Bio

MARC E. AGRONIN, M.D. Marc E. Agronin, MD is a board-certified adult and geriatric psychiatrist who has served since 1999 as the Medical Director for Mental Health and Clinical Research at the Miami Jewish Health Systems (MJHS), Florida’s largest long-term care institution. He is also an Affiliate Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is a graduate of Harvard University with a degree in psychology and philosophy summa cum laude, and received his medical degree from the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Agronin trained in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (McLean Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital) and later completed a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN. Dr. Agronin is a nationally recognized expert in psychiatric illnesses in the elderly, and in 2008 was named the “Clinician of the Year” by the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, awarded annually to one of its members who has demonstrated a “profound commitment to the field of clinical geriatric psychiatry by providing, promoting and assuring access to quality mental health care for older adults.” In 2011, Dr. Agronin was elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association – the highest honor conferred to its members. In addition to his new book entitled How We Age: A Doctor’s Journey into the Heart of Growing Old, he has published articles in the New York Times and Scientific American Mind.  He has also authored several books including  Therapy with Older Clients: Key Strategies for Success (2010), Alzheimer Disease and Other Dementias: A Practical Guide, 2^nd Edition (2008), and is the co-editor of the textbook Principles and Practice of Geriatric Psychiatry (2006). He has published chapters on psychiatric illness in most major psychiatry textbooks, including a chapter on sexuality co-authored with the noted TV and radio personality Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Foreword to Real Dogs, Real Problems, Real Solutions

People are generally logical. We can think things through and let reason guide our daily lives. We have memories so we can know what we did before and how to make changes in the future. As a psychiatrist, I know this well. It is my job to help people understand and reason through their problems in order to make changes.

    When I first got a dog for the family, I naturally assumed that she would be rational—almost like a person. She would automatically understand in a crude way what we were trying to communicate. “Good dog!” would make her do something again, and “Bad dog!” would naturally accomplish the opposite. I also assumed that our dog was somewhat robotic in her behaviors and would have a built-in sense not to pee on the carpet or whine when everyone was trying to sleep at night. Buy dog, put out food, and the rest would unfold easily. Before too long, however, these misguided assumptions resulted in significant problems with our dog, and we didn’t know where to turn. In stepped Carlos Puentes!

What Carlos helped us to understand was how our misconceptions were actually worsening our dog’s behavior. Although dogs do have memories like us, obviously they do not think like humans. Yelling at a dog twenty minutes after she has an accident will not communicate what we intend. Correction has to be done in real time and in ways that a dog can understand. Getting angry at the dog breeds fear and avoidance, not obedience. And working on one specific behavior, such as housetraining, cannot be done outside of the wider context of understanding and working with the dog with all behaviors.

     Carlos showed us how to reorient our behavioral approaches and daily schedule; soon we were beginning to see a new dog. We were able to enjoy having the dog rather than struggling with her. What Carlos showed us was not complicated or time-consuming.

      When I expressed my gratitude to Carlos for his help, I told him how much I wished every dog owner could benefit from his straightforward guidance. And now you can! Real Dogs, Real Problems, Real Solutions is “Carlos-in-a-book!” It is an extremely practical guide to understanding any dog and learning how to resolve common problems. It allows you to break down seemingly complex and overwhelming problems into basic components and then employ corrective strategies. And you have the expertise of Carlos Puentes, the premier dog trainer in Florida. If you are experiencing difficulties with your dog like we did, buy this book! It will allow you to once again enjoy the rewards of having man’s best friend in your house!

—Marc E. Agronin, MD.