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    Course Schedule

    First day of class:

    April 1, 2018

     Last day of class:

     Dec 15, 2018

    Enrollment begins:

    Nov 22, 2018

    Enrollment ends:

    Dec 15, 2018

    Tuition:

    $65-$260 / $49-$149

    Class length:

    6 weeks / 3 weeks

    New students: your account will be created automatically when you enroll in your first class.

       **Schedule Information Subject to Changes**

    • Agility
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    C3002: Start Your Cooperative Care Journey Here!

    Course Details

    3 WEEK CLASS - Are you struggling with your dog’s physical care?  Grooming and veterinary procedures can be challenging, but we can make things much better for you, your dog, your groomer, and your veterinary team.  Join me for our foundation cooperative care course. Start here to get a solid grounding in all the fundamentals that will help you move forward with your husbandry work.  

    Topics & exercises include:  1) the calm marker, 2) place/table conditioning, 3) zen work, 4) mat work, 5) stillness, and 6) general handling.  No matter what care challenges you face, these are the necessary  fundamentals to help you and your dog move forward.  All work is based on classical conditioning and positive reinforcement.  Our goal is for our dogs to become tolerant & relaxed team members in the process.  

    This is the first course in the cooperative care series, and strongly recommended if you intend to take future specific procedural courses when they are offered (paws & nails, teeth & mouth, medications, procedure positions, chin rest & muzzle, eyes & ears, trimming & brushing).  You will be setting both you & your dog up for success then by introducing (or reviewing) the foundation skills now.  

    Details matter in cooperative care training.  Small changes can make a huge difference.  Come join us to focus on the steps to success.  

     

     

    Teaching Approach:

    This course will consist of written lectures along with 6 recorded video lessons.  The recorded lessons include exercise demonstration videos as well as verbal & written instructions, and run between 10 - 25 minutes each.  Transcripts of the video lessons will be provided.   

    There will be a Teaching Assistant for this course.

    Deborah JonesInstructor: Deborah Jones

    Deborah Jones, Ph.D. (she/her) is a psychologist who specializes in learning theory and social behavior. She taught a variety of psychology courses at Kent State University for the past 20 years. Deb has been training dogs for performance events for the past 25 years and was an early...(Click here for full bio and to view Deb's upcoming courses)

    Syllabus

    View Full Syllabus

     

    Lesson 1: Calm marker: Choosing & using a unique marker cue for your cooperative care work.

     

    This lesson includes both why (the reasoning) and how (the mechanics).

     

    Lesson 2: Table conditioning:  Making the place we provide physical care as pleasant as possible.

     

    This lesson includes making the choice of a care place & making it a place your dog really wants to be.

     

    We will cover a variety of techniques for developing a strong conditioned emotional response to the table.

     

    Techniques include rapid fire treats, on/off game, cheese bowl, syringe feeding, & remote reinforcement.

     

    Lesson 3:  Zen work: Encouraging cooperative teamwork

     

    This lesson includes exercises that will help your dog learn to wait and listen for your cues.

     

    Our goal is for our dogs to discover that waiting pays off much better than acting on impulse!

     

    Exercises include slow treats, closed zen hand, open zen hand, zen bowl.

     

    Lesson 4: Mat work: Developing a strong positive emotional response to waiting on a mat.

     

    This lesson will help us create a portable care station that we can use in a variety of locations.

     

    Training approach focuses on fast feeding in position & active releases.

     

    Lesson 5: Stillness: Encouraging our dogs to simply be calm & wait.

     

    This lesson is the hardest one for many dogs, and trainers!  We often train for movement & action, but find stationary work much more challenging.

     

    Training approach includes rapid fire treats transitioning to slow treats for adding duration, along with active releases.

     

    Lesson 6: Handling: Adding physical touch while our dogs remain calm & relaxed.

     

    This lesson provides structure for the process of initiating and intensifying different types of touch on different body parts.

     

    Training approach includes separating hand approach & contact into small training bits, practicing a variety of types of touch, and working with all body parts.  

    Prerequisites and Equipment

     

    Food motivated dog

    A variety of treats (small soft ones, round ones that roll, small kibble, cheese, baby food...)

    Dedicated cooperative care space.  Can be a grooming table, floor mat, play tiles, ottoman...  Must be stable, sturdy, and large enough for your dog to lie down comfortably.

    Bowl for zen work

     

    Registration

    Available as a prerequisite purchase until July 7th with lectures only for the July 2026 - 3 week class session. 

     

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