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"WOW". What an amazing speaker Kathy is. You hear stuff -- she's good, blah blah blah, but I really had no idea what a treat I was in store for..... My head is still spinning.

- CF CPDT
Kathy has inexhaustible intellectual curiosity which is infectious. She has a wonderful sense of humor& really engaged the audience.

- Anonymous

Dogs of Course


So Many Choices:
A workshop for trainers and dogs

with Kathy Sdao MA, CAAB (associate)


 The Coventry School. Inc.
(16 miles from Baltimore, 32 miles from Washington, DC)
November 20 - 21, 2010
Saturday and Sunday 
9:00am-5:00pm 

Date and Location
  • November 20 - 21, 2010 in Columbia, MD

The seminar will be held at The Coventry School, Inc. inside their heated/air-conditioned facility. Training will be in the 5000 sq. foot training room on a rubber matted floor. The lecture portion will be in an adjoining room.

Bring a comfortable chair, something hard to write on, and dress in layers. Full information will be in the registration confirmation.

 

So Many Choices: A workshop for trainers and dogs

Dog training is an activity designed to elicit, modify and control the behaviors of dogs. It requires cognitive skill as well as physical skill and it obliges trainers to make seemingly endless choices about methods, tools and priorities. From the initial choice of how to “get” the desired dog-behavior to occur, to later decisions about how to integrate the learned behavior into the dog’s repertoire and daily life, the trainer must consider practicality, expediency and the dog’s emotional welfare.

We trainers aspire to make the best choices possible. And so we continue to educate ourselves, by studying the science, by watching great trainers in action, by brainstorming ideas and then trying them out with our own dogs, and by discussing concepts with our colleagues. This workshop will include all these activities. We’ll combine lecture segments about the practical application of SMART (See, Mark and Reward Training) with plenty of dog-training exercises, demonstrations, games and time for questions. Think of this workshop as a chance to participate in a two-day “trainers’ think tank.”

Dogs at all levels of training are welcome. Owner will choose from exercise options based on the dog's skill level.
 

Ways to Participate:

Working Participants with your dog (limited: 28 - 30) 

Working Participants must sign-up for both days.

You and your dog will be paired with another handler/dog team during training exercises. You and your training partner will take turns alternating working the dogs. We ask that you only bring one dog as the training sessions build on each other. There will be multiple training sessions each day.  

You may request a working partner or we will randomly assign you. All team requests must be requested NO LATER than 14 days before the workshop.

Requirement for working participants - Dogs must have basic manners, be controllable, and have some experience training/working with the owner. Dogs of all ages and levels of training are welcome.

Dogs must be able to stay quietly in a crate or ex-pen out of owners sight in another room during lecture times. She/He must be tolerant of people and dogs walking by or working in close proximity. No reactive dogs. Questions? Contact Dana.

Lab Assistants/Auditors (Limit: 40)

If your dog does not meet the requirements, or you prefer to observe, come and watch the dogs and handlers work and participate in the conversation. Auditors may be assigned a working team to participate/assist for the exercises. You may request a specific team to be on or we will randomly assign you. All team requests must be requested NO LATER than 14 days before the workshop.

Auditors, please leave your dogs at home or in the car if appropriate and absolutely necessary. Auditors dogs will not be allowed in the building due to space considerations.


13 CEUs for CPDT-KAs
13 CEUs for IAABC
 

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Check out our early registration rates!

Registration includes: seminar support materials, beverages and snacks. Lunch is optional.

Working Participants (with dog) must sign up for both days

  • $240 - Two days, register and pay on or before September 20, 2010

  • $280 - Two days, register and pay after September 20, 2010
     

  • Optional lunch is available for $10/day. Sandwiches, dessert, beverages on Saturday. Soup, salad, dessert, beverages on Sunday. We can not accommodate special dietary requirements beyond a vegetarian selection.
     

Auditor (without dog)

  • $90 - One day, register and pay on or before September 20, 2010

  • $160 - Two days, register and pay on or before September 20, 2010
     

  • $120 - One day, register and pay after September 20, 2010

  • $200 - Two days, register and pay after September 20, 2010
     

  • Optional lunch is available for $10/day. Sandwiches, dessert, beverages on Saturday. Soup, salad, dessert, beverages on Sunday. We can not accommodate special dietary requirements beyond a vegetarian selection.
     

  • Group discounts for auditors available for more than 3 participants from the same business/shelter. Contact Dana Crevling to find out more.

Registration ends 5 days prior to the event or when registration limit is met. Registration at the door may be available for auditors ONLY depending on space. Check back at this page for walk-in registration information after preregistration ends. There will be a small additional charge for walk-in registration if available.

You may pay for tuition by:

  • Personal or Bank Check

  • Paypal - using your account or opening a new account

  • Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover through PayPal's secure system

Complete payment information will come up on the screen after you complete registration. General Payment Information

If the seminar does not meet the minimum (35 participants) and must be cancelled, currently registered participants will be refunded the full amount without penalty. Please familiarize yourself with the Registration/ Refund Policy and the Waiver before signing up.

Register now

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As a graduate student at the University of Hawaii in the 1980's, Kathy was part of a team that trained dolphins to solve complex cognitive puzzles. These dolphin "mind games" were part of intensive research into how animals think and process language. After receiving a master's degree in experimental psychology, she was hired by the U.S. Navy to train dolphins for applied open-ocean tasks.

Kathy Sdao has earned a living as a full-time animal trainer for the past 22 years, first with marine mammals and now with dogs and their people. Kathy was a marine mammal trainer at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. There she expanded her training skills by working with beluga whales, walruses, sea lions, polar bears and otters. Years later, Kathy and another zookeeper left their jobs to create Tacoma's first dog daycare facility, Puget Hound Daycare. This is where Kathy began teaching group classes for pet owners. 

Since leaving Puget Hound in January 1999, Kathy has been lecturing nationally on operant conditioning, sharing her passion for the science of training, and the awesome power of clicker training she has experienced with so many species. She is a dynamic instructor with infectious enthusiasm that will keep you on the edge of your seat! In 2004, her speaking engagements include presenting “Know Way, Know How,” a three-day workshop hosted by Dogs of Course, Karen Pryor’s “ClickerExpos” and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers annual conference.

At home in Tacoma, WA, Bright Spot Dog Training’s services include: teaching private lessons to dogs and their owners, consulting with families about their “difficult” dogs, coaching novices and professionals to cross-over to clicker training and chaperoning doggie field trips to local parks. She also has trained animal actors, written for The Clicker Journal and the APDT Newsletter, served as a subject matter expert for the Delta Society's Service Dog Education System, conducted rat-training camp for Terry Ryan's DogSense, instructed at Dogs of Course’s Instructor Training Course and appeared as the "Way Cool Scientist" on an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy! 

As a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Kathy is available for private lessons and classes, day and evening workshops, coaching for instructors who want to bring clicker training to their students, and consultations for behavior issues through her business, Bright Spot Dog Training.

Kathy lives with her two rescue dogs; Effie, a sweet and intense foxhound and Nick, an Aussie-cross that came to her with serious aggression issues.

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No audio or videotaping the lectures, please.

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Directions and Travel Information

Hotel Information:

If you are attending a working seminar, CHECK PET POLICIES BEFORE MAKING RESERVATIONS! Make sure you understand ALL the fees and restrictions. Policies and rates may change from what is listed below.

Red Roof Inn
8000 Washington Blvd.
Jessup, MD 20794
3 miles away
Phone: 410-796-0380
Room Rate: $69 and up
Dogs allowed - no pet fee
Website: http://www.redroof.com

La Quinta Inn & Suites - Jessup
7300 Crestmount Road
Jessup, MD 20794
4 miles away
Phone: (410) 799-1500
Room Rate: $67 and up
Dogs allowed - no pet fee

Studio Plus
6620 Eli Whitney Drive
Columbia, MD 21046
1 mile away
Phone: (410) 312-1557
Room Rate: $80 -$140
Dogs allowed - $25/night pet fee
Website: http://www.studioplus.com

Extended Stay - Columbia/Laurel
8550 Washington Blvd.
Jessup MD, 20794
3 miles away
Phone: 301-725-3877
Room Rate: $90 -$140
Dogs allowed - $25/night pet fee
Website: http://www.studioplus.com

Extended Stay - Columbia 100 Parkway
8870 Columbia 100 Pkwy.
Columbia MD, 21045
5.5 miles away
Phone: (410) 772-8800
Room Rate: $100 -$140
Dogs allowed - $25/night pet fee
Website: http://www.studioplus.com

Extended Stay Deluxe - Columbia Corporate Park
8890 Stanford Blvd.
Columbia MD, 21045
2 miles away
Phone: ((410) 872-2994
Room Rate: $110 -$140
Dogs allowed - $25/night pet fee
Website: http://www.studioplus.com
 

Driving Directions:

The Coventry School, Inc
7165 Oakland Mills Road
Columbia, MD 21046
410-381-1800
www.thecoventryschool.com


From Route 95: Take the MD-175 Exit, Exit 41A-B, toward Jessup/Columbia. Merge onto MD0175W via Exit 41B toward Columbia. Go 1.3 miles to the Snowden River parkway ramp. Turn left on Snowden River Parkway go 1.3 miles. Turn left onto Oakland Mills Road and go .4 miles.

From Route 32:Take Broken Land Parkway North Exit, Exit 14, toward Owen Brown. Merge onto Broken Land Parkway. Then slight right onto Snowden River Parkway - go 1.2 miles. Turn right onto Oakland Mills Road and go .4 miles.

 

Area Airports:

  • Baltimore-Washington Int. Airport Airport, 14 miles from facility

  • Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, 35 miles from facility

  • Washington/Dulles Airport, 48 miles from facility

 

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