This track is designed for pet professionals, for those who would like to brush up on foundation skills and add more positive methods to their training, and for anyone preparing to take the CPDT Exam or those new to the field.
This track provides continuing education to pet professionals with practical experience in the industry. In-depth discussions, demonstrations, and application is provided. Knowledge of basic concepts by the attendees is assumed.
This track provides advanced theoretical and empirically grounded education into the basis of training and understanding the context of animal behavior research.
Wednesday, October 21
9:00am - 9:30am
Opening Session
9:30am - 11:00am
Keynote: The Evolution of the Cognitive Dog
More on this session in the near future.
11:00am - 11:30am
APDT 2009 Awards Ceremony
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Coping with Life
Turid Rugaas
More on this session in the near future.
2:45pm - 4:15pm
"A Conversation" with Bob Bailey and Jean Donaldson
Ever wish you could sit in and listen to a thought-provoking discussion between two of our most esteemed figures in the dog training world? Come be a “fly on the wall” when Bob Bailey and Jean Donaldson get together to share some of their video clips and their thoughts on the latest in training, research, and where they see our profession going. You won’t want to miss this conversation between these two respected “giants” in the dog training profession.
4:15pm - 5:00pm
APDT General Membership Meeting
5:30pm - 6:00pm
Puppy Orientation
If this is the first time you have attended an APDT conference then you are a “Conference Puppy.” Join us for a short conference orientation; we will discuss all the conference publications, how to choose sessions, special conference activities, CEU’s and how to get help.
Thursday, October 22
Symposium on Fear & Anxiety
9:00am - 9:15am
Introduction to Symposium on Fear and Anxiety
A significant percentage of behavior issues that disrupt or interfere with relationships between people and their pets involve fear and/or anxiety behaviors. We will travel through these issues, from the root causes, the physiology and pharmacology, treatment modalities, designs for preventative strategies, and view a video ethogram illustrating their topography. People behavior components of these relationships are powerfully illustrated.
You will leave this symposium with new and useful resources in understanding and managing fear and anxiety behaviors.
9:15am - 10:15am
Anxiety and Fear: Physiology and Behavior
This talk will focus on the underlying physiology of the fear-anxiety spectrum and both internal and external factors involved in the acquisition of fear. Relevant information regarding the use of psychoactive medication will be presented that trainers should be aware of in order to give consistent and appropriate information to the client. In addition, the speaker will give her perspective on how trainers and veterinary behaviorists can work together to maximize success with dogs that exhibit fearful and anxious behaviors. Some non-pharmacological approaches to fear and anxiety will be addressed briefly.
10:15am - 11:00am
A Video Ethogram of Fear and Anxiety
Sue will present video footage of the many ways fear and anxiety present themselves in a dog. There is a lot more to fear than the classic "tucked tail, shivering, quivering" dog. We will look at archives of all the discrete, small behaviors that can imply a dog is fearful or anxious. We will also cover the differences between "fearfulness" and "submissiveness" as well as distinguish between dogs who are fearful of people and dogs who are fearful of noises and novel objects. Examples of confident dogs and feral dogs will also be shown for comparison.
11:15am - 12:15pm
What's That I Fear? Identifying Triggers and Resolving the Problem
Fear can both create and complicate behavior problems in dogs. Resolution of these problems requires that the consultant understand the basic tenets of desensitization, classical counter-conditioning and differential reinforcement techniques. We'll review the scientific terminology, compare operant and classical conditioning approaches, and list some practical tips.
1:30pm - 2:15pm
Working with Fearful Dogs in Private Lessons and Group Classes
How can you work with a dog in a client's home if the dog is too frightened to participate or even approach you? What can you do to make your group classes less stressful for shy, anxious, or fearful canine students? Through a combination of discussion and video footage you will get concrete, practical ideas for putting fearful dogs at ease in both private and group environments.
2:15pm - 3:00pm
Client Buy In
Clients go through several stages when they have a fearful or anxious dog. First, the client has to accept that her dog is not trying to be the "alpha." Next, she must understand that, although behavior modification can be successful, her dog is unique and may not be the dog she envisioned. Finally, she must buy into the type of modification recommended, and then actually follow through. In this segment, we'll discuss all the stages and how to get commitment on each one.
3:15pm - 4:00pm
Alternative Medicine for Fear and Anxiety:
Nutrition and Flowers and Herbs, Oh My!
The world of alternative medicine offers gentle, natural means to alleviate fear and anxiety in pets. For example, nutrition and supplements play a role in brain development which obviously affects behavior. Herbs have active ingredients that can modulate brain chemistry. Bach flower remedies have been used for decades to assist with behavior problems. We will learn how the use of such therapies can help pets successfully respond to training procedures.
4:00pm - 4:45pm
Fear and Loathing & Separation Fun
Home-alone problems are often assumed to be fueled by separation anxiety and dominance is invariably cited as the culprit for most dog-human aggression and leash-reactivity to other dogs. In reality, most home-alone problems are owner-created by a misuse of punishment enabling dogs to learn times when they cannot be punished. In a sense, the treatment is the cause. Perhaps "Separation Fun" would be a more descriptive and accurate term. Most aggression towards people and other dogs appears to be fear-based, stemming from woefully inadequate socialization and classical conditioning as well as from frequent misuse of punishment. Again, the treatment appears to be the primary cause, with a lack of routine puppy husbandry coming a close second.
4:45pm - 5:15pm
Speakers Panel - Q & A
Friday, October 23
Friday Morning
Field Study and Hands-On Workshop
8:30am - 12:00pm
Click-a-Chick
 Pre-Registration Required
Transportation Provided
Cost: Handlers - $75.00 (limit 30) Observers - $40.00 (limit 8)
Register on-line or by registration form. |
So you think you're a great dog trainer? You have good faith in your abilities to work with any dog presented to you. But, what would you do if you had to train an animal presented a "bit different" from a dog? Say, an animal with a beak, feathers and the ability to fly away from you? It’s time for you to think "outside the dog!"
Come and wrangle a chicken to learn to become a better dog trainer. Bob Bailey says that, “Training is an art, a science and a mechanical skill.” Here is your opportunity to “Click a Chick” and learn the basics of good training for any animal: timing, criteria and the rate of reinforcement.
Terry Ryan will give you the chance to trade dog fur for feathers during one of the five Click a Chick workshops we are offering. Space is limited so register early to reserve your spot!
9:00am - 12:00 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Pet Dog Training - The Absolute Basics 
Training dogs is hardly rocket science but the owner-variable can make pet dog training quite challenging to say the least. Often though, we tend to further complicate the process by spending too much time selling learning theory, methodology and permanent management tools and defending reward-based training techniques and much (MUCH) too little time helping guide owners as they train their dogs. Recent informal observations of a number of puppy classes revealed that owners spend more than 50% of class time sitting on chairs with their pups on leash.
Trainers often underestimate their own expertise and experience. What is often so easy and second nature for trainers can be so difficult and foreign for most owners. We must advocate techniques that are altogether expedient for our clients, many of whom are children: quick, easy and effective training techniques that produce reliable and precise performance.
This back-to-basics lecture will describe the most time-effective way to produce effective results via classical conditioning, progressive desensitization, prevention, management, auto-shaping, all-or-none reward training and off-leash, lure/reward training. Additionally, this talk will describe all of the basics about "dominance," rank-reduction programs, punishment and learning theory that owners need to know.
Beyond "Pop" Ethology 
The mark of a professional in any field is recognizing the more you know, the more you know you don't know. This session will allow attendees to experience how scientific knowledge about dog behavior is acquired and to formulate research questions and collect data. By participating in this process, attendees will leave with a richer appreciation for what it takes to acquire scientific knowledge, and for how much we don't know about dog behavior.
Through use of critical thinking skills, participants will be able to better distinguish between opinions and testable hypotheses, and recognize the many unfounded claims and explanations for dog behavior that are pervasive in popular media, and even to some extent in more professional literature.
By the use of videos and, if possible, with observations of live dogs, group exercises, discussion and lecture, attendees will learn first-hand the differences between watching and observing, and observation and interpretation.
Participants will have opportunities to engage in different types of data collection procedures used by ethologists as well as practice formulating testable research hypotheses about various aspects of dog behavior and dog-human interactions.
While hearing about scientific research is certainly valuable, learning about it through experiential exercises is even more so. If you are at a point in your career where you find yourself more often asking "why is this dog doing this?" rather than thinking you've seen it all, and you are ready to move past simplified explanations and dive into deeper scientific waters, this session is for you.
Through a Dog's Ear: The Effect of Human Soundscape on Animals… and their people!
Sensory integration - how we absorb and employ sensory data is well studied in humans. However, sensory integration is far less considered in animals. Recent research shows that within an auditory context, many components affecting the human nervous system also influence canines. Why wouldn't this be true with other sensory systems, as well?
This is an exploratory seminar where the results of an extensive literature review are presented. In addition to auditory, we will examine the visual, olfactory, taste, and kinesthetic domains. We will inquire into sensory confusion, orienting responses, intermittent sensory input and lack of patterns, sympathetic overdrive, and the action/reaction response.
Our goal is to inspire deeper consideration of the role of sensory overload and how an overwhelmed nervous system can lead to diminished immune function.
Basic Clicker Training 
"Clicker training" is an animal training method based on behavioral psychology. It uses a precise event marker, often the sound of a clicker, to pinpoint an animal's desirable behaviors. This acoustic (or sometimes visual) marker is followed immediately by a reward such as a food treat, a toy or access to a playmate. Clicker training minimizes the use of force, physical prompting and punishment. It encourages the active participation of the animal and it focuses on creating and building behaviors rather than suppressing and stopping them. After months of training, many clicker-trained animals reach a stage of accelerated learning in which teaching new behaviors and cues is significantly easier and faster for the trainer than it was during the initial training.
9:00am - 1:00pm
Team Training the Perfect Marriage of Dog and Exotic Animal Training
Pre-Registration Required
Transportation Provided
Cost: $50.00 (limit 50)
Register on-line or by registration form. |
Zoos have a long history of employing the “Team Training” concept for behavior modification of large animals in protected contact environments. Join us for a trainer’s behind-the-scenes tour and enjoy the opportunity to practice team training on site with our Children’s Zoo pigmy goats.
The laws of learning apply to everyone, whether they have scales, wings, feathers, fur, two legs or four. Whether it is training a giraffe that is 18 feet tall, an aggressive dog or a human student, the key to the process is finding a way to communicate effectively with your learner and reinforce them in a valued effective manner. Team training allows trainers to function together when working with a single animal or for a teacher to mark and reinforce their student while working with an animal effectively and efficiently. We will discuss the key technologies of the Think-Plan-Do model, training plan design, environmental control, micro-shaping and Functional Analysis as part of optimizing your training time and creating successful team training sessions.
Learn how the highly specialized training that happens behind the scenes at the zoo can improve all aspects of your dog training; see how reinforcement based dog training concepts work for zoo keepers, and how zoo training technologies can work for you.
1:30pm - 3:00pm
Concurrent Sessions
Puppy Training in Classes
The divergence of pet dog training from competition training has caused many changes. By and large, training techniques have become much more user-friendly and dog-friendly (with oodles of classical conditioning, food and toy lures and rewards, and lots of fun and games), but criteria, speed of acquisition, precision and ultimate response-reliability have all taken a nose-dive. And when training doesn't work well, dog owners either blame the dog or seek help elsewhere.
This talk describes a study to analyze the effectiveness of puppy classes. Owners were tested first thing on Week 1 and were given the same test as a Midterm on Week 6. The test comprised: body position changes (sit, down and stand) cued by hand signals only and by verbal instructions only: sit, down and stand stays, off, and handling. The purpose of the study was to establish a benchmark for dogs, owners and trainers to succeed in subsequent classes.
TBA
More on this session in the near future.
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
Running puppy classes is both a joy and a challenge. It's the ultimate variable schedule of reinforcement and will soon have you addicted, and frustrated! This presentation is designed as a sanity saver - featuring everything I wish I'd known when I first started running puppy classes fifteen years ago.
Scentsational
Ever seen a dog that seems to just live for the next "nose hit?" Such a scent-obsessed dog could care less about what his human is doing, wants, or where she's going. That's because, with more of their brains devoted to smell than to sight, dogs are hard-wired to be more olfactory creatures than visual ones.
This class will show you exactly why scent propels dog behavior, and how to turn that drive to your advantage rather than fight it. You'll learn some fun scent games, and how make a lucrative career out of your dog's obsession for all things stinky. On the flip side, we'll show you how some common scent training methods and games can actually interfere with efforts to train a reliable scent work dog, and what you can do about it.
You'll learn why 19 out of 20 who take the American Kennel Club's Variable Surface Tracking (VST) test fail. Then you'll see how you can easily beat those odds with a system so simple and well-structured that you and your dog will take to it easier than you ever imagined.
This jam-packed session will show you how to enhance your relationship with your dog as you both have fun exploring the "scentsational" world around you.
1:30pm - 5:00pm
APDT Rally Sanctioned Judge's Seminar
This seminar is open to everyone! APDT Rally scoring guidelines, course design, general rules and guidelines will be covered in-depth. "How would you score this?" will use video clips for what will surely be a lively discussion on how to score errors as they occur! There will be ample time for Q&A. This seminar fulfills the continuing education requirement for trial officials. Exhibitors and the general public are invited to attend.
| Registrations for APDT Rally Sanctioned Judge's Seminar must be sent directly to the APDT Rally office. Register here. Please note: registering for the judge’s seminar will not be considered registering for any additional conference activities – additional conference activities require registration through the conference registration office. |
3:30pm - 5:00pm
Concurrent Sessions
Puppy Training in the Home
When puppies are in class, you're right there to help keep them on track for adult success. But what happens when they go home? This session will cover helpful puppy raising techniques to send home with your clients. We'll also explore ways to help your clients understand and maintain your training in the home.
Nuts and Bolts of Research
More on this session in the near future.
Training a Thinking Dog: The Advantages of Marker Training
A “thinking dog” is a joy to live with. It is a dog that considers and chooses good behavior, because that behavior is both right for the dog and right for the owner, too. Training a thinking dog is not as hard as it may seem. It is easily achieved when owners understand principle-based training rather than following and exercise- and mechanics-based method. This presentation explores and explains the differences . . . because a dog’s mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Most dog trainers teach by “how to’s:” This is how to train a dog to lie down using lure-reward. This is how you do it using physical placement, and the like. Whether a method is called “command-based,” “dog-friendly,” “positive,” “traditional,” “correction-based,” or by some well-known trainer’s name, all operant training methods fit within one or more of three general categories: Lure-reward, compulsion-praise, and marker training.
Typically, a training method focuses on the mechanics (physical procedures for the trainer to follow) and the exercises (specific behaviors such as sit, lie down, and heel, for example). Applying the mechanics to the exercises provides the instructions for that method—the recipe for training.
The specific exercises you train depend on your goals: to enjoy a well-mannered family pet, to train an agility wiz, have an obedience trial champion, a hunting buddy, search and rescue partner or to participate in any of the many dog sports, activities and occupations available to our canine partners and to us.
But achieving a trained dog goes beyond mechanics or exercises. To have a “thinking dog” trainers need more than recipes, more than mechanics-driven exercises. The dog/human relationship is best served when people understand and implement principles. Understand the concepts and principles, and you’re good-to-go, to fully enjoy your dog. Not just to teach exercises, but to understand and influence how your dog learns anything. Limited not just to “training” but how every-day interactions can result in having the dog of our dreams.
This presentation objectively defines, explains, explores and compares the three approaches, the pros and cons, difficulties, advantages, disadvantages and importantly, the overall effect of each method on both the dog and trainer. Focusing on concepts, using a principle-based training approach provides the ultimate in mutual understanding. The result is a full, rewarding relationship — a thoughtful trainer and a thinking dog.
Tellington TTouch in the Canine Classroom: Applications for a Calmer, Gentler Training Environment
Dogs face many challenges in the classroom from visual stimulation to leash frustration that create arousal and anxiety. Integration elements of Tellington TTouch into dog training classes can be a valuable tool for helping dogs to calm, focus, and excel at learning. Through a PowerPoint presentation and videos, we will examine how bodywork, balance leash exercises, and obstacles are used during a seven week basic obedience class. Specific bodywork exercises can be taught to handlers the first night of class. By working pressure points in and around the ears, face/mouth, and hindquarters, handlers can learn to pinpoint areas of tension in their dogs and release it through touch. A vital aspect of decreasing arousal is reducing pressure on the dog's neck. The balance leash, and its many variations, allows handlers to remove pressure and tension being applied to the neck. This can also have a dramatic effect on different pieces of training equipment such as head and front-clip harnesses and why each might be useful in example situations. Using obstacles during class can bring dogs into a more focused state. Emphasis is placed on slow, non-habitual movement that requires the dog to concentrate. Finally, we will bring all the aspects together to show how they impacted each dog's experience in video segments from our first night of class vs. graduation.
Friday Afternoon
Hands-On Workshop
1:15pm - 5:00pm
Click-a-Chick
Pre-Registration Required
Transportation Provided
Cost: Handlers - $75.00 (limit 30) Observers - $40.00 (limit 8)
Register on-line or by registration form. |
So you think you're a great dog trainer? You have good faith in your abilities to work with any dog presented to you. But, what would you do if you had to train an animal presented a "bit different" from a dog? Say, an animal with a beak, feathers and the ability to fly away from you? It’s time for you to think "outside the dog!"
Come and wrangle a chicken to learn to become a better dog trainer. Bob Bailey says that, “Training is an art, a science and a mechanical skill.” Here is your opportunity to “Click a Chick” and learn the basics of good training for any animal: timing, criteria and the rate of reinforcement.
Terry Ryan will give you the chance to trade dog fur for feathers during one of the five Click a Chick workshops we are offering. Space is limited so register early to reserve your spot!
Saturday, October 24
Saturday Morning
Field Study and Hands-On Workshop
8:30am - 12:00pm
Click-a-Chick
Pre-Registration Required
Transportation Provided
Cost: Handlers - $75.00 (limit 30) Observers - $40.00 (limit 8)
Register on-line or by registration form. |
So you think you're a great dog trainer? You have good faith in your abilities to work with any dog presented to you. But, what would you do if you had to train an animal presented a "bit different" from a dog? Say, an animal with a beak, feathers and the ability to fly away from you? It’s time for you to think "outside the dog!"
Come and wrangle a chicken to learn to become a better dog trainer. Bob Bailey says that, “Training is an art, a science and a mechanical skill.” Here is your opportunity to “Click a Chick” and learn the basics of good training for any animal: timing, criteria and the rate of reinforcement.
Terry Ryan will give you the chance to trade dog fur for feathers during one of the five Click a Chick workshops we are offering. Space is limited so register early to reserve your spot!
9:00am - 12:30pm
Train to Adopt
Pre-Registration Required
Transportation Provided
Cost: Handlers - $50.00 (limit 50)
Register on-line or by registration form. |
Here's the riddle: how do you train a dog in a shelter to behave well for a perfect stranger, one who you'll never meet, won't be able to tell him/her how to hold the leash or what cues to give?
Come to this hands-on workshop at the shelter and learn techniques from Sue's Train to Adopt™ program which shows how to quickly and effectively make shelter dogs perform for complete strangers who have no background in dog training (i.e. average adopters) using reward-based techniques.
9:00am - 12:00pm
Concurrent Sessions
Challenging Adolescents
Many of our clients acquire their dogs when they're adolescents ... or they think they don't have to train them until they're older .... or they think they remember how to train them themselves! This session is about those dogs the untrained, overly-excitable, bullying, suspicious, fearful, or shy adolescent and how to help owners teach them to be compliant, happy companions. The session will concentrate on practical tips, from improving management, to developing a relationship to deciding which exercises might be most appropriate for those teenage dogs.
Evaluation of Constructional Aggression Treatment (CAT) for Use in Inter-Dog Aggression
Differential negative reinforcement of successive approximations to alternative behavior procedures is becoming more prevalent for changing aggressive behaviors in dogs. A new protocol called Constructional Aggression Treatment (CAT) was developed and is based on research by Kellie Snider and Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz.
CAT uses operant conditioning to shape a dog's behavior in order to produce a subsequent emotional change in the dog. It is suggested that trainers stick with the process until the subject dog quits offering distance increasing behaviors and starts offering distance decreasing behaviors, referred to as the "switch-over."
There is controversy surrounding CAT. The process is time intensive, staff intensive and costly to clients. Also concerning are the stress levels of both the subject and stimulus dogs. If the subject dog becomes reactive, it must settle prior to the stimulus dog increasing distance. Some trainers become uncomfortable with the dog's level of stress and do not complete the process. Long periods of time exposed to a dog displaying distance increasing behaviors can wear on even the most stable, "decoy" dogs.
We will present case studies of dogs that were treated using the CAT protocol as well as analysis of long term behavior changes. We will have video documentation as well as other data from our studies. Based on our observations, we will discuss ways to modify and refine the process with the goal of minimizing stress to the dog in treatment and the decoy dogs.
Five Easy Pieces--A Problem-Solving Model for the Real World
Training or behavior problems got you ... or your clients ... down? Have all the neat scientific theories fallen short when it comes to making life better for you and your dog? Well, that's because the real world is not a lab, and you can't control all the variables. Problem-solving skills are crucial if we and our dogs are to enjoy life together.
Using the DIP-IT Model for problem-solving, we'll explore the five steps to solving any problem, three ways most problem-solving efforts fail, two ways to lock in the good results you've just achieved, and the one tough decision every trainer must face before starting any problem-solving protocol. This session will also specifically address what many people perceive as problems with clicker training.
We will also us live demonstrations of a simple and effective model that works as well for enhancing skills as it does for solving training and behavior problems or adding new skills. You'll see how to pass these skills on to clients so they master problem-solving. Come see how fun it is to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones as you, your clients, and dogs everywhere meet challenges with new found confidence and aplomb.
Top 5 Integrative Medicine Pearls of Wisdom for Healthy Dogs
There are things that every pet guardian should know to help their dogs live long, healthy lives. Top on the list is proper nutrition. We will look closely at what constitutes a healthy diet; does your food measure up? What about vaccines? What is really needed and at what point do they do more harm than good? You will discover the answers to these questions and more as we delve into the research that shows what makes dogs tick and what makes them sick.
1:30pm - 3:00pm
Concurrent Sessions
Training the Behaviors Students Want Most: Calmness, Relaxation and Self Control
Most training classes rightly teach positive behaviors to replace undesirable ones, such as training sit, lie down, stay and come when called on cue. But sitting or even lying down on cue doesn’t address what the owners want: achieving calm, relaxed, polite behavior.
Ask dog owners what they want, and they usually tell you what they don’t want:
- I don’t want my dog jumping on visitors; or behaving embarrassingly with guests.
- I don’t want my dog yanking my arm out of the socket on walks.
- I want my dog to stop being a pest.
- I want my dog to stop barking when I tell him to.
- And other similar “don'ts.”
Often, because of their dogs’ unruly behavior, the relationship between beginner students and their dogs is less than ideal. This class strengthens the connection between human and dog, calming both, and creating a strengthened, bonded relationship.
Starting with teaching students how to pet their dogs for calm behavior, teaching the difference between calm stroking and massage versus energetic scratching and enthusiastic patting is often the first step to achieving a visible difference in the dog’s relaxation—becoming calmer in minutes.
With video of weekly progressions through a beginner class, this program demonstrates training calm behavior and “relaxation” while improving the owner/dog bond. Just as important, this class teaches students an awareness of their dogs needs within various environments, to allow their dogs to be dogs, yet still behave politely, exhibiting self-control.
The Nuts and Bolts of Handling Aggression Cases
There is more to working with aggression cases than mastering methods and techniques. Whether you are just beginning to handle aggression cases or have years of experience, this information-packed seminar will provide invaluable tips. We’ll discuss the use of advance questionnaires to screen for aggression, and how to discuss the dog’s issues with the owner. You’ll learn how to maintain physical safety when entering the home and throughout the session, as well as how to protect yourself legally. Then it’s on to a toolbox full of immediately useful nuts and bolts information, including what to do if you have a reactive dog in group class, how to react if you are bitten, and how to discuss re-homing or euthanasia with clients.
Sex, Lies, Videotapes
Science has come full circle, and human psychology is lending us approaches that can be effectively applied to canine behavior and rehab training. An understanding of emotional intelligence, positive psychology and the principles of learning styles are exciting, innovative ways to approach problems with both dogs and people in mind.
A fundamental change to the way that behavior therapy is approached is occurring. This has been in response to the quasi-diagnostic labeling of behavioral problems that has been globally accepted in the last few years. Behavioral problems are very often only problematic for us, as humans. Dogs bark, growl, bite, relieve themselves and chew things. Indeed, they may perform all kinds of behaviors which we find inappropriate, but this does not make them clinically “abnormal.” An alternative approach attempts to steer clear of any form of “diagnosi”’ but instead focuses on looking at the drives and needs of the individual in a far more specific and sensitive way.
This presentation will explore how understanding a dog’s emotional state, mood and learning style affects its behavior and just how we can alter these factors to achieve better communication and, ultimately, contentment. Extensive use of video footage will explore some now controversial areas of canine behavior and will question whether previous interpretations of motivation and body language are really as sound as they initially appeared to be. You’ll never use the ”d” word again! Education into the basis of training and understanding the context of animal behavior research.
1:30pm - 5:00pm
Ready, Set, Rally
Learn how to develop/improve a Rally program, market it, effectively teach it and motivate your students to success. Judging guidelines and exercises will also be presented, along with how to design courses, become a trial official, organize and host financially feasible APDT Rally trials and more.
This seminar will begin with proven techniques for developing a new Rally program and improving an existing program; creating and/or expanding a student base; identifying and utilizing marketing tools; and most importantly, creating lesson plans for all levels and special classes to prepare students for competition. Attendees will learn how to effectively coach students and problem solve so that each student has success. The exercises for all levels will be presented through slides and short video clips and judging guidelines will be discussed and reviewed. Criteria for earning titles will be presented and course design will be presented with the use of slides. Attendees will also learn how to become an APDT Rally trial official. The ability to host financially feasible Rally trials is critical to the overall success of any Rally program and organizational and budgetary tools will be presented to educate and motivate attendees. This seminar will leave everyone ready to Rally!
3:30pm - 5:00pm
Concurrent Sessions
Trainers' Untrained Dogs--The Cobblers' Kids with No Shoes
Have you ever asked yourself, "How did this happen?" as your dog jumped up on a guest at your front door? Of course not, but maybe you've seen another trainer's dog misbehave thusly. It seems that this is more of a problem than one might imagine.
How do you find the time, much less the energy, to train your own dog when you spend all day training everybody else's dogs, running a business (or two) and raising a family? All too often our dogs get put on the back burner as our energy gets directed toward clients and their dogs. Coming home after a hard day's training we are greeted by a family understandably clamoring for attention. Our dogs love us all the same as time for them gets whittled away by the demands of a trainer's life. I know. I've been there.
Come with me as I tell you of training dreams that I feared would be unfulfilled. See how the unfulfilled became the merely forestalled, and how dreams forestalled became reality. This session will walk you through a step-by-step approach to keeping up with your own training or how you can support a fellow trainer as s/he goes through the process. The best part is, in the end, you'll get not merely a dog that knows a lot of "stuff," but one that enjoys being with you as much as you enjoy having her around.
It Appears to be Behavioral but Could it be Medical?
To be successfully trained, a dog must be healthy. Dogs are expected to be free from communicable diseases before enrolling in a class, but what about overall health?
A dog should be examined by his veterinarian at the onset of a training program. If a dog does not learn at an appropriate pace, the veterinarian should be advised. A reexamination might be indicated before training strategies are adjusted.
What are some reasons for a failure to learn? Sensory deficits can be difficult to detect but will certainly impact training. Neurological problems, such as hydrocephalus, prevents the formation of normal associations.
Some dogs do not learn because they are unable to attend to cues in a particular context. Anxiety disorders, hyperactivity, or underlying pain could be responsible for this difficulty. Medical management may be indicated.
An underlying medical condition may be the primary reason that an individual dog exhibits signs of anxiety or other behavioral problems. Although a dog's behavior change can promote a client's call to a trainer, it is important to remember that primary medical problems can resemble common behavioral problems. The behavioral history can be used to determine whether a dog is a candidate for behavioral therapy or whether he should be referred to a veterinarian.
When in doubt, ask the veterinarian to take a look. Maintaining a respectful relationship with referring veterinarians and veterinary behaviorists will ultimately build you clientele. Working together as a team is a win-win approach.
This presentation will offer guidelines for identifying dogs that are in need of medical attention prior to or along with behavioral therapy. Case studies will be used to illustrate examples.
Is Good Help Hard to Find?
Your class assistants are ambassadors for your training program. A good assistant will leave a great impression with our students. A poor assistant could lose you business! Get tips on finding, developing and keeping quality assistants. Learn how to make the most of their talents so your classes get rave reviews.
This presentation will cover:
- How to recognize when you need help.
- Where to find quality assistants.
- How to screen and interview potential candidates.
- Different models: apprentices vs. assistants
- Compensation
- How to develop assistants’ potential.
- How to deal with potential problems.
Saturday Afternoon
Hands-On Workshop
1:15pm - 5:00pm
Click-a-Chick
Pre-Registration Required
Transportation Provided
Cost: Handlers - $75.00 (limit 30) Observers - $40.00 (limit 8)
Register on-line or by registration form. |
So you think you're a great dog trainer? You have good faith in your abilities to work with any dog presented to you. But, what would you do if you had to train an animal presented a "bit different" from a dog? Say, an animal with a beak, feathers and the ability to fly away from you? It’s time for you to think "outside the dog!"
Come and wrangle a chicken to learn to become a better dog trainer. Bob Bailey says that, “Training is an art, a science and a mechanical skill.” Here is your opportunity to “Click a Chick” and learn the basics of good training for any animal: timing, criteria and the rate of reinforcement.
Terry Ryan will give you the chance to trade dog fur for feathers during one of the five Click a Chick workshops we are offering. Space is limited so register early to reserve your spot!
Sunday, October 25
Sunday Morning
Hands-On Workshops
8:30am - 12:00pm
Click-a-Chick
Pre-Registration Required
Transportation Provided
Cost: Handlers - $75.00 (limit 30) Observers - $40.00 (limit 8)
Register on-line or by registration form. |
So you think you're a great dog trainer? You have good faith in your abilities to work with any dog presented to you. But, what would you do if you had to train an animal presented a "bit different" from a dog? Say, an animal with a beak, feathers and the ability to fly away from you? It’s time for you to think "outside the dog!"
Come and wrangle a chicken to learn to become a better dog trainer. Bob Bailey says that, “Training is an art, a science and a mechanical skill.” Here is your opportunity to “Click a Chick” and learn the basics of good training for any animal: timing, criteria and the rate of reinforcement.
Terry Ryan will give you the chance to trade dog fur for feathers during one of the five Click a Chick workshops we are offering. Space is limited so register early to reserve your spot!
9:00am - 10:30am
Concurrent Sessions
The Best Classes in Town: Yours!
Teaching group classes can be daunting--choosing what materials to teach, what order to arrange them in, and how best to present them; handling students and dogs with widely disparate skill and experience levels; keeping the attention of 10 dogs and even more people; teaching in such a way that the training impacts students' daily lives, not just their dogs' performance in the classroom; engendering student compliance; handling barking dogs and active children.
Most approaches to these problems don't go to the root-the curriculum itself. Good curriculum serves all students and dogs, leaving no need to choose whether to teach to the high end, the low end, or the middle. Strong curriculum solves classroom management issues. Effective curriculum means an end to hearing, "He only behaves in class!"
This presentation will explore what makes great curriculum. We'll discuss the notions of goal-based curriculum development, backwards planning, and constructivist theory, which provides a way of thinking about teaching humans complex concepts and skills.
To teach well you need a good curriculum. And a good curriculum is more than a list of behaviors to teach and games to play. This presentation will provide a comprehensive notion of what curriculum truly is, and guidelines for how to build it.
Get Smart
Over the last twenty years, many dog trainers have endeavored to increase their use of positive reinforcement while minimizing their use of painful or anxiety-provoking punishments. This evolution toward a more humane approach to modifying behavior has far-reaching impact on dogs and trainers alike. But when we opt to avoid using “sticks” to motivate our dogs, we must become SMART about the use of “carrots”–positive reinforcers. Trainers who understand the science and practical applications of behavioral reinforcement gain the ability to be more creative and less coercive.
The acronym SMART stands for “See, Mark and Reward Training;” it summarizes the fundamental sequence of behaviors a trainer performs when using reinforcement effectively. We’ll discuss each of these core skills–observation of the animal’s behaviors, pinpointing the desired behavior with a meaningful marker signal, and providing powerful rewards. We’ll emphasize the importance of learning to see what’s really happening, using visual “brain teasers” and also video clips of dogs. Investing time over the course of our careers in developing observation skills will improve the timing of our marker signals (e.g., clicks), an essential component of effective training.
Inspiring Dog Owners into Dog Sports Instead of Dog Parks
When pet owners enroll in a basic manners course, they often inquire how soon before graduation? They often want to know when will they be "done." When you start an introduction to agility class, the only question owners ask when it's over is, "When does the next level class start?"
For so many pet owners, particularly urban dwellers, the most fun and exercise their dogs get are at the Dog Park. When the dog has the most fun in his life playing with other dogs and not the owner, this can create control problems elsewhere in the relationship and take its behavioral toll over time. This workshop will introduce trainers to a variety of accessible dog sports that can be tried by just about anyone, and then used to tantalize pet owners into an ongoing partnership with their dogs. Many dog sports can be introduced to very basic level students, with little prior training or control, as long as control exercises are an integral and immediate part of the curriculum. When an owner provides for his dog access to shared FUN, a much healthier relationship is created.
As trainers, it is our responsibility to teach people not just to train their dogs, but to hopefully inspire them to enjoy the communication and partnership so much that they will continue well beyond our instruction.
10:45am - 12:00noon
Concurrent Sessions
Training Small Dogs
How would you view the world if you were less than a foot tall? What would it be like if you were tiny, but thought of yourself as a giant? This session will cover the special challenges of training small dogs. We'll also review ways to keep little dogs safe at home, in the community and in your classes.
Training Canine Companions for Lifelong Partnership with Autistic Children
Working with dogs and children can be a challenge for any trainer. Working with autistic children can present even more challenges, but provides a dog trainer with the unique opportunity to positively impact not only the lives of the families, but entire communities. This talk will chronicle my experiences as a trainer for the North Star Foundation, a non-profit organization that places assistance dogs with children experiencing different facets of autism. Having neither experience with autistic children nor training an assistance dog, I took a leap of faith to agree to assist a special family with five-year old triplets, two with autism. Upon meeting the family and the extraordinary puppy that was selected for them, I decided to help them in every way I could. Through PowerPoint and videos, we'll examine how we prepared, trained and integrated the puppy into their lives and how the puppy's behavior impacted each child's behavior. We'll detail how reward and relationship-based training set the stage for the puppy and family's success. Finally, we'll see how North Star dogs not only service their families, but become ambassadors in schools and in their communities.
Anticipation: Harnessing Its Power to Attain Exquisite Control & Reliability
Ever wished you could bottle up a dog's energy and save it for later? Wanted that zeal Fido has for chasing squirrels to invigorate trained behaviors? Learn a few simple techniques that increase impulse control and refinement in the lively dog while giving some zip to the pokey pup.
Understanding how anticipation works as a powerful reinforcer in training and play gives trainers the key to a remarkable tool every dog already brings to the table. This session explores the newest scientific research backing up what many trainers have always suspected--that there is a powerful motivator in the experience of anticipation. This can be a bonus when a dog is excited by expectations of desired events, but it also has its dark side, when a dog develops anxiety from expectations of undesired ones. Learn valuable management techniques to harness anticipation in training. See how to use the principle of Equal & Opposite to turn problems into performance.
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Closing Session
Calling All Dog Trainers and Pet Dog Professionals
No More Homeless Pets
Sherry Woodard, CPDT
Best Friends Animal Society’s mission is to create a time when there are No More Homeless Pets, and that often means working with behaviorally challenged dogs. As experienced dog trainers know, one of the most common issues that result in owner relinquishment are behavior issues. Professional dog trainers have the immense power to reduce the number of dogs entering the shelters and increase adoptions by educating the public about dog care and training. For 25 years we’ve been working with shelters, rescues, and trainers across the country to provide the tools and resources necessary to overcome behavioral issues, to increase shelter adoptions, and to help dogs find their forever homes. We want to share our experience through video shorts and stories of what we are learning and present opportunities for the professional dog training community to participate.
