Triage for Dog Training Professionals: An interactive webinar

Presented by Kristi Benson and  Jean Donaldson 

CEUs: PPAB , CCPDT , KPA , & IAABC 

A Webinar Sponsoring The Pet Training Science Alliance 

Triage—that is, identifying and prioritizing issues in order of urgency for treatment—is an important skill for dog training professionals, who are often presented with dogs that have a veritable laundry list of issues and dog guardians who have limited bandwidth together with a tenuous understanding of animal welfare and public safety. During this webinar, the Academy for Dog Trainers staffers Jean Donaldson and Kristi Benson will operationalize triage with plenty of useful examples, and then, using a case-study format, have an interactive segment with audience participation to practice making triage decisions in sample cases.

Learning Objectives

• When triage is unimportant/when the client can choose
• Important considerations for triage: Public safety, animal welfare, and others
• Scripts for clients to assist with getting buy-in to treatment plans
• How triage can guide you to refer cases as needed

About Your Presenters

Jean Donaldson is one of the top dog trainers in the world and has lectured extensively in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. She is a four-time winner of The Dog Writers’ Association of America’s Maxwell Award, and her seminal book The Culture Clash was named number one training and behavior book by The Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the Academy for Dog Trainers, where she earned her Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC). She has an online school helping dog guardians with a variety of behaviour issues, such as barking and house soiling. Kristi is also on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. She handles special projects such as the Academy's Husbandry Project, books webinars, and is a student mentor and coach.

Preseners Business 

The Academy for Dog Trainers is a two-year comprehensive professional program in evidence-based pet dog training, behavior, class teaching and behavior counseling.  The Academy will celebrate its 25-year anniversary in 2024, and has certified over one thousand behavior counselors and trainers.  After running it for 10 years out of The San Francisco SPCA as an in-person full-time program, Jean re-invented the program as a self-paced part-time online course in 2011.