Join Irith Bloom (CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA, CDBC, CSAT, KPA CTP, VSPDT, CBATI, TAGteacher, VSDTA Faculty, DWA Faculty) and Kristina Spaulding (PhD, CAAB) for two days of interactive learning with working spots for 6 dogs. Irith and Kristina will present on the power of giving dogs choices and how it can decrease dogs’ stress and modify their behavior in a positive way. This workshop will help you hone your assessment and training/behavior plan development skills so you can work more successfully with dogs who are stressed out and have behavior issues. In addition, as a token of our appreciation, each participant will receive a small enrichment kit. Of note, they will only be mailed to addresses in the continental US. For registrations placed after August 31, 2020, the enrichment kit will arrive after the seminar.

 This workshop is open to trainers, behavior consultants, veterinarians, shelter staff, and anyone else interested in learning more about the power of choice and how it can help decrease stress and improve behavior.

WHEN:

September 12th and 13th, 2020

WHERE:

ONLINE – Via Live Stream

TIMES:

9 am to 5 pm US Eastern Time

CEU’S:

CEU’s:  CCPDT: CBCC: 16; CPDT-KA/KSA Knowledge: 16.00; NOTE: CBCC hours count toward CPDT- KA/KSA Knowledge requirements.

IAABC: 14 CEU’s

RACE: 16 CE

TUITION: 

• Early Bird Discounts until July 12, 2020

  • Individual – $250

  • Group Rate for 4 or more registering and paying at the same time – $225

  • Working Spot – $275 (There are 6 total working spots.) Contact Joann@thelooseleashacademy.com to see if your dog is a good fit for a working spot.

• Registration after July 12, 2020

  • Individual – $275

  • Group Rate for 4 or more registering and paying at the same time – $250

  • Working Spot – $299 (There are 6 total working spots.)

In this workshop the following topics will be covered:

What is stress?

            Definitions and function

            Physiology of stress

Why is chronic stress bad?

            Effects on health, learning/memory, and behavior

Research on stress

How can we reduce stress?

Stress during development

Control (or the lack thereof)

            Adding choice to daily life

Improving coping mechanisms

Enrichment

Cooperation from the animal learner

            Training

            Petting

            Husbandry

            Walks

            “Room of one’s own”

Why don’t we already do this?

            Human need for control

            Lack of understanding/cultural fog

            Delayed reinforcement (for human)

Teaching animals to make better (by human standards) choices

            The matching law and why it matters

            Foundation skills for a choice-rich life

            Setting up the environment for success

THE SCHEDULE – SUBJECT TO CHANGE

DAY ONE

 Lecture: What is stress?

            Definitions and function

            Physiology of stress

 Activity: How do you and your dog react to stress?

 MORNING BREAK

 Lecture: Why is chronic stress bad?

            Effects on health, learning/memory, and behavior

Research on stress

 Activity: Evaluate your dog’s chronic stress load

LUNCH BREAK

 Lecture: How can we reduce stress?

Stress during development

Control (or the lack thereof)

Control as a mediator of stress

 Activity: Giving your dog more control

 BREAK

 Lecture: Adding choice to daily life

Improving coping mechanisms

Enrichment

Activity: Evaluating enrichment options

 END OF DAY

DAY TWO:

 Lecture: Cooperation from the animal learner

            Training

            Petting

            Husbandry

            Walks

“Room of one’s own”

 Activity: Choose what you want to

 BREAK

 Lecture: Why don’t we already give animals more choices?

            Human need for control

            Lack of understanding/cultural fog

            Delayed reinforcement (for human)

 Activity: Evaluate your own need for control

 LUNCH BREAK

 Lecture: Teaching animals to make better (by human standards) choices

            The matching law and why it matters

            Research on sub-optimal choice making

            Cognitive bias in non-human animals

 Activity: Matching law activity

BREAK

Lecture: Foundation skills for a choice-rich life

            Setting up the environment for success

 Activity: Foundation skill related activity

 NOTE: There are only 6 working spots available, so make sure to secure your spot early!

Contact Joann@thelooseleashacademy.com to see if your dog is a good fit for a working spot.

Speaker Bios

IRITH BLOOM, CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA, CDBC, CSAT, KPA CTP, VSPDT, CBATI, VSDTA FACULTY, DWA FACULTY

Irith Bloom is the owner of The Sophisticated Dog, a pet training company based in Los Angeles. She has been training animals since the 1980s and has worked with everything from chickens and rabbits to dogs and horses—not to mention humans. A biologist by training, Irith is fascinated by the science of learning and presents at conferences and seminars worldwide. Her writing has been published both online and in print. She is on the board of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) and Chair Emeritus of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT).

In addition to her Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge & Skills Assessed (CPDT-KSA) and Certified Behavior Consultant Canine-Knowledge Assessed (CBCC-KA) certifications, Irith is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC); a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT); a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP); a Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Trainer (VSPDT); a Certified Behavior Adjustment Training Instructor (CBATI); and certified in TAGteach, a positive-reinforcement method for teaching humans. She is on the faculty at Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training and Behavior as well as DogBiz’s Dog Walking Academy.

Irith has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her company, The Sophisticated Dog, LLC, offers online virtual training to clients worldwide, as well as in-person training in a limited area of Los Angeles, California.  Irith volunteers with National English Shepherd Rescue; the Los Angeles County 2020 Healthy Pets Healthy Families Coalition (a One Health initiative aimed at improving the health and well-being of people and their pets throughout Los Angeles County); and Wallis Annenberg PetSpace

KRISTINA SPAULDING, PHD, CAAB

Dr. Kristina Spaulding owns Smart Dog Training and Behavior LLC. She has a PhD in biopsychology – the study of the biological basis of behavior – and is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist through the Animal Behavior Society.  Kristina has been in the dog training and behavior profession for 20 years.

 In addition to working with behavior clients, Dr. Spaulding teaches a variety of online courses and webinars on the science of behavior.  She conducts staff training on dog behavior for local veterinary clinics and animal shelters, and regularly presents on the science of animal behavior at training and behavior conferences.

In addition, Dr. Spaulding is a member of the APDT Education Committee.  As a member of this group, she helps the APDT develop and evaluate their educational resources.  In 2019, Dr. Spaulding received the Association of Professional Dog Trainer’s (APDT’s) Member of the Year Award.  She is also a member of the Fear Free Advisory Group and an authorized Speaker for Fear Free which advocates for minimizing fear, anxiety and stress for pets around the country.  She chairs the Quality of Care task force for Meeting of the Minds, a coalition of top dog professionals across the country charged with improving quality of life for our dogs.

 Before opening Smart Dog, Dr. Spaulding earned her B.S. in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. In college, she volunteered for a year at the local humane society. She was then hired by the same shelter. During her time at the animal shelter, she and a coworker established a training program for shelter dogs and their volunteer walkers to make the dogs more adoptable. She also served as an assistant trainer at Dog’s Best Friend, which was owned at that time by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Dr. Patricia McConnell. In 2000, Dr. Spaulding moved to Minnesota where she worked as a dog trainer at a local dog training school before moving to her permanent home in upstate New York.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://thelooseleashacademy.com/seminars-list/power-of-choice