Scotti Harvey is the founder of Why Runamuck, co-founder of Carden Country School, and kindergarten teacher. As a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy, Scotti is a certified training partner, graduate of the Puppy Start Right program, and certified Fear Free trainer.
After beginning with Bob Bailey's chicken camps, Scotti spent the last 15 years committed to ongoing education in the field of applied animal behavior and learning science. She has studied around the world with experts including Terry Ryan, Ken Ramirez, Susan Friedman, and Steve Martin. Scotti specializes on the impact of early learning on later life behavior across multiple species including children, sheep, chickens, and dogs. Through her puppy socialization studies, Scotti strives to mitigate behavioral issues through the careful implementation of early-life positive social experiences. With Scotti’s dedication to behavior and learning science, she co-founded Carden Country School, an elementary school that utilizes positive reinforcement in the classroom to provide young learners with a strong foundation of curiosity, critical thinking, and confidence. In addition, with Why Runamuck, she consults and collaborates with canine caregivers—breeders, fosters, shelter workers, and veterinarians—to identify, strategize, and implement deconstructed socialization opportunities during the sensitive socialization window.
As part of her ongoing education, Scotti has participated in a number of courses and workshops internationally including the University of Edinburgh’s Animal Welfare Course, Behavior Adjustment Training Instructor’s Course, NEI’s Contemporary Animal Training and Management, and Marie Fogelquist’s Polar Bear Training at Orsa Bjornpark. In 2014, Scotti was invited to participate in a collaborative training project between KPA and Guide Dogs for the Blind that aimed at identifying new and innovative ways to incorporate positive training protocols in their puppy raisers curriculum.
Scotti is currently writing and designing her first book on early socialization strategies and the deconstruction of puppy exposures, with the hope of publishing late 2020.