Seminars

Living too far away, but want to learn in-person? You can host me for a seminar.

I do single and multi day seminars for the following topics:

Clicker Training
Tricks and Games
Engagement and Recall
Understanding and Utilizing Reinforcers
Positive Solutions for Behavioral Problems

Why Host A Seminar?

Seminars work fantastic for a condensed learning experience. If you would like to train with me in-person but live far from Albuquerque, NM, having me come out to your place for a seminar is a great option to get one or several days of SpiritDog Training.

In other areas of professional services seminars are already very common, and they are getting more common in dog training as well. They have the advantage that I can see you and your dog in-person and immediately observe the effect of certain exercises we do. We get to try out different varieties of games and instantly see the effects of it on your dog.

Since I believe that every dog and owner are an individual team that needs individual training solutions, seminars are perfect for me to watch dog and owner in action and advise on how they specifically could improve. These solutions can be absolutely unique and different from other teams – my goal is always to see dog and handler as the individuals they are and tailor my advice to them!

Who Does This Work For?

Seminars work best for dogs and owners that have done some basic training together.

They are not ideal for dogs and handlers just starting out in beginning obedience. If the dog already has some experience in how to learn and train, and the handler has some experience in how to teach his dog, the progress will be much faster.

If you have a group of students interested in taking a seminar, their dogs should be able to do the following:

Work Among Distraction

During the seminar I will be walking around and advising teams. Other dogs and handlers will also work together, there will be noises and unfamiliar people for the dogs.

If dogs have in the past struggled to work through medium distractions, they might not be ready for a seminar. As a general rule of thumb a dog should be able to work in a relatively crowded environment such as an airport or city center to get the most out of a seminar. It is a disappointment for everyone when you sign up for a working spot and your dog is too distracted to actually work!

For dogs that are still learning to work among distractions, consider some Outdoor Focus and Recall Games.

Have Good Food/Toy Drive

During the seminar training your dog will work a lot for a variety of reinforcers. Of course it is best if he enjoys both food and toys, but he should at least take one of those as a reward. If your dog is struggling to accept toys or food as a reward for his work, he might need some more drive building before you can get the most out of your working spot during a seminar.

The better we can reward your dog, the better and faster he will learn. Being able to reward our dogs means being able to tell them what we like and to give them positive feedback. It is very difficult for a dog to guess what we want him to do if we cannot tell him what it is through rewards!

Be Friendly With Dogs And People

It is absolutely necessary that your dog is not reactive towards other people or dogs.

In order for everyone to have a safe learning environment and our dogs to feel comfortable they need to be friendly or neutral with dogs and people.

While we are able to accommodate dogs that are fearful in certain cases, as a general rule your dog should be happy to work and be in the vicinity of other dogs and people.

As a general rule, if your dog does well in group classes he will do well in a seminar.

If your dog is struggling to pay attention in group classes or has mainly had private training so far, he may not be quite ready for a working spot in a seminar.

In this case you will still benefit from an auditing spot however! You can observe me working with other dogs and ask questions.

I will tailor the program specifically to the clients I am working with, their level of training and their goals.

Contact me for pricing and availability.