APDTNZ Spring ONE DAY CONFERNCE RECORDINGS

SEMINAR 1 - Staying Safe in Aggression Cases

Mike Shikashio

Dog bites can present serious ramifications, especially when under the supervision of a dog training professional. Before working an aggression case, it is crucial to ensure safety for all involved by setting the environment incorporating best practices. Proficiency in the requisite defensive handling techniques is also critical to mitigating disastrous outcomes. Michael will be discussing the safety considerations to have in place before working an aggression case and showcasing a variety of defensive handling skills that can be employed in emergency scenarios!


SEMINAR 2 - Ready, Set, Emotion!

Mike Shikashio

Determining what is motivating a dog to display aggressive behavior is essential to ensure we are applying the most impactful behavior change strategies in our aggression cases. Michael will highlight the emotions that influence dog aggression, what they look like, and why they matter. This session will include videos of dogs displaying body language and behavior that is indicative of certain underlying emotions, and what we can do as practitioners to help our clients and their dogs in aggression cases!


SEMINAR 3 - Getting more clients and students

Veronica Boutelle

Gina Pharias

But not just any clients and students. It’s about the joy of working with clients and students you love– the ones who are the perfect fit for you, the ones who light you up and give you energy instead of draining it. The ones who respect your expertise and your policies, who follow your instructions, who are actively willing to invest the time and energy and money necessary to reach their training goals, even if those investments are a stretch. In this talk Dogbiz coaches Gina Phairas and Veronica Boutelle share the 4 keys to drawing those perfect-fit clients to your door. Don’t worry if marketing isn’t your thing, because this isn’t your typical marketing talk. Getting more of your perfect clients isn’t as simple as that. Let’s talk about building your business for your perfect clients. And let’s talk about building a business that’s perfect for you, too– one that allows you to fully enjoy your life as a +R dog trainer.


SEMINAR 4 - Chronic Pain & Behaviour

Dr Kat Gregory

Pain has a direct & indirect influence on behavioural expression. Pain itself causes changes in physiology, but it is also an indicator that there is something wrong that requires investigation. Chronic pain is maladaptive. If an animal is painful the more obvious functional responses may be avoidant, or confrontational in nature. More subtle behavioural responses to pain may not be initially perceived as problematic, but are indicators that the animal could be painful. Chronic pain can alter an individual’s response to environmental stimuli. The magnitude of a dog’s response may seem out of proportion to a given stimulus, or out of context in a given environment. Pain is both a physical & an emotional experience for the individual animal. This presentation will focus on chronic pain, its influence on behaviour – and the collaborative team approach in diagnosis, assessment & treatment that is critical in enhancing the welfare of the individual.


SEMINAR 5 - Is it separation or not!

Kelly McFarlane

Separation anxiety has become a very common term both by trainers and the general public. Do you know the difference between hyper attachment, barrier frustration and some of the weird and wonderful separation issues? If not, no problem, Kelly will share cases and video footage of dogs she has worked with. Discuss how you can set up assessments to gather the information required to determine the issue the dog has and how to set up a realistic plan for your clients.