Choosing Your Courses
Chicago • March 14 - 16, 2025
There are courses available for every experience level and nearly every area of interest. This guide will help you navigate your choices and make the most of your ClickerExpo experience. You do not need to reserve a spot for most courses, so you can register without knowing your full schedule. Follow these easy steps to make the right course choices!
1. Define the themes that interest you
This year at ClickerExpo, courses are labeled into Themes. Themes are an easy way for you to locate all the courses we offer on the topics of interest to you! Our largest Themes—Expanding Skills and Expanding Minds, the beating heart of ClickerExpo—help you determine which courses to take.
- Mix and match. Unlike other conferences, you are not locked into any Theme! Your registration is open-ended, so you can participate in courses from as many Themes as you like.
- Choice, simplified. Themes are a convenient way to navigate the many course choices at ClickerExpo and to easily find the courses that match your areas of interest. Filter by Theme and see the titles, descriptions, faculty, skill level, and schedule of all the courses in that Theme.
- Find your Dream Themes. There are 10 Themes at ClickerExpo. See the list below and go to the Program page to begin filtering by Themes.
Expanding Minds
Deepen your understanding of training and behavior change science and practice. These courses showcase innovative perspectives, amplify new angles, create new connections and amplify nuance. These courses assume a solid working knowledge of R+ training and are frequently cross-referenced with another, even more specific, Theme.
Expanding Skills
Designed to expand your repertoire of skills, these courses showcase innovative approaches, refinement of techniques, new protocols, or new perspectives. These courses assume a solid working knowledge of R+ training and are frequently cross-referenced with another, even more specific, Theme.
Aggression & Behavior Management
These courses are for trainers working with behavior issues including, but not limited to, management of reactivity and aggression.
Solutions for Common Challenges
These courses provide innovative solutions for specific, commonly encountered, and persistently difficult-to-solve training and teaching challenges.
Behavioral Science
These courses look at building training knowledge and skill through the lens of applied behavior analysis and behavioral science.
High-Performance Training
These courses help build the skills and knowledge needed for performance in environments where outcomes are measured and results matter—whether on stage, in the ring, or in the field.
Cooperative Care / Veterinary
These courses focus on skill development and knowledge useful in husbandry and medical procedures, both at home and in veterinary environments.
Shelters
These courses address the issues common to shelter environments and rescue work.
Teaching Others
These courses help build the skills and knowledge for being a more effective and more satisfied teacher of others, including clients and colleagues in individual, group, and online settings.
Office Hours
These are open Q&A sessions with Faculty and Speakers.
Themes in the Conference Program are filterable so that you can easily find the themes that interest you.
2. Assess your skill and
knowledge level
To help guide attendees on interesting, appropriate, and useful courses, our courses are labeled with a skill level. Please note that the assigned label represents the level of skill, at a minimum, needed to feel like if you are in the class, you will not be “in over your head”. For example, if a class is labeled Intermediate, it is also well suited for trainers that meet the Advanced criteria as well as Trainers that meet the Intermediate criteria.
We have also created our Core Curriculum for those new to ClickerExpo or animal training or looking for a refresh. It is a day-by-day guide to our recommended core courses during the three days of ClickerExpo Chicago.
All Levels
- Some All Levels courses give attendees the opportunity to explore aspects of training and behavior to which they rarely have access.
- Other All Levels courses are appropriate for everyone because they teach a set of skills or provide information that everyone needs but few have developed.
- Still other All Levels courses address a specialty topic that will be interesting and informative no matter what your experience level.
Foundation
Foundation courses are intended for attendees not yet familiar with and comfortable applying the basic methods and science of positive reinforcement training.
Students may already have had some formal education and may have some experience in animal training. Even if you are an expert in a related field, such as veterinary medicine, the Foundation rating refers solely to your training expertise and, in particular, to your knowledge of, and experience applying the science, tools, and methods of positive reinforcement training.
Pro-Tip! If you are new to clicker training (even if you are very experienced in other dog/animal training areas), check out our Core Curriculum - a day-by-day guide to our recommended courses during the three days of ClickerExpo Chicago. In some time slots, you may see more than one choice—no worries! Choose the one that seems to be the best fit for you.
Intermediate
Intermediate courses assume that attendees have a working knowledge of the vocabulary of clicker training and operant conditioning. Students should have already learned to train basic behaviors with a marker signal, know how to put behaviors on cue, and have several behaviors with their dogs solidly on cue.
Note that Intermediate Learning Labs often require that participating Animal/Handler Spotlight Teams have specific training and skills.
Advanced
Advanced courses assume attendees have a solid understanding of learning theory and the vocabulary of training and operant conditioning, as well as considerable experience in applying these techniques and teaching others. Advanced courses often offer students refinements of techniques, evolving perspectives on science, a focus application of training and behavior change under specific conditions, and help elevate the teaching of other people.
Advanced courses assume that attendees routinely train by shaping and targeting, have many behaviors reliably on cue, have built behavior chains, know how to rename cues, understand antecedent arrangements, can problem solve effectively, draw up and adjust training plans and so forth.
Note that the dog you work with in an Advanced Learning Lab should be accustomed to the shaping process and know how to initiate behavior and try new things without prompting or luring. Learning Labs often require participating Animal/Handler Spotlight Teams to have specific training and skills. Please do not try to work with less experienced dogs in these Labs.
3. Review the program
Session
Dive into a topic through a dynamic presentation that incorporates lecture, videos, and PowerPoint. Some Sessions may also include opportunities for audience participation.
Learning Lab
Learning Labs offer a unique opportunity to work with your dog or observe others working with dogs, all while being guided by the experienced ClickerExpo faculty. Certain Learning Labs are for humans only, as indicated in the course descriptions. You must pre-register for any dog/handler or participant spot in a Learning Lab prior to ClickerExpo, as space is limited. However, no pre-registration is necessary to observe!
Backstage Pass (Dem-OH!)
A dynamic on-stage, real-time live training demonstration from several of the ClickerExpo Faculty and Speakers working with attendees’ dogs and possibly attendees as well. Volunteer on the fly or in advance, depending on the course. It includes demonstrations, presentations, and audience Q&A. Each Backstage pass has a distinct training focus.
Office Hours
The Trainers are In. Come ask your questions and get to know ClickerExpo Faculty and Speakers better as they team up for an informal, open Q&A with attendees. Dogs are welcome and can become part of the conversation.
Key Conversations
On-stage discussions between two faculty members on important topics within the training community. Engage in audience Q&A sessions and delve into thoughtful dialogues focused on specific themes that will enrich your training mindset and journey.
Symposium
Short presentations on a single topic by multiple faculty members, followed by a moderated discussion exploring differences, similarities, and distinctions. Topics are chosen for this format when skilled trainers have diverse approaches to an important process, objective, technique, or concept important to R+ training.
Let’s Talk! (Panel Discussions)
Delve into a specific topic in a moderated discussion with a panel of speakers gathered together on our virtual stage, with time for audience Q&A. Ready for lively discussion, unique perspectives, and the expertise of those who are the best at what they do? Let’s Talk!
Important!
- Sessions, Panels, Backstage Passes, Office Hours, Key Conversations, Symposiums, and observer spots in Learning Labs are open seating, so you can register for the conference without knowing your full schedule! Some Learning Labs have Participant Spots that require registration, others are open to all. Make sure to read the description to find out what is required.
- You must reserve Dog/Handler and Participant spots in Learning Labs beforehand. These spots are limited so we recommend reserving your Lab spots when you register. (This is especially true if you are coming with and planning on working with your dog!)
Sessions
- Open seating. Unlimited access to Sessions is included with your registration.
- Sessions are a primary teaching vehicle at ClickerExpo. Sessions are delivered by ClickerExpo faculty members in dynamic, multimedia presentations via lecture, on-stage demonstrations, video, and PowerPoint. Some Sessions may include participation exercises for individuals or small groups.
- In a couple of cases, a Session has a supporting, related Learning Lab that you may want to attend either as a participant or as an observer.
Learning Labs
Learning Labs offer a unique opportunity to work with your dog, work on your skills, or observe others working with dogs, all while being guided by the experienced ClickerExpo Faculty and Speakers.
- Some Learning Labs are meant for you to work with your dog. Those Labs have limited Dog/Handler Team spots for $19.95. You must pre-register for any Dog/Handler Team spot in a Learning Lab before arriving at ClickerExpo, as space is limited.
- Others are meant to develop your skills and are for humans only, as indicated in the course descriptions. There are limited Participant Learning Lab spots that also require pre-registration to reserve a spot to get one-on-one coaching from ClickerExpo Faculty and Speakers. These spots cost $9.95.
- All other human only Learning Labs and Observer spots in Learning Labs are open to all who would like to attend, no pre-registration is required.
We recommend taking a close look at the Learning Lab descriptions to figure out which ones are which! Remember, no pre-registration is necessary to observe!
