COMMUNICATION, AROUSAL AND PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOURS

Saturday 7 December 2019

9am-5pm (Full Day)

Venue: Southern Obedience Dog Club

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This is a practical guide to understanding, overcoming and preventing problematic behaviours that our dogs perform during periods of arousal. Previous attendees include agility dogs who become so excited that they are unable to focus.

This course consists of 2 critical components:

• Part 1 is a 4-hour theory lecture with Q&A open to all participants

• Part 2 is 3-hour practical workshop with 5 dogs (open to all participants but only 5 participants will be selected to work with their dogs. Selection will be based on the dog's histories and suitability for the workshop environment. Participants whose dogs are not selected are invited to ask the instructor how to resolve their dog's problems during the Q&A section of the 4 hour theory lecture.)

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Programme

9am to 1pm: 4-hour theory lecture with Q&A (Questions invited from ALL participants)
2pm to 5pm: 3-hour practical workshop (Open to all participants as observers. Only 5 participants will be selected to work with their dogs)

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Workshop Description

Participants will develop their knowledge on understanding, overcoming and preventing problematic behaviours that our dogs perform during periods of arousal. Craig will focus on the communications behind the behaviours and the practical steps we can take to help the dogs in our care.

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Participants will work through an extremely informative and interactive work book guided by Craig. This covers a practical acronym based, step by step guide to follow when analysing and working towards overcoming problematic behaviours. We will learn how to avoid labelling the dogs in your care by dissecting problematic behaviours in to separate influencing components which will allow you to develop and implement an effective plan to work towards overcoming the behaviours.

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Participants working with their dogs at this workshop will then begin to put theory in to practice by working with Craig to lay some solid foundations which will allow you to work with your dog towards overcoming the problematic behaviour that the dog in your care is displaying. A practical guide that will continue to help you to efficiently evaluate and work towards overcoming problematic behaviours to improve the lives of both the dogs in your care and your students alike.

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Those interested to work with their dogs at this workshop should send over details of the problem behaviours they are experiencing before they pay and confirm their working space on the workshop.

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Learning objectives

• Learn how to dissect the problematic behaviours that our dogs engage in during states of arousal in to separate influencing components and develop an effective development plan to work towards overcoming them.

• Recognise the communications behind problematic behaviours.

• Overcome dog sport training and working dog training specific problematic behaviours

• Learn how to avoid over-arousal and improve learning experiences by altering antecedent arrangements and managing influencing factors.

• Implement practical efficient calming techniques to improve the day to day lives of the dogs and owners in your care.

• Understand the importance a positive reinforcers and their role in overcoming problematic behaviours

• Become skilled in recognising the considerations to make for successful learning to take place

• Benefit from the ability to recognise the influence that handler behaviours and emotions has on problematic behaviours and how to adjust these factors to change behaviours

• Use structured patterns to create predictability and consistency to change behaviour

• Develop the ability implement techniques that will include positive reinforcement, operant conditioning, classical conditioning, counter conditioning, differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviours and desensitisation.

INTERACTIVE PLAY DAY

Friday 6 December

9am - 5:30pm (Full Day)

Venue: Southern Obedience Dog Club

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Programme

9am to 11am: Interactive play workshop (capped 6 dogs)
12pm to 2pm: Theory lecture with Q&A (questions invited from ALL participants)
3:30pm to 5:30pm: Advanced play workshop (capped 6 dogs)

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Please note:

• In addition to this comprehensive Interactive Play Day (full day including lecture), shorter two-hour practical Interactive Play workshops will be held at Performance Dog on Thurs 5 Dec (without lecture). Details in the registration form.

Workshop Description

The workshop will be focused on the content of Craig’s extremely popular book the “Interactive Play Guide”, this offers a unique look at how we can implement a reinforcing play system that is based on our dogs making the choice to play and adjusting our technique to suit each dog as an individual.

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During the workshop we will take an interactive journey, looking at how to effectively adjust toy play to the reinforcement preferences of the specific dog that you are working with. Craig will talk and walk you through a proven, tried and tested step by step acronym-based system that will help you to use the joy of play to improve relationships, build confidence, create motivational focus and implement alternative forms of positive reinforcement. You will also learn how to avoid and overcome some of the common problems during play, such as over-arousal and problematic behaviours. Along with implementing these techniques into your behavioural consultations, training classes and even at home to help further enrich the lives of dogs and their owners.

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Learning objectives

• Learn how create structured, consistent, positive interactive play sessions with the dogs in your care.

• Develop the ability to adjust interactive play to suit each dog as an individual based on the evaluation of behaviour.

• Understand how to implement the joy of play to fulfil your dog’s natural desires, improve relationships, build confidence and increase motivational focus.

• Build an understanding of how to avoid and overcome problems during play such over-arousal and problematic behaviours.

• Incorporate the power of play into both behavioural and training settings.

• Implementing alternative forms of positive reinforcement into our dog’s lives.

• Gain the ability to communicate with your dog during structured periods of positive stimulation.

• Implementing structured periods of calm and alternative behaviours into your interactive play sessions to create behavioural predictability

• Learn how to problem solve when working with a variety of dogs and their owners.

• Take away a simple step by step system that will benefit you, the dogs in your care and your students.
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv6l1N2nDQE