WEBINAR PROGRAM 

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• Fees: All 5 sessions for a total of $95.

• Each segment starts with a presentation of about 90 minutes, followed by a 15 minute “coffee break” and ends with a 45 minute Q/A session during which speakers will respond to questions posed by attendees of the live sessions.

• You will be able to access the recordings of each session for 1 year.

• CEU credits will be provided at the end of series. You have the option of providing your CCPDT number during the ticket purchase. IAABC Certificates will be emailed upon request after the final session in the series.

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 Session 1: Excitability with Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA  

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EXCITABLE DOGS: Rehabilitating the Canine Wild Child

 

It’s not uncommon for humans who are living with young dogs to bemoan the adolescent “wild child” phase of development – when the canine youngster naturally starts becoming a little more independent and, sometimes, a lot more active. Some even display excessive jumping and biting as young puppies. Of course, normal dog personalities lie on a continuum from very calm to quite energetic, and even an older dog who has lived in an environment with little to no structure can exhibit high-arousal behavior. 

 

If you’ve previously had the good fortune of only raising or working with dogs at the calmer, naturally well-behaved end of the continuum, you may think they are all supposed to be like that – and it can be particularly alarming to discover you or one of your clients have adopted one at the high-arousal end of the continuum. 

 

These dogs need significantly more physical exercise and mental stimulation to meet their genetically programmed exercise needs, as well as a ramped-up training and management plan to teach appropriate behaviors and prevent them from being reinforced for their unwanted behaviors.

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• High-Energy Behavior – What is it? Normal for some dogs, but not easy to live with, and fortunately modifiable – how is it different from true “hyperactivity”?

• Outdoor Physical Exercise – A walk on leash doesn’t even begin to cut it – think off-leash running and play with humans or (if appropriate) other dogs; there are endless fun outdoor activities that can tire your dog

• Indoor Physical Exercise – There are also a multitude of exciting indoor games to explore that can provide physical exercise for your dog that make use of household items such as laundry baskets and broomsticks

• Mental Exercise – More tiring than you can imagine, and fascinating for the human as well: choice, imitation, reading, object-shape-color discrimination…

• Training and Management – Every good behavior modification program includes management and training, tailored specifically to the behavior(s) and the individual dog – reinforcing alternative and incompatible behaviors while removing reinforcement for the inappropriate ones.

• Among the training exercises we’ll explore: Click When Your Dog is Calm, “Sit” as a Default Behavior, Wait, Wait for Food & Wait at the Door.

 

Among the games: Find It; Hide & Seek & Manners Minder.

 

Plus More on the Wait & Stay Cues.

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 Session 2: Separation Anxiety with Malena DeMartini 

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SEPARATION ANXIETY: Mission Impossible?

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This webinar will reveal the not commonly believed fact that indeed resolution of Separation Anxiety is truly possible.

 

It is estimated that at least 17-20% of the dogs in the United States suffer from separation related behaviors, and we are seeing newer figures that indicate this number is likely an underestimation. Separation Anxiety is not easy to resolve but it is simple in many ways and help is at hand for trainers and guardians.

 

We will review multiple aspects about separation anxiety including the why, the what, and the how to proceed. In addition, the considerable research about separation anxiety over the past 4 decades will be incorporated as it is extremely helpful in working with this very nuanced behavior issue.  

 

A structured approach to creating separation anxiety plans has turned a once considered impossible training task into a doable one with successful resolution of even the most severe appearing separation anxiety cases being attainable.

 

A few of the key elements of this training discussion will include the following and more:

• Myths about Separation Anxiety

• Systematic Desensitization and What That Really Means

• Absence Management Creativity and Solutions

• The Possibility of Prevention?

• Feeding Toys not Necessarily a Fixit

• Confinement and its Impact on SA

• “Spoiling" a Dog with SA Might Surprise You

• Obedience Training is not the Panacea

 

 Session 3: Reactivity with Trish King, CPDT-KA  

 

REACTIVITY: Tools to Cope

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Reactivity often presents as aggression when it is not.  Rather, it is generally a situation in which a fearful dog tries to control her environment by reacting to it in a defensive manner - trying to make the situation more stable, or moving away from the perceived threat when she cannot control it.   

 

As we know, dogs have two broad choices when presented with something that frightens them - to flee or to fight.  In many cases, helping the dog begin to trust her environment is a first stage of rehabilitation, followed by the use of training and modification tools to cope with situations that seem out of our control.   We will discuss the practical application of tools for both parts of this problem. 

 

1. Plan for situations under the owner’s control 

• Attention 

• Trust

• Predictability on the part of the owner

• Games to promote diversion, and mental readjustment 

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2. Plan for situations not under the owner’s control

• List of well-rehearsed exercises for avoidance and distraction

• Games to allow for dispersal of energy 

• Plan for dealing with other out of control dogs 

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 Session 4: Phamacological Intervention with Dr. Ellen M. Lindell, VMD, DACVB  

 

PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION: For Canine Non-Aggression Problems

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Learning is complicated. Receiving and processing information can only be done in the absence of profound sympathetic arousal. Pharmacological intervention can be helpful but complicated. There are risks and benefits to consider.

 

This webinar will explore the decision making process for considering medication. Types of medications and their mode of action will be discussed, for a variety of non-aggression problems such as: Frustration related behavior, fears and phobias, post traumatic fear responses, impulsivity & hyperactivity. 

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 Session 5: Recalls with Susan Garrett  

 

RECALLS: Why Dogs Aren't Coming When Called and What We Can Do About It

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Let’s talk about three common challenges contributing to dogs' choices to not come when called. 

 

• How our inconsistency is a strong contributor to dogs not coming when called.

• The difference between having a drive to come because they “want to” versus they “have to”.

• The trainers’ options to either ignore, manage, or train this life saving behavior. 

 

During this session I will share how my training philosophy helps dog owners see the success path to building this life saving skill that comes in layers. It starts with creating VALUE in the eyes of the dog and these layers then effectively TRANSFER this value to you, the owner, before you advance to TESTING the value with real world challenges and choices for the dog.

 

I will be turning back the curtain, giving you a behind the scenes look at why my online program “Recallers” creates success, regardless of breed of dog or the dog owner’s experience level.

 

I will share how our strategically layered approach to creating a brilliant recall has worked for thousands of dog owners entering this program over the past 10 plus years. And how once you understand the fundamentals, these concepts easily transfer to every dog sport or activity you want to do with your dog. 

 

You will see how our program creates dogs who WANT to come when called, regardless of the distraction - an approach based in science. It is more than just playing games with your dog, it is the intentional stacking of the games you play that creates the outcomes you want. 

 

We are creating a win-win situation for both the dog and the dog owner no matter what they face as they journey through life together as a team, and during this presentation, I’ll show you the blueprint of why it works so well for all dogs.

 

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