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Here are some
of the exciting seminars that I attended:
Food! Its
Power, It’s Problems: Chris Bach
There are many wonderful benefits to using food as a training tool.
There are also problems that can seriously hinder its effectiveness.
The purpose of this presentation was to teach trainers how using
food THE THIRD WAY can reap its immense value to both the teaching
process and for mutually enriching every dog/human relationship.
Outdoor Adventure: Leaving Tracks all Over Town!: Lauren Fox
Clients often say, “My dog listens in class, but not in the real
world.” An Outdoor Adventure course proofs behaviors learned in
previous obedience classes, and tests them in real life situations.
This seminar outlines how to incorporate practical application into
your own curriculum; and details benefits, drawbacks, and important
considerations
What Happened to Off-Leash Reliability, Emergency Sits, Bombproof
Stays, and Snazzy Heeling?: Ian Dunbar
As pet dog training has become a separate field and moved away from
Obedience Competition, there has been a dramatic decrease in the
reliability and precision of performance. Quantification of
reliability and precision is virtually non-existent. Few classes
have regular weekly tests to assure that the pupils achieve a
desired standard. All too often, the standard is poor because the
training techniques are inefficient (too slow), too complicated, or
inappropriate for the owners (especially children). In some classes,
essential pet owner’s skills are omitted from the curriculum
entirely.
In addition to teaching what we think owners need to learn, pet dog
trainers must also teach owners what they want to learn. Desired
skills may include: an emergency off-leash sit, ultra reliable
short-term stays, lengthy settle-downs, a healthy respect for
boundaries (especially open doorways and curbside), to walk calmly
on/off-leash, and for some, to heel with precision and pizzazz.
Basically, pet dog owners want off-leash, gizmo-free reliability,
because the dog is usually off-leash around the house and garden and
the owner does not always have a training tool/gizmo immediately at
hand. Consequently, with the exception of when teaching leash work,
classes are best taught off-leash from beginning to end, with
training entirely integrated within the play session. Recommended
training techniques and exercises must be appropriate for, and
quickly and easily mastered by, pet owners, especially including
children. Moreover, the end goal should always be—reliable and
timely responses to a verbal cue, i.e., to phase out the need for
any training tool.
The Brave New World of Dog Training: Roger Abrantes
This seminar is the result of a thorough research project conducted
at the Etologisk Institute in Denmark under the supervision of the
Dr Abrantes. The discoveries made by the Abrantes' team tested all
old principles and theories, and uncovered new revolutionary
principles. These discoveries enable dog owners to train their dogs
more efficiently and effortlessly-actually, the dogs train them
selves! Roger Abrantes describes and illustrates all techniques, and
explains the basic concepts of learning theory, as well as the new
concepts his team introduced. To this purpose, Dr. Abrantes uses
multimedia presentations, and an artificially intelligent computer
program simulating the application of learning theory. This talk and
seminar deal with complex issues. However, and as usual, Dr Abrantes
presents the topics in plain English.
“Held Hostage” Desperate House Dogs!: Pia Silvani
Over the past few years, Ms Sillvani had an increase in calls from
clients who are perplexed and desperate for help. The problem? Their
loving, cuddly bundle of fur has decided that leaving the house is
no longer an option for his owners. Any attempt to walk out the door
results in the dog’s arousal and anxiety levels escalating to the
point of attack. Are these dogs suffering from separation anxiety,
demonstrating the true clinical signs, or are they suffering from
something else? Is the dog controlling the owner because he feels
the owner is a prized possession? Does the dog’s stress and panic
levels build to a point where he no longer has control over himself,
thus, biting the owner as a means of keeping his so-called friend in
sight and home? Why is he only exhibiting this behavior with the
owners and not strangers when they leave? Or, is he? Case histories
will be reviewed along with some very interesting video footage.
Using FUN and PLAY to Modify and Solve Behavior Problems:
Angelica Steinker
Using play as a means of modifying the dog’s emotional state leads
to better behavior. Play is a useful tool in counter conditioning
and systematic desensitization which can greatly enhance or speed up
the process of behavior modification.
Play is incompatible with aggression. Play can be used even if a dog
does not enjoy toys. Dogs that don’t like play can learn to have fun
by the trainer becoming a fun detective.
Learn to find and harness the power of play and take your training
and behavior modification to the next level.
Speak Softly and Carry a Big Click: Cueing Demystified: Kathy Sdao
Trainers want their dogs to respond to commands accurately and
enthusiastically. The dogs’ failures to do so are often attributed
to stubbornness, though are more likely the result of confusion
because the cues are unfamiliar, inconsistent or unclear.
Understanding the science of cueing helps improve the process of
choosing, adding and, maintaining cues.
Walkin’ the Walk: Leslie Nelson
Most everyone wants a dog that will walk politely at their side,
even in the midst of distraction. In fact, nationally, in class
after class polite walking is listed as one of the top 3 skills that
clients want their dogs to learn.
Polite walking is by far the most challenging skill to teach our
clients. It is challenging, not because it is particularly difficult
for dogs to understand, but because it is very difficult for our
human clients to be clear and consistent in every situation.
During this session, Leslie used video and live demos to share
everything she knows about teaching clients and their dogs to walk
together. She demonstrated how she breaks the behaviors down into
small steps that are fun and easy to train and how she troubleshoots
the common pitfalls. She covered polite walking for the family dog,
to attention heelwork, the basis of Competition obedience, Rally,
and Musical Freestyle. The session had lots of fun ideas that
can easily be put into any training program.
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