The word "alpha bitch" means different things to different people. One thing we do know is these "alpha bitches" presenting at this conference get along!! At Puppyworks, we continually seek to provide you with educational events about innovative, creative and humane training techniques in practice today.

This educational venue is designed for dog trainers, behaviorists, shelter personnel, animal control officers, veterinary technicians and dog enthusiasts. Please review the topic descriptions carefully to see if this program meets your interests. It is not necessary to bring a dog to participate in this conference. In fact, many of our participants often comment about how their learning experience changes when they don't have to run outside at each break to potty and exercise their dog.

We invite you to join us for three days of how-to, applications-oriented kitty, doggie and people information!!

Cats are the most common companion animal in America, and yet they might be the most misunderstood. This session focuses on 1) the ethology of the "house cat," and how an understanding of the natural history of our cat's wild-type predecessors (the African Wild Cat) can help us relate to our "other best friends," and 2) the prevention and treatment of some common feline behavioral problems. Through a combination of lecture and hands-on work, we'll talk about why cats love to wake you up at 4am; how to 'talk cat" to make friends with an unfamiliar cat; why blended cat families are sometimes so....uh, dramatic; why cats play with their prey; how to treat inter- and intra-specific feline aggression; and most importantly: why cats always sit on the laps of people who hate them.

Note from Trish King...

TRAILIQUETTE
Many owners envision themselves walking with their friends along a road, chatting amicably as they pass bicycles, joggers and other dogs...their own dogs trotting obediently by their sides or exploring the side of the trail. We see these people all the time, just as we see people sitting inside coffee shops, their dog waiting patiently outside, calm and collected.

However, the reality may be that the dog checks in with everyone but you, she may or may not jump on people with dogs and/or their dogs, she may race towards other dogs coming towards you, she may chase bicycles, joggers, horseback riders, and people who hate dogs, she may disappear for minutes (or even hours) at a time, and she has completely forgotten all the obedience you so pain-stakingly taught her.

No worries, mate, she'll remember...with a little help, and some trailiquette. This workshop will focus on why dogs don't hang out with their owners, and how to help them do so - leashless!

Note from Patricia McConnell, PhD...

THROW AWAY YOUR LEASH!!
This is a hands-on working session where we'll practice visual and acoustic signals that will allow you to influence your dog's behavior without that pesky leash! As we all know, a great deal of "dog training" is really learning the art, science and sport of handling another species. This is a coaching session that will enchance your timing, the clarity of your visual signals and improve the use of your voice. The goal is humane handling and happy, obedient dogs! Dogs will be selected from the audience to participate in the working portions.

What one of us in the world of dogs hasn't had to deal with aggression between dogs? Whether at the dog park, in the neighborhood or in your own living room, trouble between dogs can make a dog lover's life difficult, and sometimes even dangerous. This full day seminar focuses exclusively on how to evaluate, manage and treat social problems between dogs. Through slide and video analysis and work with demonstration dogs, we'll start by deconstructing how to judge a dog's internal state by it's visual signals. We'll discuss "The Truth About Dominance" and how it relates (and how it doesn't) to dog-dog interactions. The day includes a clear, practical step-by-step program for treating dogs who bark and lunge at other dogs, and a description of a curriculum for a "Feisty Fido Class". We'll also demonstrate how to condition reactive dogs to tolerate surprise greetings by unfamiliar dogs. The seminar will also include clear guidelines on how to diagnosis trouble between your dogs at home, and what steps owners can take to prevent, manage and treat it. If you'd like to expand your knowledge about handling multi-dog interactions, both between unfamiliar dogs and your dogs at home, don't miss this stimulating day of discussion, video and slide presentations. It will include lots of hands-on demonstrations on stage and methods that Dr. McConnell and her colleagues have used successfully for hundreds of dogs. Submit a case study.

We're in the business of matching pets to pet owners, and it can be one of the most difficult jobs in our field! You know the dog, you know who should adopt her and you know who WANTS to adopt her! This presentation will concentrate on talking the wrong owner out of the right dog... and getting the match you want. We'll discuss personality types (dog and human), behavior (dog and human) and how to keep your sense of humor through it all.

Leash aggression is a common complaint from our clients. Because they're afraid the dog will actually attack another dog, most owners spend a lot of time trying to tell the dog what NOT to do when they should be teaching the dog what TO do. Along with the valuable training tools offered by Patricia McConnell is another, sometimes fast-acting technique that can jump start the process in some cases. We call it Abandonment Training. In this presentation, we'll discuss which dogs are the right candidates, and how to find them, how to prepare for the technique, how to do it and the follow ups. Submit a case study.

A dog leaves puppyhood and enters adolescence at about the age of 5 months, and doesnŐt leave it until 2 and a half or 3, depending on the individual dog. The most challenging age is usually between 8 and 18 months (which is when most dogs are surrendered to shelters). Some dogs pass through this phase with little trouble, but most drive their owners crazy! During this phase, it can be hard for owners to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Many small behavior problems can become large ones, and large ones can get much worse. Dogs learn to repeat behaviors that are successful - including bullying, fearful snapping, escaping, and mouthing, to name a few - until they become perfect. In this session, we'll use video to help recognize potential problem behaviors and problem dogs. We'll also discuss prevention, intervention and modification methods geared for this age group.