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  • Online Course – Starts 5/17/23 – Canine Impulsivity & Fear Mentorship – IAABC (fee applies)

    Online Course – Starts 5/17/23 – Canine Impulsivity & Fear Mentorship – IAABC (fee applies)

    Would you like to improve your effectiveness and success rate with impulsivity/hyperactivity, reactivity, and fear clients, or are you looking to get started with these types of behavior issues?

    This 8-week Mentorship will focus on canine impulsivity/hyperactivity, reactivity, and fear, and will discuss:

    • the current scientific understanding
    • history taking, assessment, and client communication
    • development and implementation of behavior modification specific to these issues

    By the end of this course, students should know how to:

    • Define and correctly identify hyperactivity/impulsivity, reactivity and fear and explain what leads to the behavior
    • Develop effective, comprehensive behavior plans for these issues
    • Track progress and make adjustments as needed
    • Communicate effectively with clients

    The course is ideal for:

    • Dog trainers, behavior consultants, and shelter volunteers or staff
    • Veterinarians and veterinary staff
    • Dog walkers and dog day care staff
    • Pet owners may also benefit from taking the course, although they would be best served if done in conjunction with one-on-one work with a certified behavior consultant

    This 8-week mentorship provides mentees with ongoing video lectures, documentation, online chat, and scheduled weekly live/online meetings.

    Relative to the course topics, mentees can discuss their own cases or any others, ask questions about application and theory, ask for tips and advice on overcoming specific challenges, and be guided toward even higher levels of professionalism and effectiveness. The mentors are there for the mentees, and offer all help and discussion that each mentee finds useful.

    Auditors may observe and learn about topics under discussion between the mentor and full mentees. Auditors do not attend the weekly live chats and may not introduce their own cases or ask for specific input on their own work.

    ** IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT WEEKLY ONLINE MEETINGS **

    • Auditors do not attend online meetings
    • Meetings are not recorded
    • Meetings take place on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm Eastern (first meeting May 24th)
    • Meetings are 1 hour in duration
    • There are 8 meetings for this mentorship

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://iaabcfoundation.org/courses/canine-impulsivity-fear-mentorship/

  • What Love Looks Like

    What Love Looks Like

    Twenty-two years ago this month, the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program was born, the first of its kind in the world, but luckily not the last.

    One year ago on Valentine’s Day, the KSMP came together with shelters, partner organizations, California changemakers and allies for people and pets to Share the Love and launch California for All Animals, the first state-funded program of its kind to unite and amplify the work of California animal shelters to achieve our shared goal of matching every animal in need with the right outcome through the right care, delivered in the right place and at the right time, and to help communities achieve the state’s policy goal that no adoptable or treatable dog or cat should be euthanized.

    We are thrilled to have awarded over $15 million in grant funding to shelters and animal control agencies in Cal for All Animals’ first year. This February 14, we’re reflecting on what love looks like through a new edition of the #allthenews newsletter:

    A lot has changed in the last two decades of shelter medicine. Our collective commitment to a humane-hearted California that builds well-being for animals and people, inside the shelter and out, has only gotten stronger. Here’s to all we can build together in the year ahead!

    Read the Newsletter
  • Webinar – 3/18/23 – Trapper’s Tips and Tricks – Community Cats Podcast

    Webinar – 3/18/23 – Trapper’s Tips and Tricks – Community Cats Podcast

    Drawing from over 20 years of experience working with feral cats, the folks at Neighborhood Cats have gathered together their favorite ways of catching the wiliest of felines. Whether it’s putting in a clear rear door, using Spam as bait, wrapping your trap with green garden netting, or training a cat to enter a trap, you’re bound to learn something new that will improve your trapping success.

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.communitycatspodcast.com/events/trappers-tips-and-tricks-presented-by-neighborhood-cats-march-2023/

  • Conference – 4/15/23 to 4/17/23 – 2023 New England Federation of Humane Societies Conference – NEFHS (fee applies)

    Conference – 4/15/23 to 4/17/23 – 2023 New England Federation of Humane Societies Conference – NEFHS (fee applies)

    The New England Federation of Humane Societies (NEFHS) will be holding our Annual Conference from April 15th-17th at the Hartford Marriott Downtown in Hartford, Connecticut.

    Our conference includes basic knowledge for those just starting out, advanced knowledge for those who have specialized in an area, and progressive discussions to lead us into the future as our field changes. The NEFHS connects animal welfare professionals so that they can learn from each other and collaborate.

    This year’s scholarship funding is provided by the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation.

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.newenglandfed.org/2023-nefhs-conference/

  • Conference – 4/15/23 to 4/17/23 – 2023 New England Federation of Humane Societies Conference – NEFHS (fee applies)

    Conference – 4/15/23 to 4/17/23 – 2023 New England Federation of Humane Societies Conference – NEFHS (fee applies)

    The New England Federation of Humane Societies (NEFHS) will be holding our Annual Conference from April 15th-17th at the Hartford Marriott Downtown in Hartford, Connecticut.

    Our conference includes basic knowledge for those just starting out, advanced knowledge for those who have specialized in an area, and progressive discussions to lead us into the future as our field changes. The NEFHS connects animal welfare professionals so that they can learn from each other and collaborate.

    This year’s scholarship funding is provided by the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation.

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.newenglandfed.org/2023-nefhs-conference/

  • Conference – 4/15/23 to 4/17/23 – 2023 New England Federation of Humane Societies Conference – NEFHS (fee applies)

    Conference – 4/15/23 to 4/17/23 – 2023 New England Federation of Humane Societies Conference – NEFHS (fee applies)

    The New England Federation of Humane Societies (NEFHS) will be holding our Annual Conference from April 15th-17th at the Hartford Marriott Downtown in Hartford, Connecticut.

    Our conference includes basic knowledge for those just starting out, advanced knowledge for those who have specialized in an area, and progressive discussions to lead us into the future as our field changes. The NEFHS connects animal welfare professionals so that they can learn from each other and collaborate.

    This year’s scholarship funding is provided by the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation.

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.newenglandfed.org/2023-nefhs-conference/

  • Webinar – 2/23/23 – Conversation-Based Adoptions – Getting 2 Zero

    Webinar – 2/23/23 – Conversation-Based Adoptions – Getting 2 Zero

    How do we ensure good matches with our shelter animals, without making people feel unwelcome? Conversation-based adoption!

    Come and learn how to increase adoptions, decrease length of stay, and have our adopters feel even better about your organization!

    Presenter  – Trish McMillan

    Trish McMillan is an internationally-known speaker on the topics of animal behavior and sheltering. She holds a master of science degree in animal behavior, and is a certified professional dog trainer.  Trish  first walked into a shelter in the mid 90’s and has been hooked on shelter behavior ever since. She worked for the ASPCA for nearly eight years, first as director of animal behavior at their NYC shelter, and then with the field team, helping assess and rehabilitate dogs from cruelty cases, dogfighting and hoarding situations.

    Trish owns McMillan Animal Behavior in North Carolina, where she lives in a tiny house on her farm, Pibble Hill. Trish currently shares her life with many animals of five species.

    Trish’s professional work includes training and behavior modification work with dogs, cats, and horses. She speaks and consults nationally and internationally on animal sheltering issues, dog, cat, and horse behavior, dog aggression, and defensive handling. She also runs a popular online shelter dog behavior mentorship and other courses through the Shelter Behavior Hub, and is one of the founders of the behavioral euthanasia grief support group, “Losing Lulu.”

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.g2z.org.au/g2z-webinars-and-online-events.html

  • Webinar – 3/25/23 – For Dog’s sake, can you stop that? Canine-Friendly Body Language Improvements for Humans – Dogs Playing for Life

    Webinar – 3/25/23 – For Dog’s sake, can you stop that? Canine-Friendly Body Language Improvements for Humans – Dogs Playing for Life

    Dogs are resilient and oh-so-forgiving! These qualities make them endearing as companions, along with their ability to love unconditionally. So, why do some dogs struggle to understand us when we are offering affection or when we want to help them, not harm them? In this session we will focus on the HUMAN handling that contributes to unwanted behavior, even “aggression.” Get ready to rethink your approach as DPFL Founder and CEO, Aimee Sadler, reveals the common widely accepted and taught handling errors that set dogs up for failure. Through extensive video examples, she will demonstrate alternative handling techniques that help dogs to trust and thrive!

    Learning objectives:
    – Examples of handling that causes negative behavior compared to handling that promotes desired behavior
    – Demonstration of handling that induces trust and learning with dogs that are too afraid to respond initially to food rewards or affection
    – Comprehensive discussion around the correct use of pressure and release and why this is a critical skill for shelter canine handlers to master in order to save more dogs

    This is a 2-hour presentation followed by a Q&A session of approximately 30 minutes. This webinar will NOT be recorded and is scheduled on EASTERN TIME.

    This webinar holds 500 attendees, so register ahead of time and show up on time the day of the webinar (we’ll open it up 15 minutes early) to be sure to get a spot!

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OpMzJhaNT_Cwsd-1D-Gi1Q

  • Training – 4/16/23 – Solving Behavior Problems in the Real World with Trish King – Puppyworks (fee applies)

    Training – 4/16/23 – Solving Behavior Problems in the Real World with Trish King – Puppyworks (fee applies)

    A comprehensive LIVE, IN PERSON, (Not Virtual) 1-day workshop addressing multiple K9 behavior issues. Trish dissects the capabilities and limitations for different dogs, differing owner-family situations and trainers in the observation, analysis and solution planning for behavior problems.

    In this seminar Trish will explore canine behavior problems from 3 viewpoints:

    • THE DOG OWNER (the person having to deal with the issue)
    • THE TRAINER/CONSULTANT (the person brought on board to help)
    • THE DOG

    Using case studies, Trish will focus on the 3 pillars of behavior modification and management:

    1. OBSERVE
    List the issues
    What is happening?
    How often does it happen?
    What sparks the issue?
    How is the dog feeling?

    2. ANALYSE
    Why is the dog engaging in the behavior?
    Analyzing the owner’s attitude, capability and comitment.
    Acceptance is necessary to modify behavior.

    3. MAKE A PLAN
    What is the dog capable of?
    What are the owners willing to do?
    Developing modification & management plans by behavior, that takes everyone’s lives into account!

    ​THE TYPES OF BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS WE WILL ADDRESS:
    Disobedient – Willful – Aggressive – Mouthy Rough – Destructive – Too energetic – Easily aroused – Chasing people – Chasing Cars

    ​SOME OF THE ASPECTS WE WILL BE EXPLORING:
    The Owner: Personality Types (Controllers vs Nurturers) & Baseline Abilities
    The Dog: Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning & Adjusting the Environment

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.puppyworks.com/behavior

  • Webinar – 3/1/23 – Changing Behavior by Arranging Antecedents with Kathy Sdao – PPG (fee applies)

    Webinar – 3/1/23 – Changing Behavior by Arranging Antecedents with Kathy Sdao – PPG (fee applies)

    Animal trainers and behavior consultants sometimes overlook or undervalue Level 2 (Antecedent Arrangements) of the Humane Hierarchy. This six-level progression of behavior-change procedures, arranged so that the least intrusive and most positive interventions come first, was introduced by Dr. Susan Friedman in 2010. (See What’s Wrong With This Picture? Effectiveness is Not Enough) We may be tempted to skip ahead to familiar operant training procedures such as positive reinforcement (Level 3) & differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors (Level 4). Antecedent arrangements (Level 2) suggest we first notice and adjust the learner’s environment in ways that facilitate the behaviors we wish to reinforce. It invites us to be creative in changing conditions that precede these behaviors, with the goal of making learning more effective and efficient. Level 2 is much broader than simply “managing the environment” to prevent problem behaviors from occurring. We’ll look at specific examples of antecedent arrangements drawn from Kathy’s work with behavior-consultation clients.

    CEUs: PPAB 1, CCPDT 2, KPA 2, & IAABC Pending

    About the Presenter:

    Kathy Sdao is an applied animal behaviorist. She’s been a full-time animal trainer for almost forty years, first with marine mammals and then with dogs. At the University of Hawaii, she received a master’s degree working with a research team that trained dolphins to understand sign-language. She then worked for the United States Navy training dolphins for open-ocean military tasks. Kathy also worked as a marine-mammal trainer at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma Washington. After leaving the zoo world, she co-created Tacoma’s first dog-daycare.

    Kathy launched Bright Spot Dog Training in 1998. Services include consulting with families about their challenging dogs and mentoring professional trainers who want to maximize the power of positive-reinforcement training. Kathy is proud to be an original faculty member for Karen Pryor’s ClickerExpos; she’s taught at more than forty of these popular conferences. Kathy has lectured at venues across the United States, Canada and Europe, and in Australia, Israel, Japan and Mexico. In 2012, she published her first book, Plenty in Life Is Free: Reflections on Dogs, Training and Finding Grace.

    Registered for the live event, get busy and cannot make it! No worries you will automatically receive a recording!

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://petprofessionalguild.com/event-5090578