Improving your timing and mechanical training skills: Honing your clicker timing; practical exercises. Correct treat handling and delivery; practical exercises.

Maximizing your reinforcers: Choosing a variety of reinforcers- "Life Rewards"; Strengthening the value of weak reinforcers; the Premack Principle; Fading the use of food.

Cues: How and when to add a cue; How to change a cue.

Achieving fluency: Distractions; Duration; Distance.

Attaining stimulus control: Sit test; Testing ability to discriminate between cues; Varying interactions with a prop; Identifying and eliminating extraneous cues:

Solving common behavioral problems with positive techniques: Assessing/defining the problem; Changing the consequences; Extinction; Teaching and reinforcing alternative behaviors; Smart management techniques.

Topics to be covered may include: Jumping up; Charging through doors; Competitiveness at doors; Table and counter surfing; Pulling on leash; Reactivity on leash toward strangers or other dogs; Fearfulness.

THE SHAPE OF TRICKS TO COME The benefits of shaping; Tips for improving your shaping skills; Setting and raising criteria; Ways to encourage dogs to offer behaviors; Various tricks will be taught, including: Be a vulture; Head rest; Backup.

CAPTURING TRICKS ON THE FLY Tips for learning to observe dogs and catch natural occurrences of behaviors you like: Demos / tricks will be dependent on individual dogs.

THE LURE OF TRICKS The pros and cons of luring; Fading the presence of the food; Various tricks will be taught, including: Bow; Spin (or Figure 8); Wave (or Cross paws).

ON TARGET TRICKS Nose touch; Building duration on touch; Building touch intensity to push; Crawl; Go hide (peek through your legs); Paw touch; Who's the best?; Which hand has the treat?; Distance targeting.

MORE TRICKS UP OUR SLEEVE Creative use of props or gentle physical prompts to elicit behaviors, such as: Shame (hide your nose); Front paw lift or rear leg lift; Paw curl; Head cock.

Virginia Broitman has been involved in dog training since 1981. Her business has provided counseling for behavioral problems, group classes, private lessons, and occasional Assistance Dog training. Locally, Virginia volunteers with animal rescue groups, evaluating dogs and providing training support to foster dogs and adoptive families. Her own dogs have been involved in therapy work, agility, herding and TV/commercial work.

Sherri Lippman owns and operates Citizen Canine, Inc., which provides instruction and behavior counseling based on positive reinforcement techniques. She practices in the Central Virginia area, and offers group classes in Charlottesville. She is also part of a local Search & Rescue group, participates in Therapy Dog visits, and spends time volunteering at animal shelters, helping to solve canine behavior problems and training older shelter dogs to make them more adoptable.

Virginia and Sherri have produced the Bow Wow Series of three dog training DVD's, all based on clicker training. The latest DVD, "The How of Bow Wow," won the Maxwell Award for Best New Video in 2004, awarded by the Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA). They present clicker training workshops throughout the country and are faculty members of Karen Pryor's ClickerExpos.

DOG STUFF
ONLY DOGS COMING AS PART OF A DOG HANDLER TEAM MAY ATTEND. AUDITORS ARE REQUESTED TO PLEASE LEAVE YOUR DOG AT HOME.

PEOPLE ETIQUETTE
During the seminar please turn off all cell phone and pager audio alerts. Please take all private conversations away from the area the speaker is presenting.

VIDEOTAPING
Please, no videotaping or audiotaping is permitted.

BABIES
The presence of a baby is likely to be distracting to other participants, so we ask that you refrain from bringing any babies or very young children into the lecture hall.

BOOKS & TOYS, ETC. FOR SALE
A selection of Virginia's and Sherri's DVD's will be available for purchase.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE
Thursday, July 13, 2006.

REFUND POLICY
Full refund issued if requested by email or phone no later than Tuesday July 11, 2006. Refunds requested after Tuesday, July 11th will be issued a 50% credit slip (less food purchases) that may be applied to future Puppyworks educational events. No refunds or credits after 5:00 PM, Thursday, July 13, 2006.

BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR
Metal or plastic chairs are available for seating. If you prefer more comfortable seating, we encourage you to bring your own chair. Please no oversized or high back chairs.

PARKING
There should be ample parking at the seminar location.

FROM THE WEST OR EAST Take I95 toward New Haven (I95 East from NYC - 75 miles-); and I95 West from Rhode Island and points east;
At New Haven follow the signs to Hartford. Take I91 North toward Hartford; Merge onto CT-40 via Exit 10 toward Hamden/Cheshire (3 miles) Take the CT-10 North exit (.1 miles) Turn slight right onto CT 10 North / Whitney Ave (1 mile) Turn left onto Sherman Ave. (under 1 mile) Turn right onto Corporate Drive Rd. ( .1 mile).

FROM THE NORTHEAST BOSTON AREA (130 - 135 miles) I90 (Mass. Pike) West to I84 West at Exit 9. I84 West to Exit 57 for I91 South dir. New Haven (42 miles) South on I91 30 miles to Exit 10 (toward Hamden / Mt. Carmel) Take the CT-10 N exit and follow directions above for local streets.

FROM THE NORTHWEST MID-HUDSON VALLEY: Take I 84 east toward Hartford and follow signs for I91 to New Haven. Take I 91 south and follow directions above for steps after that.

ALBANY AREA: Take I90 East 78 miles to I91 south at Exit 4, toward Springfield and stay on I 91 South toward Hartford (65 miles) and follow directions above for continuation from Hartford toward New Haven (about 30 miles-- exiting just before New haven at Exit 10).

In the range of $61-$65 a night: 1. HAMDEN--DAYS INN 340 Whitney Ave. Hamden CT (203) 288-2505 o miles; gym, restaurant; 2. ECONO LODGE 100 Pond Ave., New Haven (203) 387-6651 6 miles, pool, gym, pets ok In the range of $99 - $119 per night: 1. DAYS INN - NEW HAVEN 270 Foxon blvd, New Haven (203) 469 0343 10 miles, pool, hi-speed internet, pool, restaurant, gym, pets ok 2. FAIR FIELD INN BY MARIOTT 400 Sargent Dr. New Haven (203) 562-1111 8 miles, hi-speed internet, gym & pool. 3. HOLIDAY INN NORTH HAVEN 201 Washington St., North Haven (203) 239-6700 3 miles, restaurant & gym.

For registration inquiries, contact:
email: events@puppyworks.com