THE VILLAGES, Fla. - TelAve -- The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) is proud to announce the appointment of Erika Liljefelt and Tasha Attwood as the new supervisors for its rapidly expanding Behavior Teams initiative.

Behavior Teams was designed to address a critical gap in the pet industry. While working with animals is a rewarding career, it can often be isolating, challenging, and emotionally draining. Professionals frequently feel like they are running an obstacle course when coordinating with clients, veterinarians, and other industry colleagues. Furthermore, pet guardians often struggle to access competent, qualified training and behavior professionals. Behavior Teams solves this by enabling professionals to work together using industry best practices to support local communities of pets and their people.

Following the successful launch of the Behavior Teams pilot program in the first quarter of 2025, the organization sought experienced leaders to guide the program's next phase of growth.

"As the program grew from its pilot stage, we saw a surge of interest from professionals wanting to start or join a team," said Niki Tudge, PPG president. "To support this expansion, it made sense to approach two professionals who have successfully started and launched their own behavior teams. Erika and Tasha understand the challenges firsthand and will be incredible resources for our members."

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Erika and Tasha bring a wealth of practical experience and a commitment to the ethical care of pets to their new role as supervisors of the Behavior Teams program. They will also take a seat at the table for PPG's Steering Committee and be part of PPG's overall leadership team.

"I'm elated and proud to be a part of PPG Behavior Teams and the Steering Committee," said Erika Liljefelt. "PPG is unequivocally committed to ethics, compassion, and inclusivity, and was built on a foundation of providing resources for pet guardians and pet professionals alike that can be trusted to always put kindness and the welfare of pets and their people as its top priority. The Behavior Teams grassroots initiative is exactly what our industry needs: ethical, compassionate pet professionals who are close geographically, coming together to collaborate for the good of pets and their guardians and, just as importantly, creating a safe community and supporting one another."

Tasha Attwood emphasized the importance of the multidisciplinary approach: "Collaborative, multidisciplinary support is essential for protecting animal welfare and supporting guardians, and the Behavior Teams model represents best practice in ethical, evidence-based care," she said. "Being part of a leadership group that prioritizes compassion, inclusion, and professional accountability is something I deeply value, and I'm proud to contribute my experience to help strengthen and grow this vital work."

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About Behavior Teams

Behavior Teams is a program developed by the Pet Professional Guild whose core purpose is to create collaborative teams of pet behavior experts and other professionals to better support pets and their owners.

Working with pets can be one of the most pleasurable and fun careers, but it can also be lonely, challenging, and emotionally draining. Coordinating with clients, veterinarians, and other pet professionals can leave professionals feeling like they have run the gamut of an assault course. It can also be challenging for both pet guardians and pet professionals to access competent and qualified training and behavior professionals. The program was created to address the challenges in the pet training and behavior industry.

PPG aims to facilitate a working model that enables veterinarians, veterinary behaviorists, and pet trainers/behavior consultants to collaborate effectively on cases. Provide a standardized, best-practice approach that ensures pet owners have easy access to high-quality, humane, and ethical support for behavior.