Get SMART about Training
A seminar with Kathy Sdao MA, ACAAB
hosted by Dogs of Course and Zinn Dog Training
July 28, 2012 -
July 29, 2012
We are sorry, this course is closed at this time
Saturday & Sunday, July 28 & 29, 2012
Zinn Dog Training K9 Nose Work Center
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
9:00AM to 5:00PM
The seminar will be held at the co-host's facility. Zinn Dog Training's is a clean and well kept, matted 3000 sq ft facility with ample parking. The facility does not have air-conditioning. There will be fans to move the air if needed. The facility is located near major highways, hotels and restaurants.
This is a non-working seminar. However friendly, well-behaved, quiet dogs are welcome to attend on leash with their owners. See full information about dog policies under "Rules and Considerations".
Walk-ins welcomed at this seminar. Please see information under "Tuition and Registration."
Get SMART about Training
Over the last twenty years, many dog trainers have made efforts to increase their use of positive reinforcement while minimizing their use of painful or anxiety-provoking punishments. This evolution toward a more humane approach to modifying behavior has far-reaching impact on dogs and trainers alike. But when we opt to avoid using “sticks” to motivate our dogs, we must make a commitment to become SMART about the use of “carrots” – positive reinforcers. Trainers who understand the science and practical applications of behavioral reinforcement gain the ability to be more creative and less coercive.
The acronym SMART stands for “See, Mark and Reward Training”; it summarizes the fundamental sequence of behaviors a trainer performs when using reinforcement effectively. We’ll discuss in detail each of these core skills – observation of the animal’s behaviors, pinpointing the desired behavior with a meaningful marker signal, and providing powerful rewards.
Through use of lecture, video and a couple of live demonstrations, this seminar will explore all aspects of positive reinforcement: types, frequency, timing, placement, use of conditioned reinforcers, creation of new reinforcers, satiation, the use of distractions as reinforcers, and what reinforcement cannot accomplish.
Day 1:
Welcome & Intro
Brief review of operant conditioning
Operant conditioning & natural selection
Carrots & organic gardening: Why positive reinforcement?
Unconditioned vs conditioned reinforcers
Markers: characteristics & development
Reinforcement shifts the behavioral distribution
Creating new reinforcers
Day 2:
Preserving existing reinforcers
“Precious cues”; inadvertent chaining
Seeing behavior: setting your filter
What if environment offers better reinforcers than you have?
Placement of reinforcers
Limits of what reinforcement can do
Questions & wrap up
About Kathy Sdao:
Kathy Sdao is an associate certified applied animal behaviorist (ACAAB) (www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com ) who has spent 26 years as a full-time animal trainer, first with marine mammals and now with dogs and their people. As a graduate student at the University of Hawaii in the 1980s, she was part of a research team that trained dolphins to solve complex cognitive puzzles. She received a master’s degree in experimental psychology and was then hired by the United States Navy (Department of Defense) to train dolphins for applied open-ocean tasks. After that job, Kathy spent five years as 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, porpoises, sea lions, otters and polar bears. After leaving the zoo world, Kathy and a colleague created Tacoma’s first dog-daycare facility, Puget Hound Daycare, where Kathy first began teaching clicker-training classes for pet owners.
Since selling Puget Hound in 1998, Kathy has owned and managed Bright Spot Dog Training. Services include consulting with families about their challenging dogs, teaching private lessons to dogs and their owners, and coaching novices and professionals to cross over to positive-reinforcement training. In addition, she has trained animal actors, written for The Clicker Journal and for MSN’s dog-themed website, consulted with Guide Dogs for the Blind and for Susquehanna Service Dogs, served as a subject-matter expert for the Delta Society’s “Service Dog Education System” and instructed at the Instructor Training Course for Dogs of Course. And, in one of her sillier moments, Kathy appeared as the “Way Cool Scientist” on an episode of the television show Bill Nye the Science Guy. Kathy is proud to be one of the original faculty members for Karen Pryor’s long-running ClickerExpos and has taught at twenty of these conferences in the past decade.
Kathy has also traveled across the United States, Canada and Europe, and to Japan and Mexico, teaching students about the science of animal training. She enjoys sharing her passion for the incredible power of clicker training, confirmed over many years of working with so many species.
Kathy’s first book, Plenty in Life Is Free: Reflections on Dogs, Training and Finding Grace, is available from Dogwise; please see www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB1246 for details. To purchase or rent DVDs of previous seminars and workshops, please see Tawzer Dog’s website: http://bit.ly/yRJhZ6
6.5 CEUs each day for CPDTs and IAABC
6.5 CEUs for Colorado CVTs
Registration includes: seminar support materials, hot and cold beverages and light snacks. Participants are responsible for her/his own lunch.
Saturday and Sunday:
- $225 - Two full days on or before June 15, 2012
- $260 - Two full days after June 15, 2012
One day (Saturday or Sunday):
- $130 - One day on or before June 15, 2012
- $165 - One day after June 15, 2012
Walk-ins:
Cash Only. Please add $10/per day to the above prices.
Two days - $260 + $20 = $280
One day - $165 + $10 = $175
Group discounts available for 3 or more participants from the same business, shelter, or organization that register and pay together. Contact Dogs of Course to find out more.
Registration ends 5 days prior to the event or when registration limit is met.
Walk-in registration will be available if room permits for an additional $10/day. Walk-in registration is cash only. Check back on this page after July 23, 2012 to see if there is room for walk-ins.
Space is limited to approximately 75 people.
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
Please familiarize yourself with the Registration/ Refund Policy and the Waiver before signing up.
Make sure you understand ALL the fees and restrictions. Policies and rates may change from what is listed below.
La Quinta Inn Denver Golden
(303) 279-5565
1.9 miles away
Dogs allowed– no fees
Avg nightly rate: $69
Motel 6 Denver West Wheat Ridge North
(303) 424-0658
1.5 miles away
Dogs allowed – no fees
Avg nightly rate: $50
Marriott Towne Place Suites Denver West/Federal Center
(303) 232-7790
3.8 miles away
Dogs allowed - $100 non-refundable pet fee – limited rooms available
Avg nightly rate: $84
Residence Inn Denver West/Golden
(800) 283-1084
5.8 miles away
Dogs allowed - $100 nonrefundable sanitation fee
Avg nightly rate: $140
Days Inn and Suites Golden/West Denver
(303) 277-0200
5.2 miles away
No dogs allowed
Avg nightly rate: $69
Hampton Inn Hotel Golden
(303) 278-6600
6.3 miles away
No dogs allowed
Avg nightly rate: $89
Prospect RV Park
(303) 424-4414
0.9 miles away
Avg nightly rate: $30
Location
Zinn Dog Training K9 Nose Work Center
12200 W. 52nd Avenue, Unit 6
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
From I70 east:
Exit on Ward Avenue. Turn right off the highway onto 44th Avenue. Turn right onto Ward Avenue. Head north and turn right on 52nd Avenue.
From I70 west:
Exit on Ward Avenue. Turn right off the highway and head north to 52nd Avenue. Turn right.
From I25 north or south:
Take I70 west and follow above directions.
Area Airport:
Denver International Airport, 30.5 miles from the facility.
Pet Dogs: This is a non-working seminar. However, well-behaved, quiet, friendly dogs may be allowed to attend on a 6' leash or crated depending on the location and space limitations. During any/all demonstrations your dog may need to be crated, moved to the back of the room or put in your car as a courtesy for the dogs demonstrating. You are completely responsible for making sure your dog does not create distractions or disrupt the seminar. Aggressive or disruptive dogs will be asked to leave the seminar without refund if the owner misses the seminar. Please leave your dog home if you are not 100% sure he/she can be crated quietly away from you or relax quietly at your feet for a full 8 hour seminar. If you choose to travel with your dog, you are solely responsible for your dog's health, safety, and well-being. Please follow humane guidelines for weather related safety. Please contact Dana Zinn if you have questions about bringing your dog or want to crate your dog at the seminar.
Service Dogs: If you are traveling with your service dog please contact Dana Crevling or Dana Zinn at least two weeks before the event so we can plan for your attendance.
For your comfort:
- Please remember to dress in layers so you are responsible for your own comfort.
- You may bring a folding lawn/camping style chair for your comfort. Large lounge chairs with high backs must be in the back row.
- Bring paper, pen and something hard to write on for notes.
There will be a sales table with some of Kathy's DVDs and her new book. Cash or checks only.
Questions? Contact Dana Crevling at Crevling@dogsofcourse.com or leave a message at 508/529-3568 EST, 8am -7pm M-F. Messages will be returned within 2 business days.