Sara Matters, MA, ABCDT, ABA certificant
@trainingmatters.bsky.social
Dog/animal trainer, teacher of trainers, masters in animal behavior, certificant in applied behavior analysis. Owner/founder Training Matters LLC and Lemon's Hope Sanctuary in Brattleboro, Vermont. Specialty in behavioral enrichment.
Reposted by Sara Matters, MA, ABCDT, ABA certificant
"The irreversible gravity of killing, coupled with the lack of a substantive legal justification, is bringing into sharper view a structural weakness of law as a check on the American presidency."
{ gift link } www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/u...
{ gift link } www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/u...
The Peril of a White House That Flaunts Its Indifference to the Law
www.nytimes.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:59 PM
"The irreversible gravity of killing, coupled with the lack of a substantive legal justification, is bringing into sharper view a structural weakness of law as a check on the American presidency."
{ gift link } www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/u...
{ gift link } www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/u...
A Pile of Rubble: After 123 Years, the East Wing Is Gone
www.nytimes.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Reposted by Sara Matters, MA, ABCDT, ABA certificant
"At every step along the way, I rationalized, compartmentalized, and found excuses to stay tethered to the party, even as I grew to believe it was undermining the foundations of our constitutional republic." Enough is enough: www.thebulwark.com/p/my-last-da...
October 20, 2025 at 4:00 PM
"At every step along the way, I rationalized, compartmentalized, and found excuses to stay tethered to the party, even as I grew to believe it was undermining the foundations of our constitutional republic." Enough is enough: www.thebulwark.com/p/my-last-da...
Reposted by Sara Matters, MA, ABCDT, ABA certificant
The link to donate: www.gofundme.com/f/help-dr-mu...
October 19, 2025 at 6:13 PM
The link to donate: www.gofundme.com/f/help-dr-mu...
Reposted by Sara Matters, MA, ABCDT, ABA certificant
A few photos from Day 2 of the Animal Training retreat in VT by @trainingmatters.bsky.social
Blown away by the incredibly smart and inspiring presentations. Loved the animals, the fun company, the beautiful setting, and yes, we returned for more Maple Creemees. 😋🍦
Blown away by the incredibly smart and inspiring presentations. Loved the animals, the fun company, the beautiful setting, and yes, we returned for more Maple Creemees. 😋🍦
September 22, 2025 at 5:06 PM
A few photos from Day 2 of the Animal Training retreat in VT by @trainingmatters.bsky.social
Blown away by the incredibly smart and inspiring presentations. Loved the animals, the fun company, the beautiful setting, and yes, we returned for more Maple Creemees. 😋🍦
Blown away by the incredibly smart and inspiring presentations. Loved the animals, the fun company, the beautiful setting, and yes, we returned for more Maple Creemees. 😋🍦
Reposted by Sara Matters, MA, ABCDT, ABA certificant
Speaker Johnson, you ready to swear me in?
October 15, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Speaker Johnson, you ready to swear me in?
Another beautiful piece by Francesca Degli Espinosa. Behavior: the root of all learning.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
An upside down snow-globe and a hovering hat
How Lilly learned to offer movement, rather than wait to be moved
substack.com
August 10, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Another beautiful piece by Francesca Degli Espinosa. Behavior: the root of all learning.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Some of the best behavior analytic writing around. Behavior in itself is the root of all learning.
Francesca degli Espinosa darwintaughtme.substack.com?r=jf99l&utm_...
Francesca degli Espinosa darwintaughtme.substack.com?r=jf99l&utm_...
Francesca degli Espinosa | Substack
Behaviour analyst who spends far too much time thinking about stimulus control. Writes about applied behaviour principles with conceptual detours. Also writes in Italian at DarwinInsegna — same princi...
darwintaughtme.substack.com
August 10, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Some of the best behavior analytic writing around. Behavior in itself is the root of all learning.
Francesca degli Espinosa darwintaughtme.substack.com?r=jf99l&utm_...
Francesca degli Espinosa darwintaughtme.substack.com?r=jf99l&utm_...
Join Kiki Yablon, Mary Hunter, MS, Dr. Keira Moore, Dr. Mindy Waite, Hannah McGee, Maia Nahele Owen, Debbie Jacobs, Eileen Anderson, and Laura Monaco Torelli for a weekend exploring practical applications of behavior analysis with animal learners. Attend remotely or in person.
Link below.
Link below.
June 12, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Join Kiki Yablon, Mary Hunter, MS, Dr. Keira Moore, Dr. Mindy Waite, Hannah McGee, Maia Nahele Owen, Debbie Jacobs, Eileen Anderson, and Laura Monaco Torelli for a weekend exploring practical applications of behavior analysis with animal learners. Attend remotely or in person.
Link below.
Link below.
Second annual mini conference on ABA-based animal training with Eileen Anderson, Kiki Yablon, Mary Hunter, Keira Moore, Laura Monaco Torelli, Mindy Waite, Debbie Jacobs, Hannah McGee and Maia Huff-Owen, writers, teachers and researchers in September in Vermont. www.eventbrite.com/e/animal-tra...
Animal Trainers' Retreat: Training With Love + Science
A weekend of collaboration, education and rejuvenation centering on animal training and teaching based in applied behavior analysis.
www.eventbrite.com
June 10, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Second annual mini conference on ABA-based animal training with Eileen Anderson, Kiki Yablon, Mary Hunter, Keira Moore, Laura Monaco Torelli, Mindy Waite, Debbie Jacobs, Hannah McGee and Maia Huff-Owen, writers, teachers and researchers in September in Vermont. www.eventbrite.com/e/animal-tra...
"There is so much beauty in what we can learn through science, in how complicated life is, and in trying to understand how it works."
The simple "answers" provided by fictional narratives and pseudoscience have paved the way for the anti-science times.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/o...
The simple "answers" provided by fictional narratives and pseudoscience have paved the way for the anti-science times.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/o...
Opinion | The Science I Would Be Doing if I Weren’t in ICE Detention
www.nytimes.com
May 13, 2025 at 12:13 PM
"There is so much beauty in what we can learn through science, in how complicated life is, and in trying to understand how it works."
The simple "answers" provided by fictional narratives and pseudoscience have paved the way for the anti-science times.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/o...
The simple "answers" provided by fictional narratives and pseudoscience have paved the way for the anti-science times.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/o...
The fun we have at our animal training workshops in beautiful southern Vermont! Truly an education vacation for humans and animals!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igf4...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igf4...
Lemon's Hope Edit
YouTube video by Elissa Orlando
www.youtube.com
April 4, 2025 at 10:22 PM
The fun we have at our animal training workshops in beautiful southern Vermont! Truly an education vacation for humans and animals!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igf4...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igf4...
Reposted by Sara Matters, MA, ABCDT, ABA certificant
"Working with a different species really tests your skills as a behavior analyst." Dr. Kiera Moore, BCBA-D, KPA-CTP, during a recent webinar, Paws for Thought: Becoming a better behavior analyst by training dogs. We offer behavior analysts the opportunity to work with individuals of varied species.
March 3, 2025 at 8:31 PM
"Working with a different species really tests your skills as a behavior analyst." Dr. Kiera Moore, BCBA-D, KPA-CTP, during a recent webinar, Paws for Thought: Becoming a better behavior analyst by training dogs. We offer behavior analysts the opportunity to work with individuals of varied species.
We'll be exploring trauma assumed training at our annual workshop with Debbie Jacobs, CPDT-KA, RBT in June. Hands-on practice with sanctuary animals and the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Laboratory. Teachers of all species welcome.
www.eventbrite.com/e/fear-loath...
www.eventbrite.com/e/fear-loath...
Fear & Loathing: Trauma Assumed Training
Join Debbie Jacobs, CPDT-KA, RBT for two days of evidence-based information and practice related to learning and behavior change.
www.eventbrite.com
February 27, 2025 at 6:58 PM
We'll be exploring trauma assumed training at our annual workshop with Debbie Jacobs, CPDT-KA, RBT in June. Hands-on practice with sanctuary animals and the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Laboratory. Teachers of all species welcome.
www.eventbrite.com/e/fear-loath...
www.eventbrite.com/e/fear-loath...
Pursuit of woo and pseudoscience over evidence—the mythologies we tell ourselves—are how we got to RFK Jr. Like what one scientist calls neurobollocks, the nonsense that has seeped into our culture as neuroscience became a focus rather than behavior, more pseudo than science with each step.
January 30, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Pursuit of woo and pseudoscience over evidence—the mythologies we tell ourselves—are how we got to RFK Jr. Like what one scientist calls neurobollocks, the nonsense that has seeped into our culture as neuroscience became a focus rather than behavior, more pseudo than science with each step.
Reposted by Sara Matters, MA, ABCDT, ABA certificant
January’s Los Angeles fires set ablaze over 35,000 acres. While fires of this magnitude devastate homes and entire neighborhoods, humans aren't their only victims. A range of animals are also significantly impacted by fires, but often lack proper support systems. @gracehussain.bsky.social explains:
How Wildfires Affect Animals, Explained
Look at the impact of fires in California, and beyond.
buff.ly
January 29, 2025 at 2:45 PM
January’s Los Angeles fires set ablaze over 35,000 acres. While fires of this magnitude devastate homes and entire neighborhoods, humans aren't their only victims. A range of animals are also significantly impacted by fires, but often lack proper support systems. @gracehussain.bsky.social explains:
We hold workshops at my facility and sanctuary in Brattleboro, Vermont, for dog trainers and animal caregivers of all stripes. This is the first one scheduled for 2025. Ceus are pending and early bird discounts are available now. www.eventbrite.com/e/dog-traine...
Dog Trainers’ Retreat on Aggression and Reactivity
A three-day event focusing on working with aggressive and reactive behavior in dogs .
www.eventbrite.com
January 28, 2025 at 8:07 PM
We hold workshops at my facility and sanctuary in Brattleboro, Vermont, for dog trainers and animal caregivers of all stripes. This is the first one scheduled for 2025. Ceus are pending and early bird discounts are available now. www.eventbrite.com/e/dog-traine...
Check out The New York Times' Serial podcast series The Good Whale. Analyze the training plan for release. Where did it fail? Yes, many have strong feelings about orcas in captivity. The experiment to release this one has been done and its lessons shouldn't go to waste.
January 17, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Check out The New York Times' Serial podcast series The Good Whale. Analyze the training plan for release. Where did it fail? Yes, many have strong feelings about orcas in captivity. The experiment to release this one has been done and its lessons shouldn't go to waste.
My beautiful Windsprite Stellaluna, who was taught better because of the work of animal training icon Karen Pryor, author of Don't Shoot the Dog and founder of Karen Pryor Academy, who passed recently. Training is teaching and teaching is about the individual in front of you. Skinner set the rules.
January 8, 2025 at 3:15 PM
My beautiful Windsprite Stellaluna, who was taught better because of the work of animal training icon Karen Pryor, author of Don't Shoot the Dog and founder of Karen Pryor Academy, who passed recently. Training is teaching and teaching is about the individual in front of you. Skinner set the rules.
We will hold our Dog Trainers' Retreat on Aggression and Reactivity with Emily Lewis, CDBC, and Casey Matthews, KPA-CT May 30, 31 and June 1. How to Train Animals With Challenging Behaviors with Debbie Jacobs, CPDT-KA, RBT will take place June 28 and 29.
Left to right: Emily, Casey and Debbie.
Left to right: Emily, Casey and Debbie.
December 18, 2024 at 10:57 PM
We will hold our Dog Trainers' Retreat on Aggression and Reactivity with Emily Lewis, CDBC, and Casey Matthews, KPA-CT May 30, 31 and June 1. How to Train Animals With Challenging Behaviors with Debbie Jacobs, CPDT-KA, RBT will take place June 28 and 29.
Left to right: Emily, Casey and Debbie.
Left to right: Emily, Casey and Debbie.
The sheep of Lemon's Hope Sanctuary left to right: Hope, Gina and Louis. Note how Louis looks like Mark Zuckerberg. He's much friendlier, though.
December 13, 2024 at 7:31 PM
The sheep of Lemon's Hope Sanctuary left to right: Hope, Gina and Louis. Note how Louis looks like Mark Zuckerberg. He's much friendlier, though.
New resident, Diablo. Rainy day makes for messy gray, but he's a serious cutie. He's getting to know long-time resident, Angel.
November 21, 2024 at 10:32 PM
New resident, Diablo. Rainy day makes for messy gray, but he's a serious cutie. He's getting to know long-time resident, Angel.
Inaugural sanctuary animal, Lemon the goat, scratching her head. Having been attacked by a dog, she is permanently disabled with a fused knee joint. She gets around well and has a prosthetic for occasional use.
November 18, 2024 at 9:23 PM
Inaugural sanctuary animal, Lemon the goat, scratching her head. Having been attacked by a dog, she is permanently disabled with a fused knee joint. She gets around well and has a prosthetic for occasional use.