Course Details
| Most trainers rely heavily on click → treat/toy. But what happens when the food or toy isn’t available—like in the ring? You still have something powerful with you: yourself.Praise, interaction, and play can become meaningful reinforcers for your dog—but only if we intentionally build value for them. When done well, your dog begins to see your praise and engagement as rewarding in their own right, not just a signal that food is coming. In this workshop, Petra will show you how to thoughtfully integrate praise and play into your reinforcement strategy so they begin to carry real reinforcement value for your dog.You’ll explore how to: • Identify what types of praise or interaction are actually reinforcing for your individual dog • Build value for praise and play alongside your existing food or toy reinforcement • Layer reinforcement strategically • Gradually use praise and interaction as primary reinforcement, not just filler between rewards • Create stronger engagement and connection while maintaining motivationReducing reinforcement is one of the biggest challenges trainers face. By teaching our dogs that our interaction itself has value, we gain more flexibility, stronger teamwork, and better ring readiness.Join Petra to explore practical, force-free strategies that help your dog learn that working with you is part of the reward. |
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Coming Soon!
Lecture Publish Date: Sunday April 12th
Video Submissions Due Date: Sunday April 19th @ 12pm noon PT
Feedback & Questions Video Publish Date: Wednesday April 22nd
Instructor: Petra FordI have been training and competing for several decades in a variety of sports including Hunt Tests, Field Trials, Nosework, Agility and Rally. My first love has always been competition obedience. I have been fortunate to win the AKC National Obedience Championship four times with three different dogs. (Click here for full bio and to view Petra's upcoming courses)
