll grow out of it.” The reasons may be because “they missed out on a lot of the social aspects of college,” the user wrote, noting that they think “they just need the number of years they spent in online college to get to the maturity level that previous generations had when they finished regular college. Not their fault, of course.” The user also added they’ve had to do a “lot more coaching for Gen Z people than others seem to have needed,” which chimes with explaining more “whys,” as Elmore suggests. But they concluded with a sentiment that may appeal to savvy business leaders: “I just like to help them learn.”

    This aligns with other reports that say Gen-Z really wants more on-the job training than their older colleagues. 

    All of this may play into they way you manage your youngest workers. If they seem slow to get going on freshly set tasks, it might not be because they’re lazy: it’s just that they need to see the reasoning behind the tasks before they commit to them.

    The early-rate deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, November 14, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Kit Eaton

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  • News We Love: Dog training programs aim to give shelter pets, inmates a new ‘leash’ on life

    IT’S A PROGRAM TRULY GIVING PUPS A NEW LEASH ON LIFE AS THEY WALK THE CORRIDORS OF LOUISIANA PRISON. YEAH. THE PARTNERSHIP, A COLLABORATION WITH THE SPCA, THE DOG SCHOOL AND THE LOUISIANA CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTE. AND THIS WHOLE THING OPENS THE DOOR TO MORE PETS FINDING FOREVER HOMES WHILE GIVING INMATES A GREATER PURPOSE. FROM BEHIND THE GLASS TO BEHIND BARS. THESE ARE DOGS PULLED FROM KILL SHELTERS. THESE ARE INMATES THAT HAVE DONE HEINOUS CRIMES. BOTH ARE THINGS THAT PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO THINK ABOUT OR DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT, BUT TOGETHER THEY FORM A UNIQUE PLACE FOR SECOND CHANCES. IT’S IT’S TOTALLY LIFE CHANGING FOR MY INMATE TRAINERS. A NEW LEASH ON LIFE FOR BOTH THE INMATES AT CIW AND SAINT GABRIEL. AND THESE DOGS FROM THE LOUISIANA SPCA THAT HAVE BEEN OFTEN OVERLOOKED. THE TRAINING PROGRAM, SPEARHEADED BY BROOKE DUFOUR, PITS THE TWO TOGETHER, HELPING THESE SHELTER PETS FIND FOREVER HOMES. AND IN RETURN GIVES THESE WOMEN PURPOSE. WE TAKE ABOUT 5 TO 6 DOGS. THEY’RE TAKEN FROM OUR FACILITY TO THE ACTUAL INSTITUTION, AND FROM THERE THEY’RE PAIRED WITH THEIR HANDLER, OR THEY’RE INCARCERATED INDIVIDUAL. THE HANDLERS TRAIN THE PUPS. EVERYTHING FROM POTTY TRAINING, DOOR TRAINING, KENNEL TRAINING, REALLY WHATEVER MANNERS THEY NEED TO GET ADOPTED. IF WE HAVE DOGS THAT ARE ROCK STARS, LIKE THEY’RE JUST LEARNING EVERYTHING, THEN WE TRY TO MAKE THEM SERVICE DOGS. AND AFTER THE SIX WEEKS ARE UP, THE DOGS GRADUATE. FETCHING THAT DIPLOMA AND HOPEFULLY A FOREVER FAMILY. I THINK IT’S A REWARDING EXPERIENCE. IT’S ALL ENCOMPASSING BUT ALSO A VERY REWARDING EXPERIENCE. AND IT’S AT THE HEART OF OUR MISSION AS WELL. A MISSION THAT’S ALSO UNLEASHING HEARTS, LEAVING EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH VALUABLE SKILLS FOR A STABLE FUTURE. RANDI RANDI WDSU NEWS. SO FAR, 18 DOGS HAVE GRADUATED SINCE THAT PROGRAM STARTED JUST ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WITH FIVE MORE SET TO JOIN THE RAN

    Louisiana dog training programs aims to give shelter pets, inmates a new ‘leash’ on life

    The New Leash on Life program is giving inmates and shelter dogs a second chance at success

    Updated: 12:52 PM EDT Nov 1, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    It’s a program giving pups a second chance as they walk through the corridors of Louisiana prisons. The New Leash on Life program is a partnership with the LASPCA, The Dog School and the Louisiana Correctional Institute. “These are dogs from kill shelters. These are inmates that have done heinous crimes. Both are things that people don’t want to think about or don’t want to talk about,” said Brooke Defore, who oversees the New Leash on Life program. For six weeks, 5 to 6 shelter dogs from the LASPCA live with inmates at LCIW in St. Gabriel. Their inmate handlers teach them everything from potty training, kennel training, door training, essentially whatever manners they need to get adopted. “I think it’s a rewarding experience. It’s all encompassing, but also a very rewarding experience,” said Christian Moon, with the LASPCA. “It’s at the heart of our mission as well.”If the dogs are exceptional, they could then go back to help veterans or those with special needs. “If we have dogs that are rock stars, like they’re just learning everything, then we try to make them service dogs,” said Defore. By taking dogs overlooked behind glass kennels and taking them behind bars, it’s opening the door to getting them into forever homes while also giving inmates a greater purpose. So far, 18 dogs have graduated, with about five more waiting in the wings.For more information about the program or The Dog School, visit https://thedogschool.net/.

    It’s a program giving pups a second chance as they walk through the corridors of Louisiana prisons.

    The New Leash on Life program is a partnership with the LASPCA, The Dog School and the Louisiana Correctional Institute.

    “These are dogs from kill shelters. These are inmates that have done heinous crimes. Both are things that people don’t want to think about or don’t want to talk about,” said Brooke Defore, who oversees the New Leash on Life program.

    For six weeks, 5 to 6 shelter dogs from the LASPCA live with inmates at LCIW in St. Gabriel. Their inmate handlers teach them everything from potty training, kennel training, door training, essentially whatever manners they need to get adopted.

    “I think it’s a rewarding experience. It’s all encompassing, but also a very rewarding experience,” said Christian Moon, with the LASPCA. “It’s at the heart of our mission as well.”

    If the dogs are exceptional, they could then go back to help veterans or those with special needs.

    “If we have dogs that are rock stars, like they’re just learning everything, then we try to make them service dogs,” said Defore.

    By taking dogs overlooked behind glass kennels and taking them behind bars, it’s opening the door to getting them into forever homes while also giving inmates a greater purpose.

    So far, 18 dogs have graduated, with about five more waiting in the wings.

    For more information about the program or The Dog School, visit https://thedogschool.net/.

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  • Steal Citigroup’s AI Training Rule to Ensure Successful Adoption at Your Company

    As AI capabilities evolve swiftly and continuously, some big corporate names are weaving the technology deeply into their day-to-day operations. Salesforce is a leading example, with the sales software company already claiming it’s saving it $100 million a year. But report after report suggests that few of these AI integration efforts include one final, critical step like the one the global bank Citigroup is taking. It’s now mandating that most of its workers learn how to properly prompt AI systems.

    The decision was announced last week in a LinkedIn posting from the bank’s head of technology and business enablement, Tim Ryan, HRDive reports. AI prompt training is now required for all workers who can access the bank’s AI tools — about 180,000 people. Apparently, if you’re already well versed in AI prompts, the training will last only about 10 minutes, and beginners should expect it to take about 30 minutes. That’s not much time, but the training is clearly not intended to be comprehensive or a deep dive, which would waste hundreds of thousands of hours of workers’ time. Citi’s approach is to give everyone a light introduction that boosts the average employee’s ability to use AI.

    The bank reportedly doesn’t require its staff to use AI, in contrast to other AI integration efforts — in April 2024, for example, Moderna’s CEO hit the headlines when he told staff he expected them to use AI at least 20 times a day. Citi’s intention is to make the most of AI’s promise to tackle basic mundane tasks and free workers up to work on more productive parts of their jobs. The system has been prompted over 6.5 million times during 2024, Ryan said. That would equate to about 36 prompts for every employee.

    Prompt engineering is at heart a simple idea: it’s learning how to choose and then reshape the questions you ask of an AI chatbot in order to steer it toward producing exactly the responses you need. Think of it as being like tasking an intern to build, say, a template Powerpoint presentation for you — give them a general idea, then look at their first effort and refine your instructions so they ultimately include all the elements you’d like. AI tools require a similar process, and sometimes requires the user to provide very carefully chosen language. 

    For some experts, prompt engineering could morph into a whole career, and prompting may become as much a part of the average workday as sending emails or Slacking your coworkers. Earlier this year, Slack’s chief marketing officer predicted that staff would soon be talking with AIs in the office more than they talk to their colleagues.

    This may seem like a bleak future, but it’s undeniable that learning to properly use an AI system is one way to ensure your company sees a return on its new, buzzy tech investment. But many reports suggest that when companies roll out AI they simply aren’t informing their staff how and when to use it, nor offering appropriate training. At best this means leaders may be missing out on some of the worker efficiency and productivity boosts that the tech can offer, and at worst it could lead to a one of their employees leaking sensitive company information out by say, entering secret fiscal data into a third-party AI system.

    What’s the lesson here for you and your AI-using workforce?

    It’s simple. If you haven’t already invested in some training time, you should. AI is already powerful enough to simplify certain tasks, and as AI agent technology improves it can even take on typical time-munching office tasks like automatically filling in digital timesheets or helping workers file expenses claims — necessary, but unproductive uses of their precious work hours. 

    The other thing to remember is that AI training shouldn’t be a one-shot affair. The tools are advancing so quickly that you should plan a regular schedule to refresh your workers on the latest tools that are on offer.

    Kit Eaton

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  • 5 Ways to Build Connection That Impacts Learning

    When you think about how you educate your workforce, what comes to mind? Most employers send out passive content while overlooking other interaction modes for learning that feel too time-consuming or unfamiliar. But overlooking these comes at a price: a lack of real connection with learners. In 2025, we’ll spend more than five hours a day on our phones—nearly an hour more than last year—and most of that is passive consumption rather than active connection. Unfortunately, education and training tend to follow this same pattern.

    Transformation doesn’t come from consuming more content. As I shared in my TEDx talk, “How Microlearning and Connections Transform Us: The Power of Being Present,” transformation comes from small, intentional moments of connection—with others and with ourselves. These small moments are at the heart of microlearning. When paired with authentic connection, they become one of the most underestimated forces for change in our personal and professional lives.

    How microlearning works

    At its foundation, microlearning delivers bite-sized content designed to accommodate shrinking attention spans and cognitive limits. The content targets a well-defined outcome or understanding instead of overwhelming learners with multiple concepts over a short period. We frequently consume short content everywhere we look, from AI-generated social media and articles to video shorts that vie for our attention.

    Research often focuses on how to use microlearning designs to combat shrinking attention spans and limited cognitive processing. But what if microlearning is about connection rather than content? Connecting with multiple learners creates emotional resonance that strengthens memory, and taking the time to connect with oneself releases neurotransmitters that make us feel better. The shift to connection matters: 45 percent of young workers report loneliness and social isolation at work, and older generations report more severe mental health consequences.

    Microlearning should go beyond passive content to connection. By focusing on connection, microlearning educates while building meaningful relationships among employees. And that’s where real learning sticks.

    How to build those connections through microlearning

    Here are five ways to repurpose microlearning to build connections:

    1. Be present.

    The act of being present is simple but powerful. Often, our minds are miles away from the moment. Be aware of where your mind is in each moment with your employees—and encourage them to be aware of where their minds are as well—so that you can be present for each other.

    2. Ask for input.

    Ask employees what they want to learn. We tend to disseminate information without bringing learners’ input into the conversation. The first step of learning is holding someone’s attention, so it’s critical to know what interests them.

    3. Allow for reflection.

    If you’re trying to change a behavior or connect with another employee, you must first understand if they’re ready to change. Allow time for learners to consider their own needs and feelings and how those relate to their personal and professional goals.

    4. Embed meaningful discussions.

    Many organizations have employees who are spread across multiple locations. Build in time for virtual discussions on work-related and non-work-related topics. Embedding these conversations into microlearning cultivates a community of learning by providing opportunities for buy-in and feedback that can happen anytime, anywhere.

    5. Recognize wins and encourage your team.

    Make recognition a central part of your culture. Give shout-outs in meetings, write notes of gratitude, or surprise team members with gift cards or company swag. Recognition doesn’t have to be big to be meaningful—what matters is consistency. Everyone wants to feel seen, valued, and appreciated. Use everyday moments with each other as opportunities to acknowledge effort, celebrate wins, and strengthen connections across the team.

    As technology accelerates and distractions multiply, the organizations that thrive will be those designing learning that educates minds and connects hearts. The real future of workforce education is greater than smarter employees—it’s authentically connected humans.

    Dr. Gina Anderson

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  • Runners test cross-training theory to prepare for marathons

    Orangetheory classes in Orlando are helping runners prepare for marathons by offering a comprehensive workout that combines running, rowing, and strength training to boost endurance and prevent injuries.Inside the class, the focus is on heart rate, hustle, and sweat, providing a full-body workout that benefits runners of all levels.”It’s really a full-body workout, which is great. You’re getting everything,” Orangetheory Coach Danielle Sisco said.”We break it all down and we’re really just trying to build a stronger body, build up your metabolism and have you leaving feeling fantastic, ” Orangetheory Fitness Coach Thomas Stoakes said. The workout split at Orangetheory includes running, rowing, and strength training, designed to enhance endurance, build strength, and prevent injuries.”One thing I’ve learned: runners love running, lifters love lifting. We do it all here. But those that just hone in on running tend to be more injury-prone. That durability you build on the weight floor goes miles out on the course,” Stoakes said. Stoakes, gearing up for his fifth full marathon, and Sisco, training for her first half-marathon, are among those benefiting from the balanced approach.”I feel like having been focused on lifting legs and getting my legs stronger and then strength training as a whole… It’s made me a stronger runner. I didn’t realize that I could be faster from lifting, but I do feel like that’s what happened for me,” Sisco said.The misconception that one must choose between strength training and running is dispelled in these classes, where cross-training in the Orange Room enhances every mile on the road.”My basis at Orangetheory, I wasn’t sure how great I was going to be running outside because I mostly ran here, but it’s translated so well. My training in here has really helped me with my training outside,” Sisco said.Every rep and stride in the class brings runners one step closer to their finish line, demonstrating the power of cross-training in marathon preparation.

    WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. —

    Orangetheory classes in Orlando are helping runners prepare for marathons by offering a comprehensive workout that combines running, rowing, and strength training to boost endurance and prevent injuries.

    Inside the class, the focus is on heart rate, hustle, and sweat, providing a full-body workout that benefits runners of all levels.

    “It’s really a full-body workout, which is great. You’re getting everything,” Orangetheory Coach Danielle Sisco said.

    “We break it all down and we’re really just trying to build a stronger body, build up your metabolism and have you leaving feeling fantastic, ” Orangetheory Fitness Coach Thomas Stoakes said.

    The workout split at Orangetheory includes running, rowing, and strength training, designed to enhance endurance, build strength, and prevent injuries.

    “One thing I’ve learned: runners love running, lifters love lifting. We do it all here. But those that just hone in on running tend to be more injury-prone. That durability you build on the weight floor goes miles out on the course,” Stoakes said.

    Stoakes, gearing up for his fifth full marathon, and Sisco, training for her first half-marathon, are among those benefiting from the balanced approach.

    “I feel like having been focused on lifting legs and getting my legs stronger and then strength training as a whole… It’s made me a stronger runner. I didn’t realize that I could be faster from lifting, but I do feel like that’s what happened for me,” Sisco said.

    The misconception that one must choose between strength training and running is dispelled in these classes, where cross-training in the Orange Room enhances every mile on the road.

    “My basis at Orangetheory, I wasn’t sure how great I was going to be running outside because I mostly ran here, but it’s translated so well. My training in here has really helped me with my training outside,” Sisco said.

    Every rep and stride in the class brings runners one step closer to their finish line, demonstrating the power of cross-training in marathon preparation.

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  • Why Leaders and Workers Think Differently About Workplace Safety Risks

    Workplace safety is very much in the news at the moment, thanks to reports about “bad doors” and weak ergonomic design in workspaces, the threat of heat-related injuries at work, and AI’s role in boosting safety on the job. But a new study sheds a different and slightly worrying light on the topic, which may cause you to rethink your workplace safety and education programs. The report, from Colorado-based small business insurer Pie Insurance, shows that there are wide gaps between what employers think about certain key safety issues, and how their employees view those same risks.

    The insurer noted in its 2025 Small Business Employee Voice on Workplace Safety Report that both staff and leaders agree that around half of all workplace injuries can be prevented. Still, more than two-thirds of employee respondents said they remain concerned about safety at work, industry news site InsuranceBusinessMag notes. Fully 58 percent have actually witnessed workplace injuries happening in the last year, and 43 percent say they’ve sometimes felt pressured by their companies to work in conditions that were actually unsafe. This may be a “it’s an emergency get it done, we need this now,” leadership mentality, or it may be a sign of deeper disregard for safety matters — but the fact that over four in 10 of all workers surveyed feel like this is concerning.

    One main area where employees and workers disagree on workplace safety is mental health. Pie’s report says that mental health has become the leading workplace safety worry among workers: 32 percent of those surveyed identified it as the top issue. This may surprise some, since “safety” has been traditionally a word connected with physical injury risks — Pie’s survey supports this, with 20 percent of respondents calling it their top concern, while 9 percent rated environmental issues at the top and 4 percent chose equipment safety. 

    Where workers and employers disagree is shown most clearly in how each group envisions support systems for mental health issues. Fully 91 percent of employers say they’re confident about support, but just 62 percent of employees agree. The matter is of serious concern to workers, though, with 36 percent saying that work stresses carry over to impact their personal lives, affecting their motivation, anxieties and sleep.

    Pie’s study also found a disconnect between how employees feel about reporting safety issues — 17 percent of respondents said they didn’t feel comfortable doing it. Of these people, over one in three feel this way because they worry their company will retaliate, a third feel like it would make them seem like a “difficult” worker, and 31 percent simply don’t report because they feel like it would result in zero mitigation actions by their employer. 

    Another gap exists over training on workplace safety, with 63 percent of surveyed employers saying they offer properly formatted training, but just 29 percent of workers say they get regular safety training and fully 28 percent said they’ve never had any.

    What’s your big takeaway from this? You may, after all, think that you’re properly in tune with your workers when it comes to safety, and there may even be a pretty large number posted next to that “days since last accident:” sign.

    The fact is that you and your staff may not be singing from the same sheet music. Pie’s data suggests that gaps between employee and employer attitudes are much more common than you think.

    InsuranceBusinessMag points out another issue that may arise from this disconnect: data show smaller and medium-size companies are “increasingly expanding into higher-risk work to remain profitable.” As they do this, workplace safety risks and costs and, as a result, insurance issues will multiply, spotlighting workplace safety.

    It might be time to revisit your workplace safety protocols, run a training session with your staff, and promise them that if they report issues they spot there will be no reprisals. Addressing workplace mental health could also be a priority, and that’s something you can affect by checking and modifying company culture. Offering perks like flexible working or hybrid work solutions, and even getting training yourself on how to spot and help your worker’s mental health problems are good first steps.

    Kit Eaton

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  • 1 in 7 Jobs Are at Risk of AI Automation, SHRM Says

    As AI insinuates itself more deeply into our everyday and work lives, a new report underlines the paradigm-breaking impact the technology may have on the job market. A huge proportion of all U.S. workers are at a high risk of being replaced by automated AI systems. This represents a threat that could drive unemployment up and rattling the economy. But a separate report by the World Economic Forum suggests that one way to mitigate against this outcome is a dramatic reskilling and job redesigning effort. All of this news could feed into your plans for deploying AI tools in your company.

    The new report, from the world’s largest HR association, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), warns that 15 percent of all American jobs (just above one in seven, and affecting 23.2 million people in total) are at risk of being displaced by automatic processes, HRDive notes. 

    The types of job that most likely to be affected is one where at least half of the task list can be automated. This includes all forms of automation, including physical tools like robotics as well as artificial intelligence. This means the threat is nuanced, and, as many reports before have shown, some types of job are more at risk than others. For example, SHRM’s report estimates 39.7 percent of software development work is highly automated and at risk from AI, as is a similar share in “mathematical” occupations (financial analysis, perhaps). But just 7.3 percent of the work in the “education and library” professions is automated. 

    The report also suggests that 7.8 percent of U.S. work product — about 12 million jobs — is already at least 50 percent completed using generative AI tech.

    This might raise the specter of mass unemployment, with images not far removed from Great Depression-era poverty and unrest swirling in your head. But SHRM also notes that a “significant majority of employment faces nontechnical barriers to automation displacement.”

    This means that many types of work include processes, preferences, physical issues and so on that prevent the job being automated, and thus protects them from AI—at least for now. These types of work have emphasize “interpersonal skills and/or relatively low-tech tools,” such as “many education and health care occupations.” SHRM says “client preferences are the most common” reason for not worrying about AI encroaching on these jobs: people still prefer dealing with people.

    Another perspective on the AI threat was expressed in a new report from the World Economic Forum, addressing the new AI “dual workforce challenge, of “balancing overcapacity and talent shortages.” The report cites a global survey of C-suite executives, of which 92 percent said they had up to 20 percent “workforce overcapacity,” meaning they have more workers than they need . By 2028 that figure is expected to rise to 30 percent overcapacity by about half of the leaders surveyed. At the same time, 94 percent of the leaders say they face “critical” AI talent shortages.

    The WEF report suggests the issue affects many workplaces already, and the shift is only going to get more pronounced as AI technology improves and becomes more capable and widely used. What was once AI “experimentation” is now “structural disruption,” the report says. 

    The answer to the issue, the WEF says, is “reskilling at scale,” combined with “redesigning roles for human-AI collaboration,” and “embedding workforce planning into core strategy.” The report basically calls for using HR departments to smooth the transition between the “legacy” way of working (without AI) into the modern way, as companies integrate AI. Agentic AI has the promise of “workforce empowerment,” and  can “boost efficiency, resilience and competitiveness,” the WEF thinks while companies “stuck in pilot mode risk falling behind.”

    The WEF thinks it’s time for a dramatic upheaval in the workplace, pivoting around the skills needed to operate AI tools. Think of it as the equivalent of the arrival of PCs and printers in the office: typewriters were no longer necessary, and a whole new skillset among workers of all types was needed, The adjustment required rethinking jobs and also reskilling workers on the new tech en masse.

    What’s the takeaway for you and your company?

    Simply that if you’re deploying AI tools across your company — without the intent of outright replacing any of your workers — you need to make your plans very clear, and communicate the goals you’re aiming for by using AI. Your HR team may also need extra budget, time and direction in order to plan a large-scale ongoing, education program to teach workers how to use AI tools to boost their efficiency. You could also consider upskilling talented workers who’ve had their time freed-up by AI, by giving them expanded roles — an option that could help grow your business.

    Kit Eaton

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  • Why Some Companies Adopting AI May Be Running Before They Can Walk

    If you’re tracking tech news headlines, it may seem like AI is being used everywhere, from the workplace to the classroom and even kids’ entertainment. A new report shows exactly how much the business world has embraced the promise of AI, finding that a startlingly high proportion of corporate (and government) written content is actually already being written by AI tools.

    This supports many AI proponents who argue that the tech doesn’t so much replace people in their jobs, but instead takes on simple, mundane tasks, freeing workers up to tackle more productive things. But a different study that assesses how workers who are using AI feel may give you pause. Its finding could possibly push you to reconsider when and how you roll out new AI tools to assist your workforce in their daily tasks.

    In the study scientists looked across online data sources, examining text published between January 2022 and September 2024 and found that on average 17 percent (about one in every seven words) of published corporate and governmental written material was created by AIs—not by human hands. As science news outlet Phys.org notes, this includes materials from job posts to press releases. The start date for the data sweep is important, since it covers the period in late 2022 when ChatGPT was arguably the first new-generation AI to become publicly available. The scientists noted that this rate is likely to increase in time. And this makes sense, given the constantly increasing number of AI tool releases, combined with increasing capabilities of newer AI models. 

    The data tally with other reports about sweeping AI adoption, and with findings that AI is taking on so many simple workplace duties normally meted out to entry-level workers that some Gen-Z people freshly hitting the job market are having a hard time finding work.

    AI tools use for corporate writing tool is also increasing despite the known risks of relying on the technology, which can fabricate information and try to pass it off as real—potentially exposing corporate AI users to legal harm if the material is then published without human fact checking.

    Meanwhile, a separate report from San Francisco software firm Asana found that knowledge workers (essentially most office-based jobs that rely on computer interactions) would happily delegate 27 percent of their work to AI agents right now, if they could. They also expect this figure to rise to over 40 percent in the next three years. That figure may sound surprising, because it’s nearly half of their entire workload. 

    Not all AI tools are the same, however, and this report relates to next-generation AI systems called agents, rather than query-response AI systems like ChatGPT. AI agents are more advanced than the simpler generative AI tools that may be used to, say, help an HR team craft a job posting or a PR team to shape a press release. Agents have a degree of autonomy and can complete tasks in an online environment automatically — like filling in a time sheet on a website, for example. 

    ​​But the Asana data highlights an issue with AI use, that also reflects on the data concerning AI business writing. While 82 percent of the knowledge workers Asana interviewed agreed that they needed proper training to use AI agents in an effective manner, just 38 percent of companies now provide that training. In a media release, Asana noted that without foundational training, teams can’t “provide effective oversight or course correction.” This means if AI-induced errors happen and are then built into products or publications the company uses, “errors repeat” and “trust erodes further.” 

    Essentially this suggests the people who are being asked to use AI by their managers — perhaps responding to corporate-level demands to find efficiencies and boost worker output via AI tools—are distrustful of the tech, partly because they’re not being trained to use it. This may sow discontent at management decisions. HRDive notes that 54 percent of the knowledge workers surveyed said AI agents were creating extra work, as teams had to correct or redo tasks, instead of saving the company time and money.

    Combined, the two reports paint a picture of businesses rushing to maximize AI tool use by their workers, including in public-facing corporate writing and in daily tasks by office staff, with little regard for the actual impact on company efficiency. Many aren’t even attempting to train staff on the proper use of this powerful new tech. Ultimately this could see rapid AI rollouts eroding worker efficiency.

    The big takeaway for your own company is that if you’re giving AI tools to your staff, they need proper training if you expect to see measurable returns on investment. AI outputs require human checking and rechecking before they go into public-facing products or inform corporate decisions, and this may actually be adding to your staff workloads rather than easing them. Talking to your staff about the AI tools they need and are actually finding useful is the mark of a tech-savvy leader today.

    Kit Eaton

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  • ‘We can’t sit on the sidelines’: LGBTQ+ candidates step up amid threats to queer rights

    San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert doesn’t generally agree with political parties redrawing congressional maps to gain power.

    But after President Trump persuaded Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw his state’s maps in order to improve Republican chances of retaining control of Congress in 2026, Von Wilpert said she decided California’s only option was to fight back with new maps of its own, favoring Democrats.

    There’s too much at stake for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized Californians to do otherwise, said Von Wilpert — who is bisexual and running to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa, a Trump ally whose district in San Diego and Riverside counties will be redrawn if voters approve the plan.

    “We can’t sit on the sidelines anymore and just hope that the far right will play fair or play by the rule book,” said Von Wilpert, 42. “If we don’t fight back now, I don’t know what democracy is going to be left for us to fight for in the future.”

    San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert is challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa, whose Southern California district would be redrawn if voters approve the redistricting plan of California Democrats.

    (Sandy Huffaker / For The Times)

    Von Wilpert’s challenge to Issa — who did not respond to a request for comment — makes her part of a growing wave of LGBTQ+ candidates running for office at a time when many on the right and in the Trump administration are working aggressively to push queer people out of the American mainstream, including by challenging drag queen performances, queer library books and an array of Pride displays, and by questioning transgender people’s right to serve in the military, receive gender-affirming healthcare, participate in sports or use public restrooms.

    They are running to counter those efforts, but also to resist other administration policies that they believe threaten democracy and equality more broadly, and to advocate around local issues that are important to them and their neighbors, said Elliot Imse, executive director of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute.

    The institute, which has trained queer people on running for and holding political office since 1991, has already provided 450 people with in-person training so far this year, compared with 290 people all of last year, Imse said. It recently had to cap a training in Los Angeles at 54 people — its largest cohort in more than a decade — and a first-of-its-kind training for transgender candidates at 12 people, despite more than 50 applying.

    “LGBTQ+ people have been extremely motivated to run for office across the country because of the attacks on their equality,” Imse said. “They know the risk, they know the potential for harassment, but those fears are really overcome by the desire to make a difference in this moment.”

    “This isn’t about screaming we are trans, this is about screaming we are human — and showing that we are here, that we are competent leaders,” said Josie Caballero, voting and elections director at Advocates for Trans Equality, which helped run the training.

    Rep. Sarah McBride at the DC Blockchain Summit.

    Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) at the DC Blockchain Summit in Washington on March 26, 2025. The summit brings together policymakers and influencers to discuss important issues facing the crypto industry.

    (Kent Nishimura / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

    Across the country

    Queer candidates still face stiff resistance in some parts of the country. But they are winning elections elsewhere like never before — Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware became the first out transgender member of Congress last year — and increasingly deciding to run.

    Some are Republicans who support Trump and credit him with kicking open the political door for people like them by installing gay leaders in his administration, such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

    Ed Williams, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBTQ+ organization, said his group has seen “a surge in interest” under Trump, with “new members and chapters springing up across the country.” He said that “LGBT conservatives stand with President Trump’s fight for commonsense policies that support our schools and parents, put America first, and create opportunities for all Americans.”

    Ryan Sheridan, 35, a gay psychiatric nurse practitioner challenging fellow Republican incumbent Rep. Ann Wagner for her House seat in Missouri, said Trump has made the Republican Party a “more welcoming environment” for gay people. He said he agrees with Trump that medical interventions for transgender youth should be stopped, but also believes others in the LGBTQ+ community misunderstand the president’s perspective.

    “I do not believe that he is anti-trans. I do not believe he is anti-gay,” Sheridan said. “I understand the fear might be real, but I would encourage anybody that is deeply fearful to explore some alternative points of view.”

    Many more LGBTQ+ candidates, however, are Democrats or progressives — and say they were driven to run in part by their disdain for Trump and his policies.

    LGBTQ+ candidates at an LGBTQ+ Victory Institute training.

    LGBTQ+ candidates and prospective candidates listen to speakers at an LGBTQ+ Victory Institute training in downtown Los Angeles in September.

    (David Butow / For The Times)

    JoAnna Mendoza, a bisexual retired U.S. Marine, said she is running to unseat Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) because she took an oath to defend the U.S. and its values, and she believes those values are under threat from an administration with no respect for LGBTQ+ service members, immigrants or other vulnerable groups.

    Mike Simmons, the first out LGBTQ+ state senator in Illinois, is running for the House seat of retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and leaning into his outsider persona as a gay Black man and the son of an Ethiopian asylum seeker. “I symbolize everything Donald Trump is trying to erase.”

    Texas state Rep. Jolanda Jones, who is a lesbian, said she is running for the House seat of the late Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas), in a historically Black district being redrawn in Houston, because she believes “we need more gay people — but specifically Black gay people — to run and be in a position to challenge Trump.”

    Colorado state Rep. Brianna Titone, who is running for Colorado treasurer, said it is critical for LGBTQ+ people — especially transgender people like her — to run, including locally. Trump is looking for ways to attack blue state economies, she said, and queer people need to help ensure resistance strategies don’t include abandoning LGBTQ+ rights.

    “We’re going to be extorted, and our economy is going to suffer for that, and we’re going to have to withstand that,” she said.

    Rep. Brianna Titone speaks at the Colorado State Capitol.

    Rep. Brianna Titone speaks during the general assembly at the Colorado State Capitol on April 23, 2025.

    (AAron Ontiveroz / Denver Post via Getty Images)

    Jordan Wood, who is gay, served as chief of staff to former Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County before co-founding the Constitution-backing organization democracyFIRST. He’s now back in his native Maine challenging centrist Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.

    Collins, who declined to comment, has supported LGBTQ+ rights in the past, including in military service and marriage, and has at times broken with her party to stand in Trump’s way. However, Wood said Collins has acquiesced to Trump’s autocratic policies, including in recent budget battles.

    “This is a moment with our country in crisis where we need our political leaders to pick sides and to stand up to this administration and its lawlessness,” Wood said.

    Candidates said they’ve had hateful and threatening comments directed toward them because of their identities, and tough conversations with their families about what it will mean to be a queer elected official in the current political moment. The Victory Institute training included information on how best to handle harassment on the campaign trail.

    However, candidates said they also have had young people and others thank them for having the nerve to defend the LGBTQ+ community.

    Kevin Morrison, a gay county commissioner in the Chicago suburbs who is running for the House seat of Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), who is running for Senate, recently had that experience after defending a transgender high school athlete at a local school board meeting.

    Morrison said the response he got from the community, including many of the school’s alumni, was “incredibly positive” — and showed how ready people are for new LGBTQ+ advocates in positions of power who “lead from a place of empathy and compassion.”

    In California

    LGBTQ+ candidates are running across California — which has been a national leader in electing LGBTQ+ candidates, but never had an out transgender state representative.

    Maebe Pudlo, 39, is an operations manager for the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and an elected member of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council. She is also transgender, and running for the Central and East L.A. state Senate seat of María Elena Durazo, who is running for county supervisor.

    Pudlo, who also works as a drag queen, said that simply existing each day is a “political and social statement” for her. But she decided to run for office after seeing policy decisions affecting transgender people made without any transgender voices at the table.

    “Unfortunately, our lives have been politicized and trans people have become political pawns, and it’s really disgusting to me,” Pudlo said.

    Like every other queer candidate who spoke to The Times, Pudlo, who has previously run for Congress, said her platform is about more than LGBTQ+ issues. It’s also about housing and healthcare and defending democracy more broadly, she said, noting her campaign slogan is “Keep Fascism Out of California.”

    Still, Pudlo said she is keenly aware of the current political threats to transgender people, and feels a deep responsibility to defend their rights — for everyone’s sake.

    “This whole idea of rolling back civil rights for trans people specifically — that should be concerning for anybody who cares about democracy,” Pudlo said. “Because if they’ll do it to my community, your community is next.”

    Former Palm Springs Mayor Lisa Middleton speaks at a training event for LGBTQ+ candidates and prospective candidates.

    Former Palm Springs Mayor Lisa Middleton speaks at a training event for LGBTQ+ candidates and prospective candidates in L.A. in September. Also in the photo are, from left, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President Evan Low, West Hollywood City Councilmember Danny Hang, Culver City Councilmember Bubba Fish and Virginia state Sen. Danica Roem.

    (David Butow / For The Times)

    Juan Camacho, a 44-year-old Echo Park resident also running for Durazo’s seat, said he feels a similar responsibility as a gay Mexican immigrant — particularly as Trump rolls out the “Project 2025 playbook” of attacking immigrants, Latinos and LGBTQ+ people, he said.

    Brought to the U.S. by his parents as a toddler before becoming documented under President Reagan’s amnesty program, Camacho said he understands the fear that undocumented and mixed-status families feel, and he wants to use his privilege as a citizen now to push back.

    Veteran California legislative leader Toni Atkins, who has long been out and is now running for governor, said the recent attacks on LGBTQ+ and especially transgender people have been “pretty disheartening,” but have also strengthened her resolve — after 50 years of LGBTQ+ people gaining rights in this country — to keep fighting.

    “It’s what it’s always been: We want housing and healthcare and we want equal opportunity and we want to be seen as contributing members of society,” she said. “We have a responsibility to be visible and, as Harvey Milk said, to ‘give them hope.’”

    Kevin Rector

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  • Trump’s Ivy League deals are set to funnel cash to trade schools | Fortune

    President Donald Trump’s campaign to squeeze billions of dollars out of Harvard University and other elite colleges looks set to create a windfall for US trade schools. 

    Trump wants Harvard to build one of its own, as part of a deal to restore frozen federal funding, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “The Harvard Vocational School,” Lutnick said Thursday. “That’s what America needs.” 

    It was the latest outing for an idea that’s gained steam in the past month or so. Multiple US colleges are trying to hammer out financial agreements with the White House to settle charges of political bias and regain access to vital research grants. Many are reluctant to pay outright fines. But investment in career and technical training — a stated priority for Trump, who wants to revive US manufacturing — looks like a compromise both sides can abide.

    How it will work in practice remains unclear, even at the college that’s gone furthest down this road.

    Brown University agreed to spend $50 million over ten years on workforce training in its home state of Rhode Island as part of a settlement. Brown is still figuring out a process for allocating grants, which will go to existing programs and organizations. The college will decide on recipients “in the coming weeks,” said Brian Clark, a spokesperson for Brown. 

    As yet, there’s no indication the state’s Democrat-led government will play a role. Rhode Island’s Department of Labor and Training said there’s been no coordination with the college. “Brown will facilitate these grants independent of the Department,” said Edwine Paul, its chief public affairs officer.

    ‘Everybody in Rhode Island’

    When that process gets underway, it’s likely to trigger a stampede of applicants.

    Amy Grzybowski calls the Brown settlement “an amazing opportunity” for institutions like hers. She’s vice president of workforce development and community relations at the New England Institute of Technology, a nonprofit private college in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, which develops its curriculum with local employers. Programs for welding and shipfitting, for instance, were set up in partnership with General Dynamics Electric Boat, which makes Navy-class submarines in the state. 

    “We have reached out to express interest” in the Brown grants, Grzybowski said. “Along with, I’m sure, everybody in Rhode Island.”

    Harvard hasn’t gotten to this stage, and talks on a settlement have dragged in recent weeks. The college has signaled that it’s open to investing $500 million in workforce programs as part of a possible deal to restore more than $2 billion in research grants.

    Lutnick’s suggestion for a new vocational school with Harvard’s name attached evokes the prospect of Ivy League-credentialed plumbers and electricians – which may not be as farfetched as it sounds.

    Princeton University runs an apprenticeship program, partially funded by the Department of Energy, which offers training in more than a dozen fields including welding and cybersecurity. Harvard itself earlier this year announced a Careers in Construction program of training and apprenticeships in the Boston area. 

    Alisha Hyslop, chief policy officer at the Association for Career and Technical Education, said she could envision Harvard’s graduate schools partnering with apprenticeship programs or offering short-term, skills-based credentials.

    “There has been a rise in four-year universities embedding industry certifications in their programs, especially in technology, AI, and coding,” she said. “Harvard could easily get involved.” 

    Workforce investments didn’t feature in the administration’s settlement with Columbia University, showing these aren’t the only pathways to an agreement. Still, with plenty more schools lined up to seek deals, the idea evidently has appeal for Trump.

    The president in April signed an executive order to “refocus young Americans on career preparation.” He’s talked up vocational programs as a cultural and economic foil to elite universities. But he doesn’t seem keen to fund them out of federal coffers.

    Trump has proposed eliminating the Labor Department’s $200 million annual budget for supporting adult education at community colleges, much of which funds vocational and skills-based programs. The department has also halted its Job Corps program, effectively shutting down 99 career training centers nationwide.

    Instead, the president hasn’t been shy about wanting elite colleges to foot the bill. He wrote on Truth Social in May that he was considering slashing $3 billion in funding from Harvard and giving it to trade schools.

    It’s “the Robin Hood approach,” according to Kathleen deLaski, founder of the vocationally focused Education Design Lab and a senior adviser at Harvard’s Project on Workforce. 

    DeLaski said she and her team proposed a similar initiative over a decade ago, called “Share the Wealth,” which didn’t get much traction with Harvard and its peers. She doesn’t support the Trump administration’s broadside against Harvard. But “if they are going to extract a pound of flesh from wealthy colleges, I’d rather have it earmarked for less-resourced parts of higher ed than be a tax going back to the national coffers,” she said.

    ‘Extorting Money’

    Trump isn’t the first president who’s sought to bolster technical education and fill gaps in the labor force. It was a priority for Joe Biden too. Supply chain disruptions in the pandemic, and trade tensions with China, have persuaded Washington that key industries should be brought back home – and they’ll need skilled workers.

    Given the economic importance, some analysts say it’s the government that should be providing cash and making key decisions.

    “I don’t think extorting money from Ivy League institutions is any way to finance workforce development,” said Braden Goetz, senior policy adviser at the New America think tank. “If it’s publicly funded, taxpayers and policymakers have a say in how it’s used. If we’re relying on Harvard or Brown to decide how to spend it, it may not be in the best interest of the people.”

    Wherever the money ultimately comes from, a shift toward vocational funding and away from the traditional college model is what the US economy needs, according to Nick Moore — effectively the country’s top policymaker in the field, as deputy assistant secretary at the Education Department’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education.

    Moore, who attended Harvard as an undergraduate, said he doesn’t view a potential redistribution of wealth from his alma mater to vocational programs as a punishment so much as a corrective. He hopes to see similar shifts across the sector.

    “Our current workforce system is not sufficient to meet our economic trajectory,” he said. “And there is probably no industry that is more removed from market dynamics than higher education.”

    Liam Knox, Bloomberg

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  • Over half of professionals are so annoyed by AI trainings they say it feels like a second job, LinkedIn survey finds

    Over half of professionals report that AI trainings feel like a second job, according to a recent LinkedIn survey, highlighting widespread frustration among workers with the proliferation of workplace automation programs.

    A majority of respondents (51%) expressed irritation with the intensity and frequency of AI training requirements, stating that it’s interfering with their core job responsibilities and contributing to burnout. Employees cited dense training modules, unrealistic deadlines, and a lack of clarity about practical benefits as key sources of dissatisfaction.

    LinkedIn found an 82% increase in people posting on the platform about feeling overwhelmed and navigating change this year. “The mounting pressure to upskill in AI is fueling insecurity among professionals at work — with a third (33%) admitting they feel embarrassed by how little they understand it, and 35% saying they feel nervous talking about AI at work for fear of sounding uninformed,” LinkedIn wrote.

    Workplace impact

    These findings come as employers increase investment in upskilling efforts designed to help staff adapt to new AI-based processes. Instead of feeling empowered, many professionals say these trainings add stress and extend their working hours, often without extra compensation or real improvements to workflow.

    There are real consequences for this and anecdotal evidence that workers are rational to feel insecure. IgniteTech CEO Eric Vaughan told Fortune earlier this month that he laid off nearly 80% of his staff after they failed to respond to AI training, while Joshua Wöhle of Mindstone relayed a similar story of a client/CEO who ordered his staff to dedicate all Fridays to AI retraining, and invited them to leave the company if they didn’t have a constructive report back on their findings.

    The survey also found that, amid the flood of AI-related content and programs, professionals are increasingly turning to their networks—rather than official corporate resources or search engines—for trusted advice and support in navigating workplace changes. Some 43% of professionals say “their network, the people they know, is still their #1 source for advice at work,” ahead of search engines and AI tools. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of professionals say colleagues are helping them make decisions faster and more confidently.

    Mounting frustration with mandatory AI trainings may be just the tip of the iceberg. A recent MIT study found that 95% of generative AI pilots at enterprises have failed to deliver any measurable return on investment—fueling growing concerns over an AI stock bubble as corporate spending and investor hype far outweigh results. It seems to be tied with this frustration over ineffective or stumbling AI training efforts.

    MIT’s sobering findings

    The MIT NANDA report analyzed hundreds of AI deployments and found only 5% produced rapid revenue acceleration or noticeable operational improvements. The majority of pilots stall in the testing phase or get abandoned, with large companies taking nearly a year to scale projects that rarely succeed. Flawed enterprise integration and a gap in AI literacy—not just model quality—were cited as the main barriers.

    Wall Street and institutional investors are sounding the alarm, worried that record AI investments aren’t translating to profits and could trigger a painful reckoning for overvalued tech stocks. Some have started trimming exposure, fearing that the gap between reality and hype may be unsustainable, reminiscent of prior tech bubbles. The all-important Nvidia earnings on Wednesday illustrate the jitters, as record revenue still failed to prevent investors taking a few percentage points off the stock.

    Connections to workforce concerns

    As companies pour money into AI pilots and tech stocks, employees are increasingly skeptical of both the business value and the constant upskilling requirements. With over half of professionals saying AI trainings feel like a second job, the MIT report adds new context: companies’ aggressive push for digital transformation is straining workers, not yet augmenting them, as widely billed.

    The results underscore mounting tension between the pace of technological implementation and the lived experience of professionals, suggesting that companies may need to rethink their approach to AI upskilling to avoid further alienating employees.

    For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing. 

    Nick Lichtenberg

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  • Charges filed against owners of New York boarding facility after 21 dogs found dead

    Charges have officially been filed after 21 dogs were found dead at a boarding facility in Argyle, New York.Robert and Anastasia Palulis, the owners of Anastasia’s Acres, are facing 22 misdemeanor counts after investigators said the building where the dogs were held did not have proper water access or ventilation.The charges are for overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance, which is considered a misdemeanor under New York State Law, according to court paperwork obtained by sister station WPTZ.One dog was taken to an emergency animal clinic for care.Both owners were released and are due in Argyle court at a later date.The owner of two of the dogs who died said she was devastated by the news of her beloved pets’ deaths.”Their house is literally 30 feet from the kennel where the dogs are boarded,” said Danielle Barber. “So the fact that nobody went out to check on the dogs at any point in time. I’m sure there were dogs barking in distress.”Anastasia’s Acres has been in business since 2020, and provides boarding, day care, training, grooming, and home care services for local dog owners, according to their website.Barber went on to say that she has not heard from either Robert or Anastasia Palulis following the incident.”I hope that she is held responsible… there are 21 dogs involved, it’s just completely unforgivable,” Barber said. “And the fact that she has not reached out in any sort of capacity to offer condolences, remorse, anything speaks volumes.”On Monday, WPTZ reached out to the owners of the business for comment, but they did not respond.

    ARGYLE, N.Y. —

    Charges have officially been filed after 21 dogs were found dead at a boarding facility in Argyle, New York.

    Robert and Anastasia Palulis, the owners of Anastasia’s Acres, are facing 22 misdemeanor counts after investigators said the building where the dogs were held did not have proper water access or ventilation.

    The charges are for overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance, which is considered a misdemeanor under New York State Law, according to court paperwork obtained by sister station WPTZ.

    One dog was taken to an emergency animal clinic for care.

    Both owners were released and are due in Argyle court at a later date.

    via Washington County Sheriff’s Office

    Robert and Anastasia Palulis

    The owner of two of the dogs who died said she was devastated by the news of her beloved pets’ deaths.

    “Their house is literally 30 feet from the kennel where the dogs are boarded,” said Danielle Barber. “So the fact that nobody went out to check on the dogs at any point in time. I’m sure there were dogs barking in distress.”

    Anastasia’s Acres has been in business since 2020, and provides boarding, day care, training, grooming, and home care services for local dog owners, according to their website.

    Barber went on to say that she has not heard from either Robert or Anastasia Palulis following the incident.

    “I hope that she is held responsible… [the fact that] there are 21 dogs involved, it’s just completely unforgivable,” Barber said. “And the fact that she has not reached out in any sort of capacity to offer condolences, remorse, anything speaks volumes.”

    On Monday, WPTZ reached out to the owners of the business for comment, but they did not respond.

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  • How to train your dog to come when called | Animal Wellness Magazine

    Learn how to build a strong recall in your dog with these seven steps to success. 

    Teaching your dog a reliable recall is crucial for her safety and your peace of mind. Knowing your dog will come when called can be a lifesaver. This skill is invaluable whether you’re at the park, on a hike, or in your backyard. Here’s how to train your dog to come when called by using  positive training methods. 

    Step 1: Create a positive association

    • Start in a non-distracting environment, such as a large room, hallway, or garage, where your dog can focus on you. Choosing a spacious area ensures she has room to move and engage with you without distractions. Grab her favorite treats and toys. Use these to reward her for a job well done.
    • Begin by making novel sounds, such as smooches, clapping, or a happy upbeat voice, to get your dog’s attention. You will eventually replace these sounds with your recall word.

    Hint: The goal is to pique her interest so she turns to look at you.

    • As soon as she looks toward you, encourage her to come by happily running a few steps back while making more sounds. It may seem silly, but dogs love to play and chase, so your noise and movement will be very enticing to her. 
    • When your dog reaches you, make it an amazing-party celebration! Use enthusiastic praise and rewards, such as treats and toys, to let her know she did something great. Exciting and valuable rewards help your dog associate coming to you with something positive. This makes her more likely to respond quickly.
    • Practice this exercise at various times of the day for a week, ensuring each successful repetition is a big party for your dog. This step is crucial in the training process. It teaches your dog that coming to you is more fun than chasing a squirrel.

    Step 2: Fade your movement

    • In this next step, you’ll focus on fading the part where you run away from your dog. Again, start in a room without distractions. Use your novel sounds and, when your dog looks at you, encourage her to come to you, but don’t run away yourself.
    • Don’t move away from your dog. Instead, use your novel sounds and bend down to the side to encourage her to come to you. In doggy body language, this is an invitation to come closer. You can also tap your leg, make your novel sounds, and smile.

    Hint: Facing your dog straight on is actually telling her to not come too close.

    • Once she comes, celebrate with enthusiastic praise, treats, and play. Repeat these steps periodically throughout the day for a few days. Consistency and big rewards are vital for reinforcing the recall every time. 

    Step 3: Remove prompts

    • Now we’ll remove any physical prompting and focus on using your recall sounds to encourage your dog to come. As before, start in a non-distracting room and have her favorite treats and toys handy as rewards.
    • Make your novel sounds and use happy talk to grab your dog’s attention and get her to come to you. You’ve been practicing this, so it shouldn’t be a challenge. When she comes, reward her with another big party. Give your dog plenty of praise, treats and play to let her know she did the right thing.
    • Practice this several times daily over the course of a few days. With each successful recall, your dog learns that responding to your call is fun and rewarding! 

    Hint: Over time, you should notice her running faster to you so she can cash in on her prize.

    Step 4: Add the recall word

    • Now it’s time to name this wonderful behavior. Before just saying “come” or “here” or whichever word you choose, do two repetitions of Step 3 to get your dog going. On the third repetition, say your recall word just after making your happy sounds. This helps your dog associate the recall word with the action of coming to you. 
    • As always, you want to praise her with an amazing party. When rewarding your dog for coming, remember you are rewarding her for leaving her most desired distraction, so make the celebration good!
    • Repeat this process five times. Ensure your dog responds quickly and enthusiastically each time. Once she consistently comes when she hears the verbal cue, you can slowly start adding distractions and changing environments.

    Step 5: Change environments

    • Now that your dog is reliably coming when called in one location, it’s time to add a bit of a challenge by changing the environment. Move outside to your backyard. Choose a time that isn’t too distracting.
    • Snap on a long leash to ensure safety and so you can reel her in if necessary. Give her about six feet of leash to sniff the yard. 
    • Since this is a new challenge, simplify it to help your dog succeed. Use fun sounds and movement instead of the recall word to encourage her to chase you. Celebrate enthusiastically when she responds. After her party, add another reward by allowing her to go back to sniffing and wandering.
    • If this step proves too challenging, slowly reel in the leash to prevent your dog from having a good time on her own and ignoring your recall. Don’t snap the leash or use any form of pressure; just bring her closer to you and try again. If she’s not successful, go back to the indoor work.

    Hint: Make sure you practice often and, when she’s successful, that the celebratory party is more amazing than anything in the environment.

    • When your dog is successful at six feet, add her recall word and call again. Reward her, then send her back to sniffing. Start adding more leash length: ten feet, twelve feet, etc. You want to teach her that coming to you isn’t a punishment, but means she’ll get something good followed by more sniffing. Practice this at various times throughout the week.

    Step 6: Introduce controlled distractions

    • As your dog’s recall improves, it’s time to add some distractions to the environment. In this step, you’ll either work with a helper or place treats somewhere your dog can see but not reach them.
    • Have your helper hold treats, or place the treats out of reach. Make sure your dog knows they are there, but don’t tease her with them. Stand about six feet away from your dog, whose attention will be on the treats, and encourage her to come to you by using your recall word along with your novel sounds and happy talk.
    • Once she comes — and it may take some time — celebrate with an amazing party. Then retrieve the treats she left behind and reward her with them. This approach teaches her to leave the goodies for a better reward. She’ll also learn that she can still get the original treats afterward. This makes the recall even more exciting.

    Hint: Repeat the process, changing the items she’s leaving, throughout the week. You want your dog to stay focused and motivated, even around mild distractions.

    Step 7: Master the recall

    • To keep your recall reliable, you must continue to practice and change up the situations. Use your recall word during everyday situations, such as calling your dog inside from the yard or away from a favorite toy.
    • Practice in various locations and at different times of the day. Include settings with varying levels of activity. For example, you might call your dog during a quiet walk in the park. Reward her generously with treats, toys, or praise when she responds quickly, then let her go back to what she was doing.

    Knowing how to train your dog to come when called isn’t a skill you teach once and then forget. You need to regularly reinforce this behavior to keep it sharp. Practice consistently and make it rewarding. This teaches your dog that coming when called is always worth it, regardless of what’s going on around her.


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    Tonya Wilhelm is a dog training and cat care specialist who has traveled the US promoting positive ways of preventing and managing behavior issues with a holistic approach. Named one of the top ten dog trainers in the US, she has helped thousands build happy relationships with their dogs with humane, positive training methods. She wrote Proactive Puppy Care, and other books. Tonya offers group and private dog training classes, provides training and behavior services via phone and online, and does workshops at pet expos (raisingyourpetsnaturally.com).

    Tonya Wilhelm

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  • Air Traffic Control Collegiate Program Certified to FAA Qualifications at SUNY Schenectady County Community College

    SUNY Schenectady and Federal Aviation Administration Sign Agreement for College to Join Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) Program


    SCHENECTADY, N.Y., May 30, 2025 (Newswire.com)
    –
    SUNY Schenectady County Community College and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have signed an agreement for SUNY Schenectady to become the next school in the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program. SUNY Schenectady is only the sixth college or university across the country, and one of only two community colleges, that the FAA has authorized to provide the same thorough curriculum and advanced training technology offered at the agency’s Academy in Oklahoma City.

    The Enhanced Initiative was created to allow qualified institutions to provide their students with equivalent FAA Academy Air Traffic Control curriculum and training. Graduates of the Enhanced AT-CTI offered at SUNY Schenectady, with FAA oversight, could be placed directly into a facility, if hired as Air Traffic Control Specialists. This means that students who graduate from the SUNY Schenectady program and pass the FAA-proctored Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) are able to bypass six months of training at the FAA site in Oklahoma City and can start working in an FAA tower. In addition to passing the ATSA, these graduates must meet medical and security requirements.

    According to the FAA, “The program will increase the controller training pipeline and ensure graduates have the necessary skills to begin immediate facility training.”

    Dr. Steady Moono, College President, said, “SUNY Schenectady is proud to be at the forefront of responding to a critical, national need for qualified Air Traffic Controllers by partnering with the FAA on the new Enhanced AT-CTI program. This is an extraordinary opportunity for students to gain the same rigorous curriculum and training that the FAA provides at the Academy in Oklahoma City. We welcome students from across the country as they train to begin their careers in the Air Traffic Control industry. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Senator Chuck Schumer who called on the FAA to include SUNY Schenectady in its Enhanced AT-CTI program, noting that the College was uniquely qualified and ready to create a pipeline of students to enter this high-paying career and address the nationwide shortage.”

    New York Senator Chuck Schumer said, “Prepare for takeoff to better address the air traffic controller shortage because the FAA just approved SUNY Schenectady to join their prestigious Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative. As airports continue to struggle with the national air traffic controller shortage, I pushed to have Schenectady join this competitive program because they have proven themselves to be a leader in aviation training uniquely capable of helping equip students with the skill they need to enter this career. SUNY Schenectady’s air traffic controller training program is ready to create a local pipeline of students to enter this high-paying field tasked with protecting the safety of our skies. I’m thrilled the FAA heeded my calls and is helping the next generation of air traffic controllers reach new heights right here in the Capital Region. I commend SUNY Schenectady President Dr. Steady Moono and the college’s Aviation Program’s leadership for this new milestone and a continued high standard of training of our next generation of controllers.”

    Gary Hughes, Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature, added, “We’re grateful to Senator Schumer for his steadfast support of SUNY Schenectady and his efforts to address the national shortage of air traffic controllers. The FAA’s designation highlights the strength of our Aviation Science and Air Traffic Control degree programs, which equip students with hands-on, career-ready training. With the College’s new Enhanced status, students will have even more pathways to success-including the opportunity for direct placement into an air traffic control facility-and will help keep our skies safer across the country.”

    Graduates of the program earn their A.A.S. degrees in Air Traffic Control. SUNY Schenectady first began offering the degree program in ATC in 2012 and in January 2025 the College unveiled its new Air Traffic Control simulator, the largest and most comprehensive at a community college east of the Mississippi River.

    The FAA-approved SUNY Schenectady ATC Simulator features:

    • Three ATC Tower stations for ultra-realistic training

    • Seven 75″ monitors for 215 degrees of complete tower immersion

    • Four radar TRACON stations for multi-training scenarios and realism

    • ATSpeak which reinforces radar, tower, ramp, pilot, and airside driver phraseologies

    • Seven Remote Pilot stations for real human-voice responses and pilotage

    • FAA Academy Curriculum for the BEST in ATC Training

    In addition to the ATC degree program, SUNY Schenectady offers an A.S. degree in Aviation Science: Pilot and an Aviation Science: Non-Pilot Administration and Management degree through the Division of Business and Professional Programs, among the College’s 60 degrees, certificates, and microcredentials.

    SUNY Schenectady is now accepting applications for the Enhanced AT-CTI program at www.sunysccc.edu/apply. Please contact the Office of Admissions at 518-381-1366 or admissions@sunysccc.edu for more information on how to apply.

    Images of SUNY Schenectady’s Air Traffic Control simulator and captions are available here.

    Contact Information

    Geoff Redick
    Director, Public Affairs
    geoff@bakerpublicrelations.com
    (585) 297-2453

    Matt Potolski
    Senior Account Executive
    matt@bakerpublicrelations.com
    (518) 698-4032

    Source: SUNY Schenectady County Community College

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  • Creating a peaceful crate environment for your dog | Animal Wellness Magazine

    Creating a peaceful crate environment for your dog | Animal Wellness Magazine

    Many dogs fear their crates because they associate them with negative experiences. Find out how to turn your dog’s crate into a peaceful, Zen-like environment she’ll love to spend time in. 

     

    Crate training to create a tranquil retreat for your dog. is a valuable tool for shaping a well-behaved and happy dog. Not only can it help manage your dog during crazy family times, but it also provides her with a safe place in a variety of situations, from veterinary visits to traveling. When approached thoughtfully, creating a peaceful crate environment becomes more than just a confinement space; it transforms into a tranquil retreat where your dog seeks solace and relaxation. Let’s look at how you can turn your own dog’s crate into a “Zen zone.”

     

    Choosing the right crate for a peaceful environment

     

    Size

    The first step to creating a peaceful crate environment for your dog is to select the right size of crate for her. A crate should offer enough room for her to stand, turn around, and stretch out in comfortably. Avoid crates that will force your pup to sleep in awkward positions. Think comfort. 

    Conversely, an extra-large crate with lots of empty space inside may lead to your dog to urinate or defecate in the corner, inadvertently encouraging undesirable elimination habits. 

    Tip: Consider crates with dividers that allow for adjustments as your dog grows.

     

    Style and material

    Once you’ve determined the appropriate crate size for your dog, consider the different styles and materials available. Each offers unique benefits and drawbacks. 

    • Wire crates: These are light, easy to collapse, and offer great ventilation, which makes them perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. However, you have to be careful your dog won’t chew the wire or get stuck in it. Strange things can and do happen.
    • Plastic crates: These create a cozy, den-like environment that many dogs find comforting. The downside is they don’t offer a lot of ventilation.
    • Wooden crates: If you’re looking for something stylish, wooden crates are a great option. They blend into your home decor. However, your dog may find the wood appealing to chew on.
    • Mesh fabric crates: These are perfect for on-the-go situations. Their lightweight design makes them perfect for travel or outdoor adventures. Just be aware they may not be as durable as other crate options, and some dogs may be able to chew through the fabric or even roll across the ground in them!
    • X-pen playpen style: An alternative to traditional crates, X-pen playpens provide a larger enclosed area for your dog to play and relax in. They give your dog extra room to move around in while keeping her safe and secure. However, as mentioned earlier, too much space may prompt the dog to eliminate in the playpen. 

    Tip: The right crate style will vary, depending on what your dog prefers and requires. You may find yourself purchasing a few different styles to meet different needs.

     

    Situating your dog’s crate 

    The right crate placement can make all the difference in the world for your dog. 

    • Ideally, a tranquil retreat should be in a quiet, low-traffic area of your home where your dog can relax undisturbed. 
    • Avoid noisy or busy locations, such as the kitchen or laundry room. 
    • Conversely, don’t put the crate someplace where your dog will feel isolated from the family. An area adjacent to the living room of home office might be a good choice, as long as those rooms aren’t too chaotic.
    • It’s a good idea to make sure there aren’t any windows nearby that your dog can look out of. It might seem like a nice idea, but seeing something outside the window can get your dog worked up. 

    Tip: Having a crate in the bedroom at night can help promote a sense of security and comfort in many dogs.  

     

    Inside the crate

    Creating a peaceful crate environment for your dog takes careful planning and consideration. Creating a Zen-like experience includes a serene sleeping environment. Start by lining the crate with a soft, washable fleece blanket or crate mat. In puppies, bedding can encourage chewing, so introduce it slowly and supervise your pup closely. Skip the toys unless you’re there to keep an eye on your dog.

     

    Teaching your dog to love the crate 

    This takes patience and a positive attitude. Start by making the crate a fun and inviting space. Leave the door open and place treats and toys inside the crate for your dog to find. Let her sniff around and discover the crate at her own pace. When you notice her inside, toss a few bonus treats in for her as a reward.

    As your dog becomes more comfortable with her crate, gradually increase the amount of time she spends inside it. Start with short periods and gradually extend the duration, always ensuring your dog associates the crate with a positive experience.  

    Another way to build on the “Zen zone” feel of your dog’s crate is by gently placing her inside it while she’s napping, leaving the door open. (This obviously works better for smaller dogs that are easy to lift!). This allows her to experience the crate in a relaxed state and associate it with rest and comfort.

    Tip: Never force your dog into her crate, or use it as a form of punishment. This creates negative associations and will make her fear the crate. 

    Focus on making your dog’s crate a cozy retreat where she can feel secure and relaxed. With time and regular practice, she’ll come to see her crate as a relaxing oasis, her very own “Zen zone”.

     

    Setting the mood

    Creating a tranquil environment within and around your dog’s crate is essential for promoting relaxation. Ensure the room temperature is comfortable, and choose gentle lamps or nightlights to set a calming mood. Play calming music designed for dogs to promote peaceful rest. White noise machines can also mask distracting sounds and create a quiet environment.

     

    Don’t leave your dog in her crate for long periods

    It’s important to use caution when it comes to crate time for your dog. Although the crate should offer security, it’s vital you use it wisely. Extended periods alone in the crate can affect your dog’s socialization, physical activity levels, and mental health. 

    Dogs are social animals and thrive on interaction with their humans. Being confined to a crate for long periods of time can leave them feeling lonely and isolated. Dogs also need regular exercise and mental stimulation to stay happy and content. Without it, they may develop behaviors such as excessive barking or destructive chewing. 

    So it’s necessary to strike a balance between crate time, and time spent outside the crate engaging in social activities and physical exercise. Make sure your dog receives regular walks, playtime, and training sessions in her daily routine to keep her mentally and physically fulfilled. And always remember to provide plenty of love, attention, and companionship to help her thrive emotionally.


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    Tonya Wilhelm is a dog training and cat care specialist who has traveled the US promoting positive ways of preventing and managing behavior issues with a holistic approach. Named one of the top ten dog trainers in the US, she has helped thousands build happy relationships with their dogs with humane, positive training methods. She wrote Proactive Puppy Care, and other books. Tonya offers group and private dog training classes, provides training and behavior services via phone and online, and does workshops at pet expos (raisingyourpetsnaturally.com).

    Tonya Wilhelm

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  • New Netflix Show Explores How Puppies Who Ask Humans for Help Make Better Service Dogs | Animal Wellness Magazine

    New Netflix Show Explores How Puppies Who Ask Humans for Help Make Better Service Dogs | Animal Wellness Magazine

    Using a game called The Impossible Task, which is featured on a new Netflix show called Inside the Mind of a Dog, canine cognition researchers demonstrate that some dogs instinctively know how to ask humans for help. And with the right training, those dogs are more likely to become service dogs. What’s more, pet parents can also use the game with puppies to strengthen their connection. 

    Training service dogs requires considerable time and resources. Work being done at Duke Puppy Kindergarten—which you can see on Netflix’s Inside the Mind of a Dog—is making it easier to identify puppies with better chances of becoming service dogs. The trick is to look for puppies who ask humans for help with tasks they can’t complete alone. Further, the research has also identified a game pet parents can play with puppies to strengthen bonds with their dogs.

    Identifying Good Service Dog Candidates with a Simple Game

    In the Netflix documentary Inside the Mind of a Dog, viewers delve into the cognitive world of dogs. One stop on the trip is Duke Puppy Kindergarten, where part of the goal is to identify service dog candidates. Service puppies in training from Canine Companions play cognitive games like The Impossible Task, where they try to retrieve a treat from a locked container. Some puppies paw at the container and bite the handles, determined to solve the puzzle through sheer willpower. However, others give up and walk away. But a few puppies do something else—they ask for help. And the dogs who ask for help by making eye contact with humans are more likely to graduate and become service dogs.

    Dr. Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods pose with potential service dogs candidates.

    Playing The Impossible Task Can Help Improve the Bond with Your Dog

    Beyond helping to identify good candidates for service dogs, cognitive games can help pet parents strengthen bonds with their own dogs. And all it takes is playing the game for five minutes every two weeks between eight and 20 weeks of age. Puppies who play at this frequency make double the amount of eye contact as puppies who don’t play.

    Eye contact is extremely important for the canine-human relationship. It leads to the release of oxytocin, the hormone that makes you feel loving and loved. Pet parents with dogs who make more eye contact report being more satisfied in their relationship with their dogs. What’s more, dogs who make more eye contact tend to get adopted out of shelters faster.

    Conclusion

    The Impossible Task demonstrates that each puppy sees the world and solves problems differently. It can even help to identify dogs that are good service dog training candidates. And for pet parents, playing cognitive games like these can improve relationships with dogs. What’s more, cognitive games can even help shelter dogs find forever homes.


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    Vanessa Woods is a research scientist at Duke University and author of Puppy Kindergarten: The New Science of Raising a Great Dog.

    Brian Hare is a professor in Evolutionary Anthropology and Cognitive Neuroscience and author of Puppy Kindergarten: The New Science of Raising a Great Dog.

    Vanessa Woods, author of Puppy Kindergarten: The New Science of Raising a Great Dog and Dr. Brian Hare, author of Puppy Kindergarten: The New Science of Raising a Great Dog

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  • Supermom In Training: 5 Responses to your child saying “I’m bored”

    Supermom In Training: 5 Responses to your child saying “I’m bored”

    How many times have you heard your child say, “I’m bored”? OK, not you saying it in your head… your child whining it while they pick at a thread on their shirt. This said kid is also probably surrounded with toys, books, games and more (ahhh, to be bored like a kid!). So, here are 5 responses to your child saying “I’m bored”.

    “Figure it out.” I mean, seriously – when did we become responsible for entertaining our kids 24/7?! Truth is, when your kids are bored, it’s pretty amazing how creative they will get to find their own ways of keeping busy. Just keep an eye on them – the mischievous ones might get into trouble.

    “Go outside.” I really don’t think kids spend as much time outdoors as we did as kids (I remember practically living outside from sun up to sun down). We’ve all got the gear for winter or summer play, so send them out for some fresh air.

    “Make something.” In our house we call it a “craft challenge” where we rummage through the recycling bin, or pull out random craft supplies, and we challenge each other to create something. It’s quite cool to see what your kids come up with.

    “Read something.” We have a very accessible well-stocked bookshelf that the bean keeps very organized to make book-finding easy. We also subscribe to a number of magazines, and I have other “books” around like word searches and hidden pictures.

    “Do something for someone else.” Whether it’s helping mom and dad with a household to-do, writing a letter to a long-distance family member, shoveling the neighbour’s walkway, there’s always a way to help someone else (and keep your child occupied too).

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  • On the Fence About a GPS Dog Fence? Here Are 4 Ways to Make Sure Your GPS Works for You and Your Dog | Animal Wellness Magazine

    On the Fence About a GPS Dog Fence? Here Are 4 Ways to Make Sure Your GPS Works for You and Your Dog | Animal Wellness Magazine

    Wireless dog fences are easy, convenient ways to give your dog freedom while also keeping them safe. Let’s look at four ways to make your GPS dog fence work for you!

    A GPS dog fence creates a virtual boundary around a property to help keep your dog safe and secure while they explore, roam, and live their best life. Wireless dog fences have numerous benefits compared to physical fences or traditional invisible fences, including they don’t require installation around your property, they’re reliable and accurate, you can re-work the boundaries with ease, and they’re perfect for large dogs and properties larger than 0.5 acres! SpotOn GPS Fence is a global leader in GPS fencing technology, and they have four tips to help you get the most from your wireless dog fence.

    1. Understand How GPS Fences Work

    GPS fences use satellite signals to create flexible and effective virtual boundaries that contain your dog. SpotOn’s collar issues two sets of tones to warn the dog they’re nearing the boundary, so you must train them to know what the sounds mean.

    2. Properly Train Your Dog to Use a GPS Fence

    The first step in training your pup to understand a GPS fence is to teach foundational commands, such as sit, stay, and come. From there, you can use positive reinforcement to reward your dog for returning to the center of the fence area when they hear the alert tone.

    SpotOn has a user-friendly app and resources—including a structured approach with alerts and communication tools—that can guide you and your dog through the training process.

    3. Maximize Success with SpotOn: Free Setup Calls and Expert Dog Training Support

    Along with using advanced satellite technology with a dual-feed antenna to ensure the most precise and reliable GPS dog fence, SpotOn also goes above and beyond with their support tools, which include:

    Free Expert Setup Calls – Get personalized guidance to set up your system with ease.

    Tailored Installation Support – SpotOn will walk you through the process step-by-step for seamless configuration.

    One-on-One Training with Award-Winning Trainers – Enjoy a free session with a certified dog trainer to ensure your dog’s success.

    90-Day Satisfaction Guarantee – Try SpotOn risk-free with their industry-leading guarantee!

    No Subscription Required – The only GPS fence that works without a subscription, giving you complete control and peace of mind.

    4. Customize Your GPS Dog Fence with Features and Components

    SpotOn makes it possible to customize your fence system to suit your needs, including:

    • Collars are available in various sizes to accommodate different breeds, ensuring a proper fit and the system’s efficacy.
    • It’s a breeze to start with smaller, manageable areas and expand them as your dog gets accustomed to the system.
    • Advanced features, like forest mode, help adapt the system to challenging environments and terrains, ensuring your dog stays safe and contained.
    • Home Zones allow you to designate an area around your home where alerts are disabled, allowing your dog to enter and exit the zone freely without worrying about false alerts that can occur indoors.
    • Keep Out Zones define areas you want your dog to avoid, such as gardens, pools, or driveways, to prevent them from wandering into restricted areas while still enjoying their freedom.

    Visit SpotOn to learn more!


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    Animal Wellness is North America’s top natural health and lifestyle magazine for dogs and cats, with a readership of over one million every year. AW features articles by some of the most renowned experts in the pet industry, with topics ranging from diet and health related issues, to articles on training, fitness and emotional well being.

    Animal Wellness

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