This two day comprehensive course is designed around classroom time and hands on training to provide handlers with an overview of skills, abilities and exercises to build a well rounded working dog. This class focuses on giving the trainer tools deliberately set learning opportunities for their K9 partner to advance their overall performance.

Focus is on training the trainer, meeting the team at its level and providing a challenging and safe learning environment.

During this 2-day course the practical application portion of the class will be as follows:

• Students will learn concepts around stimulus control, which is the foundation for obedience work and the foundation of a trained final response in odor detection work.

• Students will learn how to safely find and work motivational operation development (drive work) in a puppy.
• Environmental socialization and body awareness

Topics Covered:

• Discussion of learning processes

• Development of a plan to reinforce desired behavior chains (and how to break undesired behavior chains)

• Discrimination and Stimulus control – ignoring distractions

Students will leave the course with an understanding of stimulus control, an understanding of how to develop training procedures to achieve target behaviors, and new ideas to be incorporated into their everyday training routine.

Specifically designed to address concerns of the working dog world, this seminar is designed to develop the mechanical skills and abilities of the trainer/handler. If you are a working dog trainer/handler responsible for development of the dogs under the age of 1, this seminar is meant for you. This could include handlers/trainers who have gotten a new working dog candidate, individuals who work as a foster, puppy raiser or puppy sitter for service dog organizations or trainers responsible for developing working dogs.

Class size is limited. Enrollment is contingent upon payment received in full. Any unpaid working slots can be filled on a first paid first serve basis.

Instructors: Robin Greubel, Jennifer Hirakawa, Heather Swift, Gary Swift

Includes lunches.