Using Chickens to Train Trainers

Sharpen your skills, develop a deeper understanding of behavior, and train with precision— A hands-on learning experience designed for canine trainers who want to master their mechanics and have fun doing it!

Chicken Workshops -
with Instructors that have trained Working Dogs

Led by two powerhouse instructors with unmatched working dog experience, Bob Deeds and Robin Grubel. Together, they deliver a fast-paced, supportive learning environment where you’ll refine the skills that matter most—timing, observation, shaping, and clear communication.

Who should take this course:

Dog trainers seeking to refine timing, mechanics, and communication
Handlers of sport dogs (nosework, obedience, agility, or other performance disciplines)
Professional working dog handlers (HRD, explosives, narcotics, service dog trainers)
Novice trainers or dog owners who want a strong foundation in marker-based training
Experienced trainers looking to fine-tune technique and precision
Anyone who wants to improve observation and decision-making skills
Coaches or instructors who want to strengthen their ability to teach others effectively
Teams looking to enhance clarity and consistency in reinforcement strategies
Individuals interested in learning through hands-on, low-pressure practice with animals

Mastering Your Mechanics: Honing Your Training Skills

No Prerequisite

For those committed to becoming exceptional teachers and trainers, success begins with mastering the mechanics of training and a understanding of how animals learn. At the foundation of this process is the ability to recognize and shape discrimination and establish stimulus control—critical elements that underpin all effective training.

This course is designed to develop the trainer’s mechanical precision through intensive hands-on practice and targeted instruction. Students focus on sharpening their observation skills, timing, and reinforcement delivery while applying behavior principles in real-time training scenarios using chickens.

Key learning objectives include:

Targeted practice developing your eye to detect those subtle shifts in behavior.
Strategically timing and placing reinforcement to support clear progression in training.
Presenting cues effectively—while avoiding becoming an inadvertent cue
Creating step-by-step, objective-based training plans tailored to individual learners (because you are working two chickens)

Throughout the course students will observe behavior as data rather than making assumptions about what the animal thinks, knows, or feels. With a chicken as the learner, students are challenged to make deliberate, evidence-based decisions, and to adjust their own behavior with clarity and intent.This course builds the foundation every dog trainer needs to increase clarity, reduce training time, and improve reliability in real-world applications.

Class sessions alternate between focused lectures and guided training sessions. In the training room, where a bird is actively working to understand how to succeed, students are pushed to apply theory in real time. Students will work in teams to aid in record keeping and coaching. This is where mechanical skill meets behavioral science—where mastering your mechanics becomes the key to creating consistent, effective, and precise training outcomes.

Each course is a full five days and will run Monday - Friday unless otherwise arranged.
Cost: $2,500 per course.
Includes lodging in the Handler Quarters (for up to 8 handlers), a t-shirt, and eggs (bring cartons).

Meet Your Instructors

Instructor

Bob Deeds

Few instructors carry the depth of operational experience that Bob Deeds brings to the field. Bob is a retired Canine Search Specialist with Texas Task Force One (FEMA) and has trained dogs for narcotics, explosives, and accelerant detection and was part of a team that trained one of the first peanut detection service dogs in the country. His depth of knowledge, steady coaching style, and unparalleled field experience make him one of the premier working dog instructors in the U.S.

More about Bob

Instructor

Robin Greubel

Robin brings over two decades of detection dog experience and an exceptional command of behavior science to her instruction. Beginning her career in 2001 with wilderness and human remains detection, she has certified dogs in explosives, narcotics, and firearms detection, adding extensive operational depth to her skillset.

Robin completed the year-long Master K9 Trainer Program at the Scandinavian Working Dog Institute and excels at coaching the human end of the leash.

More about Robin

Master Instructors - The White Ladies

White Leghorn Chickens

Why White Leghorns?

Because they are one of the most active chickens and offer the most behavior in a short amount of time (meaning you have to be fast!) These are the breed of chicken Marian Breland Bailey and Bob Bailey used in training trainers at Animal Behavior Enterprises (ABE).

The courses are designed for instructors, trainers, and handlers of working, detection, high level competitor, and sport dogs. Working dog units and teams wishing to reserve dates should reach out directly to Robin for availability. We can accommodate private groups up to eight to 16 students. Content can be adapted so trainers can apply the skills and exercises they learn directly to shaping behaviors needed in operational settings.

Additional courses are under development that will continue the legacy of Marian Breland Bailey and Bob Bailey.

What We Do

We Train The Human End Of The Leash.

What We Do

We Train The Human End Of The Leash.

What We Do

We Train The Human End Of The Leash.

What We Do

We Train The Human End Of The Leash.

K9Research & Training Complex

Synergizing The Lab & The Field

Set on 520 acres in Iowa, The K9Sensus Education and Research Complex (ERC) provides extensive opportunities for training. Whether it be night operations or trainer interaction with a variety of animal species, the site will expand trainers’ understanding of learning processes and behavior.

Our Great Honor

Using Chickens to Train Trainers

Chicken Workshops -
with Instructors that have trained Working Dogs

Mastering Your Mechanics: Honing Your Training Skills

Meet Your Instructors

Subscribe to get exclusive updates

What We Do

We Train The Human End Of The Leash.

What We Do

We Train The Human End Of The Leash.

What We Do

We Train The Human End Of The Leash.

What We Do

We Train The Human End Of The Leash.

K9Research & Training Complex

Synergizing The Lab & The Field

Set on 520 acres in Iowa, The K9Sensus Education and Research Complex (ERC) provides extensive opportunities for training. Whether it be night operations or trainer interaction with a variety of animal species, the site will expand trainers’ understanding of learning processes and behavior.

Our Great Honor

Using Chickens to Train Trainers

Chicken Workshops - with Instructors that have trained Working Dogs

Mastering Your Mechanics: Honing Your Training Skills

Meet Your Instructors

Subscribe to get exclusive updates

Chicken Workshops -
with Instructors that have trained Working Dogs