Though efforts have been made within the animal advocacy movement to recognize intersections with human rights campaigns, the latter are frequently classified as belonging to “other movements” that are separate and apart from animal advocacy. Using real-life examples, presenters will explore ways in which individuals, communities, and groups have made transformative contributions (often unknowingly) to the success of animal advocacy through the framework of social justice.  This webinar is intended to bring awareness and appreciation to the many forms of hidden contributions that contribute to victories in animal advocacy.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAudeChrTMiGtwXmyobJxAQ95RrCmW5oxoZ#/

Is your DEI work burning you out?

Anyone involved in DEI efforts may be feeling exhausted by what seem like insurmountable odds, especially after repeated attempts to make progress are met with resistance, inaction, and even hostility. How can you move your efforts forward in these moments without causing damage to yourself and others?

Come explore strategies for building an endurance mindset to DEI and try out tools to develop the stamina to continue progressing—even when you feel like you’ve hit the wall.

Session Objectives:

• Identify common causes for hitting the DEI Wall
• Explore tools to avoid burnout and build individual physical, mental, and emotional stamina
• Determine organizational strategies and practices to maintain steady and sustainable progress toward DEI goals in the face of fatigue or blowback

Presenter: Jasmin M. Robinson, Director of DEI Initiatives, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement

WEBSITE LINK:  https://learning.theaawa.org/p/5-01-24

This is Part One of a two-part webinar on working with “atypical” dogs. Both webinars are stand-alone webinars covering a different aspect of this topic, but they combine to cover the topic more broadly.

When we train our dogs, we are constantly asking them to solve puzzles. We are asking them to connect the dots between the cue (context cue or human initiated verbal / visual cue), their subsequent behavior (action), and the reinforcement. As our dog becomes more confident about the connection between these elements, they can respond more rapidly and with improved accuracy.

During the learning process there will be moments of frustration and confusion. Typical dogs deal with small amounts of frustration and confusion in a way that helps them find a solution to the puzzle. This leads to the dog attaining reinforcement, which results in them putting in the same or greater effort on future learning-oriented tasks.

Atypical dogs however do not respond in the same way. For a range of underlying reasons, the training puzzle itself may cause an excessive spike in arousal in these dogs. This is commonly referred to as the dog “stressing down” or “stressing up” depending on the observable behaviors. “Stressing down” behaviors may include shutting-down, stalling, looking away, appearing disinterested, freezing, moving slowly, or performing avoidance, escape, appeasement, or displacement behaviors. “Stressing up” behaviors may include barking at the human or at the task, whining, performing rapid sequences of random un-cued behaviors, anticipating cues, spinning, doing zoomies, lacking focus, and attempting to guess at the solution with little thought.

Beyond training pressures, these dogs may also struggle more than usual with environmental pressures. All dogs need a certain amount of desensitization and distraction training in order to successfully function in bigger environments, but the atypical dog may be extremely aware of stimuli in the environment. This requires additional training steps and more detailed monitoring.

In this “Part One” webinar we discuss:

• The underlying factors that contribute to the development of an atypical dog, including genetic traits and the impact of prior learning.
• Ways to identify the difference between a simple training gap, and a more complex problem.
• When to use classical conditioning versus operant conditioning.
• Methods for measuring the proportional impact the environment is having on our dog’s behavior.

We also look at a range of solutions that can create a more focused, happier, and more consistently successful training partner.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/self-study/webinars

Learn about all the ways in which DPFL Playgroups are transforming shelters all across the country! This webinar (formerly offered in three parts) will cover the Why, the What, and the How of playgroups.

Attendees will be introduced to dynamic video examples and impactful data and experiences from some of the over 350 shelters who have embraced the power of letting shelter dogs play!

This is a 3.5-hour presentation with Q&A at intervals throughout. This webinar will not be recorded.

This course has been pre-approved for 3 continuing education unit (CEU) credits for Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and by the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP).

WEBSITE LINK:  https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jEdkGmh4REqHRf42RarYaQ#/registration

Today, more than ever, animal shelters find themselves struggling to communicate effectively with advocates, volunteers, public officials, and even their own colleagues. To complicate matters further, animal shelter and rescue leaders often find themselves on the defensive, communicating from a reactive position. Some common communications mistakes include: engaging on someone else’s terms; closing off communication; oversimplifying complex subjects; getting defensive; and withholding information.

In this session, we’ll teach you how simple shifts in how we think, act, and speak can help you achieve results, win community support, and build trust. You’ll learn eight simple rules to win on the communication front every time and you’ll learn how to avoid communications traps that can make situations worse. You’ll also learn how to talk to stakeholders about complex situations and how to communicate in crisis situations. Finally, attendees will practice, using common examples.

The goal of this class is for every attendee to feel well-prepared to communicate about any subject to everyone from critics to community supporters. If you’ve been struggling to achieve healthy, productive communication with anyone inside or outside of your organization, you’ll get the help you need!

Speaker: Kristen Hassen, Outcomes Consulting

WEBSITE LINK:  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z_sQAnOrRde1_0Laab9aHQ