Workshops

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.