CEUs: PPAB 1, CCPDT 1, IAABC (pending), KPA 1

Registered for the live event, get busy and cannot make it!

No worries you will automatically receive a recording!

Starting and continuing a successful pet loss support group is exciting, and tedious, all at the same time. In this session, attendees will hear the finer points of how to market a pet loss support group, how to create a continuum of mourning activities throughout the events to seamlessly walk with families from session to session, as well as how to maintain a safe group and assist with the emotions of the group. Furthermore, are physical group meetings the only type of pet loss sessions that can be successful? If is in your initiatives as a pet care professional, this course is FOR YOU as you will get all of those answers and more!

Checkout the Pet Loss & Grief Companioning Certification Course  Presented by Coleen Ellis February 22, 2020 - February 23, 2020.  Click here. If you attend the workshop then you receive a FREE webinar ticket for this event and the other event called The Finer Points of Marketing Pet Loss Services. Presented by Coleen Ellis

In 2009, Coleen founded Two Hearts Pet Loss Center, to guide people who wish to provide meaningful pet death care services in their communities, as well to be an educational resource in the pet grief discipline. In 2009, she received the first Death and Grief Studies Certification specializing in Pet Loss Companioning by Dr. Alan Wolfelt as well as releasing her first book, Pet Parents: A Journey Through Unconditional Love and Grief. She is also Certified in Thanatology and is a Certified Pet Loss Professional.

By 2014, Coleen was ready to take her vision to a new level. Joining Nick Padlo as managing partner and Chief Marketing Officer, they formed an acquisition company whose mission is to standardize and raise the service levels of the pet loss industry. The Pet Loss Center strives to be the nation’s premier pet loss service, elevating the experiential component of pet loss and grief care across the country. In 2019, she shifted her position with The Pet Loss Center to an Advisory/Consultant role.

Coleen is an internationally sought-after speaker on the topics of pet loss and grief. Through her delivery style, pet care professionals learn a variety of techniques immediately applicable to implement on how to companion families in their grief journey. Furthermore, her talks to pet parents give them the permission they need to not only grieve but mourn the loss of their beloved pet.

Coleen is the founder and past co-chair of the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance and past president of the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, where she currently serves as an advisor. She is a native of Kansas where she graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees for Fort Hays State University, and is a recipient of the 2018 Alumni Achievement Award, the college’s highest recognition for graduates.

Dallas, TX, is where Coleen and her husband, Chris Burke, reside. They share their home with their four-legged kids, Crisco, Rudy & Albert.

CEUs: PPAB 1, IAABC (pending), KPA (pending)

This presentation is geared to introduce Mantrailing as a dog sport. It will talk about our methods to teach it, the hypothetical science behind it and how the sport can influence a dog´s behaviour even off the trail.

As with other dog sports, the reward system plays an important role to get a more driven canine partner for the task.

But what is it that makes Mantrailing such a popular dog sport around the world? Can any dog participate?

Lisa will be answering any questions, that you might have about Mantrailing, after the presentation.

Learning objectives:

• What is Mantrailing?
• Tasks of a Mantrailer
• How do we teach Mantrailing?
• What is the dog looking for on the trail?
• Introduction to the science of scent
• Can any dog do Mantrailing?
• How can Mantrailing influence a dog´s behaviour?
• The reward system
• The scent article

About The Presenter

Lisa Gorenflo

Lisa Gorenflo is an active operational Mantrailing dog handler who will be assisting the Search & Rescue and Police in the UK with her young German Wirehaired Pointer, Rufus.

She gained her certification as a Mantrailing Instructor for Mantrailing International over the past 4 years and is the only instructor to hold this qualification in the UK. She qualified her own dog under the British Mantrailing Academy and was also awarded the Skills for Justice certificate.

Mantrailing UK is the only Mantrailing training centre in the UK certified by Mantrailing International.

Lisa has a background in the IGP and THS sport. She has worked with dogs all over the world, including rescue centres in Germany and the US, rehabilitating and training dogs for a better life.

Her training is based on the Kocher Method, but she tailors all of her training to work for each individual dog handler team. Her goal is for each team to find their way together.

Lisa has brought the Mantrailing sport over to the UK 5 years ago.

Mantrailing UK has 32 instructors in the UK as well as Guernsey and Spain. Lisa strives to work together with international organisations such as the FEGMA, the Spanish Federation of Mantrailing Groups, to make this sport accessible to more people around the globe.

A FREE Member Resource

Your Business Marketing In Times of Difficulty!

A PPG member resource to support our community through this difficult time. Join Niki Tudge and Dr. Robert King as they talk through some key aspects of business marketing and finance. 

In this free flowing webinar we will be discussing:

Setting Up to Survive & Thrive

Niki Tudge is hosting our Corporate Partners

at dog*biz Veronica Boutelle & Gina Phairas. 

A FREE Business Contingency Webinar for PPG Members

Over the last few weeks dog trainers have scrambled to set up alternative ways of offering services, as both a way to continue helping dogs and their people and in the rush to shore up lost revenue.

As a result, the pandemic has created a wave of innovation and creativity throughout our industry. How well it serves us individually and as a community, both through and beyond this crisis, will depend on how carefully we implement our ideas.

This is a time to act swiftly. But it is also a time for deliberate, thoughtful choices. Choices about which services will set you up for best success during and after the crisis. And about how to provide those services, too. In-person services do not translate directly to their virtual counterparts. We will need to translate apples into oranges to set ourselves, our businesses, and our clients up for success. It is an easy time to make limiting mistakes.

How do we best package, price, and market online privates and classes in a way that serves our ends now and meets our needs later, too?

And how do we deliver them? What do online training best practices look like? What translates, and what needs to be creatively adjusted for training success? Same for classes—what curriculum and instructional adjustments are required for powerful outcomes?

We’ve engaged in an impressive flurry of activity to weather this storm, each of us individually and collectively as an industry. Join Veronica Boutelle and Gina Phairas of dogbiz for their expert insights on the opportunities of this moment as well as its potential pitfalls.

It’s time to take a breath to set ourselves up not just to survive, but to thrive—both through this crisis and beyond.

Veronica Boutelle, MA Ed., CTC

Founder, Consultant Lead, DWA Director

Veronica is the former Director of Behavior & Training for the San Francisco SPCA. She has been helping dog professionals create their dream businesses through dogbiz since 2003.

Veronica is the author of How to Run a Dog Business and The Business of Dog Walking, the co-author of Minding Your Dog Business, and writes for multiple industry journals, including regular business columns in PPG’s Barks from the Guild and APDT’s Chronicle of the Dog. She is a sought-after speaker at conferences and dog training schools across the country and internationally, teaching R+ dog pros how to help more dogs in countries ranging from North America to South America, Europe to Down Under.

Veronica has made good use of her previous career as a classroom teacher, teacher educator, and curriculum developer to bring more effective curriculum and instructional strategies to group dog training classes.

Fun Fact: Veronica grows much of her own food and is rarely seen at home without dirt under her fingernails.

Gina Phairas, BSc Comms, CTC

Founder, Consultant Lead, dogbiz U Director

Gina is a former San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers instructor, teaching fellow trainers alongside Jean Donaldson and Janis Bradley. Gina brings extensive experience in the dog industry to her work, including serving as Behavior Rehabilitation Coordinator at the SF/SPCA, co-founding a consulting non-profit for shelters and rescues, consulting for and managing one of the first dog daycares in the CA Bay Area, and running her own successful dog training business.

These days Gina uses her experience and advertising background to support dog professionals by leading our talented consulting team and running dogbiz University, her brain child for providing effective, easy-access business support to R+ dog professionals. She also regularly shares dog business wisdom at dog training conferences and seminars, including those held by PPG, APDT, and as Clicker Expo faculty.

Fun Fact: In her first career Gina worked on television commercials and news programs. She’s also hosted a music video show.

A FREE PPG Member Resource

CEUs PPAB 1, CCPDT & IAABC & KPA pending

Time is of the Essence: Puppy Socialization During a Pandemic

A FREE PPG member resource. PPG is committed to supporting its membership during this difficult period.

 

Join Niki Tudge and Jessica Ring for this 60-minute webinar on how coach your clients through Puppy Socialization during a pandemic

“What about the puppies!?!?”

Dog trainers everywhere are very concerned about puppies right now. We constantly stress the critical nature of puppy socialization and recommend a wealth of activities that involve close contact with a whole range of people and places, including group puppy class. And time is of the essence. The window for puppy socialization starts to close around 12–16 weeks of age. We simply cannot wait.

Come and join us and learn some great ways you can How can puppies receive proper socialization during this time of almost complete social isolation?

Jessica Ring reached out to some of her dog training colleagues for their ideas and suggestions. While it might currently be impossible to provide the ideal regimen of positive experiences with lots of new people, places, other puppies/dogs and situations, there are some great suggestions for what we can do.

Learn how you can coach your clients through Puppy Socialization during this difficult time.

CEUs: PPAB 1, CCPDT 1, IAABC 1, KPA 1

It is likely that social isolation contributes to reduced welfare for dogs living in animal shelters. One type of intervention that addresses this concern, human interaction out of the kennel, has been demonstrated to improve behavior and reduce physiological measures of stress for shelter-living dogs.

In this presentation, I will discuss research from the Canine Science Collaboratory & the Applied Animal Welfare & Behavior Lab that was conducted across the United States in which we’ve investigated the impact of two-nights away (sleepovers) from the shelter; and more recently, two-hour outings (field trips) on dogs’ stress, rest, and activity levels. We’ll examine their particular effects to better understand how these programs are impacting the lives of dogs awaiting adoption in animal shelters.

Learning Objectives:

• Gain a better understanding of the impact of human interaction on the welfare of dogs living in animal shelters
• Reference the different physiological and activity measures used to measure canine welfare
• Differentiate the effects of these interventions and their overall impact on welfare
• Utilize this information to develop enrichment strategies for dogs in your shelter

About The Presenter

Dr. Lisa Gunter

Lisa Gunter, PhD, CBCC-KA is the Maddie's Fund Research Fellow at Arizona State University in the Department of Psychology and conducts her research in the Canine Science Collaboratory. She currently leads the Maddie’s Fund Nationwide Fostering Study. Before beginning her graduate studies, she worked for nearly a decade with dogs in animal shelters and with pet dogs and their owners. The goal of Lisa's research is to better the lives of dogs. To this aim, she has investigated the breed labeling of shelter dogs, their breed heritage, housing and dog-to-dog interaction in the shelter, temporary fostering and short-term outings, behavioral indicators of welfare, and post-adoption interventions focused on owner retention. Under the mentorship of Clive Wynne, Lisa earned her Masters in 2015, and her PhD in 2018 as a graduate student in the behavioral neuroscience program at Arizona State University. She has published her research in scientific journals, presented her findings at numerous conferences, and received national and international media attention for her work.

CEUs: PPAB 1.5, IAABC (pending), CCPDT (pending), KPA (pending)

Registered for the live event, get busy and cannot make it?

Don't worry, you will automatically receive a recording!

The use of Behavior Analysis within the animal training and welfare community has become commonplace. While the core principles of Behavior Analysis (i.e., a focus on reinforcement contingencies and functional understandings of behavior) are now frequently used for applied animal behavior purposes, it’s not always clear how this is directly applied. For instance, what is behavior and how is it defined? What is the relationship of behavior to the environment, and what does it mean to analyze these environment-behavior interactions?

This webinar focuses directly on some of the core principles of Behavior Analysis, namely that of understanding how behavior relates to the environment. Specifically, this talk will focus on (1) how we define behavior, with attention to what it is and is not, and (2) what it means to define a behavioral contingency in terms of the events that precede and follow it, (3) how we use data to analyze behavior and its function. The goal will be to provide a general, empirical framework for any applied animal behaviorist that looks to understand how Behavior Analysis analyzes behavior.

Learning Objectives

• Understand how we operationally define behavior in terms of what it is and is not.
• Identify what an environment-behavior contingency is in terms of antecedents and consequences of behavior.
• Discover the usefulness of data in both analyzing behavior (the purpose of Behavior Analysis) as well as evaluating the success of any applied procedure.

About The Presenter

Eduardo J Fernandez, PhD

Dr. Eduardo J. Fernandez received his Ph.D. in Psychology (minors in Neuroscience and Animal Behavior) from Indiana University, where he worked with the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Zoo. He received his M.S. in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas, where he founded and was President of the Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals (ORCA).

Most of his past and current work involves behavioral research applied to the welfare and training of zoo and companion animals. He has worked with over 50 species of animals, with a focus on marine animals, carnivores, and primates.

He is currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Adelaide in Australia. His past positions include a Visiting Professorship in the School of Behavior Analysis at the Florida Institute of Technology, an Affiliate Professorship in the Psychology Department at the University of Washington, a Research Fellowship with Woodland Park Zoo, and a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. While working with UW and Woodland Park Zoo, he started the Behavioral Enrichment Animal Research (BEAR) group, which conducted welfare research with many of the species and exhibits located throughout the zoo.

Eduardo also continues to run the Animal Reinforcement Forum (ARF), a former listserv and now Facebook group, which is dedicated to group discussions on animal training and behavior from a scientific perspective. Many of his past publications, research projects, and presentations can be found on his ResearchGate profile

CEUs: PPAB 1.5

This webinar will focus on the dogs who develop aggressive behaviours toward their owners. We will talk a little about what aggressive behaviours are, and how they are perceived by the owners, how they influence the dynamic and relationships in the house, how to address it, manage it and help a dog develop new behaviours.

Learning Objectives

• What does aggressive behaviour looks like
• Why do dogs use aggressive behaviour
• Safety in dealing with dogs who show aggressive behaviours
• Strategies to change aggressive behaviours
• Defensive aggressive behaviour what does it mean?
• How to change the owners and thus change the behaviour?
• Is it management or is it behaviour modification techniques?
• Expectations about other species behaviours and what we want from dogs

About The Presenter

Claudia Estanislau

Claudia is a Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant. She is currently the manager of It's All About Dogs training center in Portugal operating from four locations. Claudia has been a lecturer at several seminars in Portugal and Brazil on learning theory, aggression and force free training. Paula is also a writer for a national dog magazine in Portugal and writes on dog behavior and training.

Claudia’s formal qualifications are DTBC from the CASI Institute. Claudia completed the LLA course with Dr. Susan Friedman and Claudia is an Associate Certified member at IAABC and a PPG Member.

CEUs: PPAB 1.5, CCPDT (pending), IAABC (pending), KPA (pending)

Donkeys have worked side by side with man, helping to build our societies, going to war, even guarding our fields, for over 5000 years. With over 40 million donkeys worldwide and the domesticated population continuing to grow, donkeys continue to be one of the most misunderstood animals that humans work with.

The goal of this webinar is to educate donkey owners, donkey enthusiasts, horse trainers, etc on why donkeys are not just horses with longer ears. They are evolutionarily, physiologically, and behaviorally very different from horses, deserving of training, management, and enrichment which in many cases is different their horse cousins.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the roles donkeys currently play in our society and the unique challenges this highly intelligent equine faces because of our changing world.
• Identify the evolutionary environmental conditions of both donkeys and horses to highlight why they are vastly different animals.
• Identify the physiological differences between donkeys and horses as they may relate to behavior.
• Identify best practices for management of daily living of donkeys which may be unique to donkeys.
• Identify best practices for training donkeys--why use positive reinforcement to train tasks instead of traditional methods or natural horsemanship.
• Provide resources for donkey owners, trainers, and horse trainers who may be asked to work with donkeys.

About The Presenter

Monique Williams CPDT-KA

Monique Williams is an animal behavior and training professional, certified nationally through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI), and through Fear Free Trainer Certification as well. Through her Stonebriar Animal Behavior & Training Services, Monique provides the Atlanta, Georgia metro area with in-home training, group training, and behavior counseling services.

Monique has over 30 years of experience in training and behavior, beginning with AKC conformation competition in 1981. Monique has trained or titled dogs in a variety of training disciplines, including conformation, obedience, Rally-O, tracking, and herding. She is a professional member of the Pet Professional Guild, Association of Professional Dog Trainers, a Fear-Free Certified Trainer, AKC Farm Dog judge, and an AKC Star Puppy and Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.

Monique shares her Carrollton, Georgia farm with her husband of 28 years, a Belgian Malinois, 2 Smooth Collies, cats, friendly horses and ponies, two donkeys, and several goats.

CEUs: PPAB 1, CCPDT 1, IAABC (pending), KPA 1

So you have a shy dog - one who's easily frightened of strange people or places, or maybe even one who sits at home IMAGINING what horrible thing might happen next. Is this because of genetics? Or did you mess up somehow? In this webinar, Jessica will talk about the biology behind anxiety: the roles of genetics, early environment (as early as in mom's uterus!), and socialization.

Spoiler alert: you didn't mess up. But this webinar will help you understand better where your dog is coming from and help you think through the many different puzzle pieces that made her who she is. Jessica will also provide concrete suggestions for breeders, puppy buyers, and working dog trainers to help minimize the chances of producing or buying anxious dogs.

Learning Objectives:

• List the different methods by which parents pass information on to their offspring, which might make offspring more or less anxious

• Discuss the importance of mild stress, but not trauma, in early life

• Explain how genetics and early life experiences can interact to result in adult anxiety

• Describe the pre-fear period in puppies and explain its relevance to adult anxiety

• List some negative effects of stress in terms of health and well-being

About The Presenter

Dr. Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD

Jessica is a veterinary researcher who is fascinated by dog behavior. After eleven years working as a computer programmer, she decided to go back to school to research the causes of behavior problems in dogs. She received her veterinary degree in 2012 from the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts, where she also received a Master's degree for her work on stress behaviors in hospitalized dogs. After graduation, she completed a year-long internship specializing in shelter medicine at the University of Florida Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program. She received her PhD in genetics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying a group of foxes (often known as the "Siberian silver foxes") which have been bred over many generations to be friendly to humans. She is currently working at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard as a postdoctoral associate, studying the genetics of behavior in pet dogs through the Darwin's Ark project and the Working Dogs Project. Her ultimate goal is to find genetic causes of fearfulness in dogs, to work with behaviorally challenged shelter dogs, and to help people better understand the science behind dog behavior. She also frequently teaches online classes and webinars about canine genetics and behavior. Jessica lives in Raymond, NH with her husband and three dogs. You can follow her on Twitter @dogzombieblog or on Facebook at facebook.com/dogzombieblog.

CEUs: PPAB 1.5, CCPDT (pending), IAABC (pending), KPA (pending)

Post traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety-related mental health condition, triggered by a terrifying or traumatic event that has been experienced, witnessed, or both. Neolithic people suffered from it, just like people in all epochs ever since. But it was only after the Vietnam war that it gained attention. Later, it was discovered that dogs can also be afflicted by this condition. In fact, it is more common in dogs than it was believed, at first.

Not to be mistaken for separation distress, or a phobia, post traumatic stress disorder is characterized, among other things, by repeated memories of the traumatic experience. Due to its long term nature, and to being a major contributor to negative neuroplasticity, this condition is very resistant to treatment.

In this webinar, I will discuss some biological mechanisms behind post traumatic stress disorder, its typical signs, and what we can do to help dogs suffering from it.

Learning Objectives

• Become acquainted with the mechanisms involved in a stress response.
• Learn to distinguish the difference between a phobia, separation distress, and post traumatic stress disorder.
• Become aware of the three different types of post traumatic stress disorder.
• Learn some biological mechanisms behind it.
• Become acquainted with the typical signs.
• Understand the main reasons why it is so resistant to treatment.
• Understand the role and importance of play in treating dogs suffering from it.
• Develop skills for helping them.

About Your Presenter

       

Alexandra Santos

Alexandra Santos is a professional canine behavior consultant and trainer, with formal education through The Animal Care College in the U.K. where she graduated with honors for the Diploma of Advanced Canine Psychology, and through The Companion Animal Sciences Institute where she graduated with distinction for the Diploma of Advanced Dog Training.

She is the author of the books “Puppy Problems” and “Puppy Training: How to housetrain your puppy effectively”, and has also authored and co-authored several articles for the Journal of Applied Companion Animal Behavior and for the International Institute for Applied Companion Animal Behavior.

Alexandra lives and works in Lisbon, Portugal, has been a presenter at several seminars in Portugal and Brazil on positive reinforcement-based training, regularly presents webinars for the Pet Professional Guild, is a professor at Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias and provides individual coaching for dogs and their people.

CEUs: PPAB 1.5, IAABC (pending), CCPDT (pending), KPA (pending)

Registered for the live event, get busy and cannot make it?

Don't worry, you will automatically receive a recording!

The use of Behavior Analysis within the animal training and welfare community has become commonplace. While the core principles of Behavior Analysis (i.e., a focus on reinforcement contingencies and functional understandings of behavior) are now frequently used for applied animal behavior purposes, it’s not always clear how this is directly applied. For instance, what is behavior and how is it defined? What is the relationship of behavior to the environment, and what does it mean to analyze these environment-behavior interactions?

This webinar focuses directly on some of the core principles of Behavior Analysis, namely that of understanding how behavior relates to the environment. Specifically, this talk will focus on (1) how we define behavior, with attention to what it is and is not, and (2) what it means to define a behavioral contingency in terms of the events that precede and follow it, (3) how we use data to analyze behavior and its function. The goal will be to provide a general, empirical framework for any applied animal behaviorist that looks to understand how Behavior Analysis analyzes behavior.

Learning Objectives

• Understand how we operationally define a schedule of reinforcement.
• Identify the four basic types of schedules, as well as the difference between continuous, intermittent, and “variable” reinforcement.
• Recognize applied instances of schedules of reinforcement, including how different schedules might be effective for our applied animal behavior purposes.

About The Presenter

Eduardo J Fernandez, PhD

Dr. Eduardo J. Fernandez received his Ph.D. in Psychology (minors in Neuroscience and Animal Behavior) from Indiana University, where he worked with the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Zoo. He received his M.S. in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas, where he founded and was President of the Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals (ORCA).

Most of his past and current work involves behavioral research applied to the welfare and training of zoo and companion animals. He has worked with over 50 species of animals, with a focus on marine animals, carnivores, and primates.

He is currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Adelaide in Australia. His past positions include a Visiting Professorship in the School of Behavior Analysis at the Florida Institute of Technology, an Affiliate Professorship in the Psychology Department at the University of Washington, a Research Fellowship with Woodland Park Zoo, and a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. While working with UW and Woodland Park Zoo, he started the Behavioral Enrichment Animal Research (BEAR) group, which conducted welfare research with many of the species and exhibits located throughout the zoo.

Eduardo also continues to run the Animal Reinforcement Forum (ARF), a former listserv and now Facebook group, which is dedicated to group discussions on animal training and behavior from a scientific perspective. Many of his past publications, research projects, and presentations can be found on his ResearchGate profile

CEUs: PPAB 1, CCPDT 1, IAABC (pending), KPA 1

Veterinarians used to routinely recommend that your dog be neutered (spayed or castrated) at 6 months of age.  That recommendation has been questioned in the past decade as information about the possible health consequences of early age neuter (or neuter at any age) comes to light.

Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD, will discuss what we know about the relationship of spay/neuter timing and changes in the risk of development of cancer and/or of orthopedic injuries such as cranial cruciate ligament disease (CCL tear).  She will also talk about how spay/neuter can affect behavior, for better or worse.  She will specifically discuss some recent studies and will detail problems designing effective studies to ask these questions. She will also cover alternative approaches to the traditional spay/neuter surgery. If you are wondering when, or if, you should neuter your dog, make your decision based on facts, not emotions.

Learning Objectives:

• Interpret recent findings about spay/neuter outcomes in light of what those studies can actually tell us
• Make reasoned decisions about the risk of cancer/orthopedic disease and early spay/neuter
• List alternatives to traditional spay/neuter and compare their pros and cons to traditional spay/neuter
• RELAX about this decision!
  

About The Presenter

Dr. Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD

Jessica is a veterinary researcher who is fascinated by dog behavior. After eleven years working as a computer programmer, she decided to go back to school to research the causes of behavior problems in dogs. She received her veterinary degree in 2012 from the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts, where she also received a Master's degree for her work on stress behaviors in hospitalized dogs. After graduation, she completed a year-long internship specializing in shelter medicine at the University of Florida Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program. She received her PhD in genetics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying a group of foxes (often known as the "Siberian silver foxes") which have been bred over many generations to be friendly to humans. She is currently working at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard as a postdoctoral associate, studying the genetics of behavior in pet dogs through the Darwin's Ark project and the Working Dogs Project. Her ultimate goal is to find genetic causes of fearfulness in dogs, to work with behaviorally challenged shelter dogs, and to help people better understand the science behind dog behavior. She also frequently teaches online classes and webinars about canine genetics and behavior. Jessica lives in Raymond, NH with her husband and three dogs. You can follow her on Twitter @dogzombieblog or on Facebook at facebook.com/dogzombieblog.

CEUs: PPAB 1, CCPDT 1, IAABC (pending), KPA 1

Anxiety is a major problem for many pet dogs. What happens in your dog's brain and body when something scares her? How long can you expect her stress response to last?

In this webinar, Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD, will talk about the stress response in dogs. She will explain the original evolutionary purpose of the stress response; what the hormones involved in it (like cortisol) do in the body; the difference between acute and chronic stress and the different effects they have on dogs' health; and what we know about how long it takes the body to clear those hormones. You will definitely learn some cool stuff about how the brain works and what that means for your stressed-out dog!

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how the stress response functions and what its purpose is.
• Describe health effects (both positive and negative!) for acute versus chronic stress.
• Explain how the stress response affects the dog's brain and their ability to think clearly and behave normally.
• Describe how long it takes the stress response to clear from the body, and list possible alternative explanations for dogs who display signs of stress longer than it takes for stress hormones to be cleared.

About The Presenter

Dr. Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD

Jessica is a veterinary researcher who is fascinated by dog behavior. After eleven years working as a computer programmer, she decided to go back to school to research the causes of behavior problems in dogs. She received her veterinary degree in 2012 from the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts, where she also received a Master's degree for her work on stress behaviors in hospitalized dogs. After graduation, she completed a year-long internship specializing in shelter medicine at the University of Florida Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program. She received her PhD in genetics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying a group of foxes (often known as the "Siberian silver foxes") which have been bred over many generations to be friendly to humans. She is currently working at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard as a postdoctoral associate, studying the genetics of behavior in pet dogs through the Darwin's Ark project and the Working Dogs Project. Her ultimate goal is to find genetic causes of fearfulness in dogs, to work with behaviorally challenged shelter dogs, and to help people better understand the science behind dog behavior. She also frequently teaches online classes and webinars about canine genetics and behavior. Jessica lives in Raymond, NH with her husband and three dogs. You can follow her on Twitter @dogzombieblog or on Facebook at facebook.com/dogzombieblog.

A 2-Day Workshop with Leslie McDevitt

New Dates - Moved From April 2020. Registrants notified 3/12/2020

Reactive to Relaxed: Next Steps in Control Unleashed 

CEUS: PPAB 12, CCPDT 13, IAABC Working: 15 Auditor: 12

Both Working Spots & Auditor Spots Available

Want Monthly Payments?

If you would like to spread your payments over a few months, then go ahead and register. Do not pay the initial invoice you receive. Email Sharon Nettles within 24 hours of registration and she can help get you all set up.

Daily Schedule

9:00 AM – 4:30 PM, with breaks at 10:30 AM-10:45 AM (refreshments), 12 Noon-1 PM (lunch) and 2:30 PM-2:45 PM (refreshments).

Come learn what's new in Leslie McDevitt's groundbreaking Control Unleashed training program!

In this workshop, Leslie will teach material from her newest book Control Unleashed: Reactive to Relaxed.

Working dogs will enjoy discovering they can make choices and control outcomes with counter conditioning games such as Pattern Games, Voluntary Sharing, and Requested Approach Training. Using these games and other foundational training from the Control Unleashed program, we will explore how to use voluntary or 'start-button' behavior to empower anxious or reactive dogs to direct their own learning experience.

Leslie McDevitt MLA CDBC CPDT-KA

Leslie is a dog behavior consultant, author, and speaker who specializes in creating operant counter conditioning procedures to empower working, performance, and pet dogs to feel safe and comfortable so they can function confidently in stressful environments. She has taught the material from her groundbreaking book Control Unleashed: Creating a Focused and Confident Dog to students all over the world, and her books have been translated into multiple languages. She has also presented at various conferences including Clicker Expo, Penn Vet Working Dog Conference, The UK Puppy Conference, and is looking forward to her debut at PPG.

Workshop Location

This event is sponsored and hosted at the DogSmith Training Center & DogNostics Career Center. The facility is a 2000 square foot fully air-conditioned indoor training room on 24 acres, with Kings Lake as a backdrop. RVs are welcome but there is no water or power hookup. The confirmation email gives local accommodation details and directions to the facility. See pictures here . Event location is 9122 Kenton Road, Wesley Chapel. FL 33545