Tonight I heard of the sudden passing of Dr. Sophia Yin. Dr. Yin was a veterinarian, animal behavioralist, educator, author, and expert on Low Stress Handling. She was only 48 years old.
Dr. Sophia Yin’s educational work for teaching professionals and pet owners about animal handling and behavior modification techniques have made the world a significantly better place for people and other animals. The loss of Dr. Yin before her time is devastating one. Dr. Yin’s legacy, to me, is held not just in her skills as a veterinarian and animal behavioralist, but, in the effectiveness of her ability to educate people. Dogs are dependant on people to have good lives. People are dependant on qualified professionals, such as veterinary professionals and dog trainers to learn about how to care for their dogs. Dr. Yin’s impact has brought attention to positive dog training, and the importance of positive education for people about dog training. Her writing never “looked down” on people or on “old” or “uninformed” ways of dog training and handling, but rather, her writing was always informative, straightforward, and encouraging. I believe a great part of Dr. Yin’s legacy is the reminder that the more positive educational methods and delivery are, the more likely that the information will be absorbed into our culture. People’s beliefs and habits only change if they feel inspired to change.
Providing good information is one part of the challenge towards change (which Dr. Yin clearly excelled at), but making new information accessible and motivating was Dr. Sophia Yin’s greatest gift to dog training.
The work she has left us with will most certainly continue to have a profound effect on shifting views of how people understand and treat dogs, and especially on how professionals train other people about animals.
I have always referred people to the three core articles on her website. These three short articles summarize some of the most powerful and important information anyone who loves dogs should know about modern dog training and behavioural science. If you have not read these articles, I urge you to do so. If you have already read these articles, please join me in re-reading them in Dr. Yin’s honor.
- Leadership Without Force by Dr. Sophia Yin
- A Better Way by Dr. Sophia Yin
- The Dominance Controversy by Dr. Sophia Yin
