I love going to seminars, and as a result, I go to as many as I can afford. I then come home and write eleventy billion posts (that's the official number) about what I learned. I do this because I learn best by writing, both when I take the notes originally, and then again when I organized them into blog posts. As it turns out, people love to read my notes from seminars, so it's a win/win for us all!
Finding Seminars
I find seminars in a variety of ways. If I'm interested in a particular trainer/speaker, I will go to their website. Often, it will include a link to upcoming seminars. There are also a number of websites that list upcoming seminars. Here are the ones I use:
Dog Seminars Directory
IAABC Listing
CCPDT Listing (Click on Continuing Education in Menu)
Dog Seminars on Yahoo Groups
Dogs of Course's Calendar
Puppy Works Events
Narnia Pets (Chicago)
Upcoming Seminars
These are the seminars I'm thinking about attending:
Jane Killion: Pigs Fly, February 18-19, 2012, Minneapolis, MN
K-9 Nosework, June 9-10, 2012, Rochester, MN
Kathy Sdao: So Many Choices, October 6-7, 2012, Urbandale, IA
Shedd Aquarium's Animal Training Seminar (with Ken Ramirez), August 20-25, 2012, Chicago, IL
Denise Fenzi, December 1-2, 2012, Rochester, MN
Seminars I've Attended
Patricia McConnell, December 2008
Dog-dog aggression (no notes- pre-blog)
Pat Miller, March 2009
Canine body language, creating and implementing behavior modification plans, reactivity and aggression, and the top five mistakes positive trainers make (no notes- pre-blog)
Suzanne Clothier, March 2010
Introduction
The Elemental Questions
Structure and Function
Working with Reactive Dogs: The auto check-in.
Performance Dogs, Their Personalities, and Reactivity
The Trial Environment and Reactivity
Humane Training
Where Clicker Trainers Go Wrong
Wrap Up
Pat Miller, April 2010
Functional Analysis
Two Ways to Treat Aggression
Control Unleashed, with Alexa Karaoulis, August 2010
Whiplash Turns
Reorienting
Leave It
Look at That!
Off-Switch Games
Give Me a Break
Final Thoughts
Ian Dunbar, October 2010
Introduction
Don't Waste Puppyhood!
Socialization and Bite Inhibition
Problems in the Adult Dog
Aggression
Is Learning Theory Useful for Dog Trainers?
Providing Feedback to Our Dogs
Punishment, the Dog-Con System, and Instructive Reprimands
Types of Reward Based Training
Lure-Reward Training Done Correctly
Train the Opposite to Solve Behavior Problems
Off Leash Reliability
Wrap Up
Clicker Expo 2011 (Chicago)
Overview and Introduction
Karen Pryor: Punishment and the Public
Ken Ramirez: Aggression Treatment and Context, Part 1 and Part 2
Kathy Sdao: You're in Great Shape
Kathy Sdao: What a Cue Can Do, Part 1 and Part 2
Kathy Sdao: The All Seeing I
Cecilie Koste: Top OTCh
Cecilie Koste: Efficient Training
Helix Fairweather: Data-Driven Training
Kay Laurence: Raising Criteria
Eva Bertilsson and Emelie Johnson Vegh: Let's Make Some Noise! (Building Confidence)
Patricia McConnell: Emotions and Our Dogs
Sarah Kalnajs, April 2011
Body Language Overview
Signs of Stress
Anticipatory Behaviors
Appeasement Signals
Distance Increasing Behaviors
Distance Decreasing Behaviors
How to Greet a Dog
Stress in Dogs
The Canine Risk Assessment
Denise Fenzi, July 2011
Introduction
Drives and Why They Matter
Be the Bunny: How to Tug with Your Dog
The Only Thing You Can Take in the Ring: On Relationships
Work is a Privilege
Our Working Spot
Ken Ramirez and Kathy Sdao, July 2011
Introduction
Ken on Non-Food Reinforcers
Ken's Strategies for Solving Problems
Kathy: Good Foundations
Kathy on Classical Conditioning: Implementation Errors
Kathy: CC FAQs
Patricia McConnell, October 2011
What is a Dog?
The Interplay of Genetics and Environment
Behaviors with a Genetic Component
What Science Tells Us About Puppy Development
Dominance
Emotions in Dogs
Canine Cognition
Communication
Science Based Training
Jane Killion, February 2012
Introduction
Reinforcement Training
Shaping
Attention is a Behavior
Overcoming Training Challenges
Thoughts on Reactivity
K9 Nosework, June 2012
Introduction
Getting Started
Next Steps
Trials: An Option, but not the Goal
