Spotlight Spot Prerequisites:We will have approximately three (3) dog/handler teams. The active dog- caregiver teams should bring a bed, mat or crate (a functional and familiar "safe place"), a preferred water bowl by the dog and water that their dog prefers to drink, treats, anything else they want to bring that helps them and their dog. You have the option to attend with your dog or join as an observer. However, observers are kindly requested not to bring their dogs to the lab.

Description: Join Chirag for a practical, hands-on Lab where he will teach participants how to develop component skills that can be used to create more complex behaviors. In this interactive workshop, Chirag will work with up to three dog/handler teams, allowing participants to explore this topic in a practical way.

Chirag will begin by providing participants with a mystery box containing an item that their dogs will learn to engage with or operate. Through a step-by-step approach, Chirag will guide participants in building component units that will eventually form a larger interaction picture. This unique and engaging Lab offers a vast scope for practical applications in everyday behaviors and skills that we want our learners to acquire.

By the end of this Lab, participants will have gained valuable insights and techniques for fostering creativity and confidence in their learners. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your training skills and discover innovative ways to help your learners excel.

Description: Ken, Juliana, Chirag, and Kiki each bring a wealth of experience from their work with countless dogs. Now, for the first time, they come together to train new dogs and share their insights and inquiries as they unfold.
Backstage Pass offers a rare opportunity to witness real-time training sessions led by ClickerExpo Faculty and Speakers, complete with live narration of their actions and decisions. Watch unscripted, real-time training conducted by each speaker and hear their immediate observations. What are the thought processes of Ken, Juliana, Chirag, and Kiki as they work with unfamiliar animals? How do they question and provide constructive feedback to each other? What details do they find crucial, and which are irrelevant? What decisions are made, and what drives those choices? Would another trainer approach the session differently?

Backstage Pass is designed to sharpen the observation skills of every audience member. Observing, asking questions, and discussing training techniques can be tremendously helpful for all parties involved. However, it can also be challenging and perplexing. It requires many skills, including what to look for, how to interpret observations, and how to articulate observations effectively. What does skillful observation entail? How do you focus your thoughts and attention? What questions are relevant, and how do you provide feedback that aligns with the trainer’s intended goal?
Join Ken, Juliana, Chirag, and Kiki in this exploration designed to unveil the art of observation, critical thinking, and communication in training. Get your backstage pass to this unique experience and discover new ways to observe, think, and discuss training methods.

Spotlight Spot Prerequisites: We will have approximately six (6) dog/handler teams. Dogs should already understand the click/treat relationship, be comfortable with normal handling, and be able to work in close quarters with other dogs and people. Dogs that participate in or attend this Lab should not be aggressive towards other people or dogs. Dog/Handler teams should bring treats, a normal leash, and their typical walking gear (flat collar, harness, etc.). You can choose to participate with your dog or attend as an observer. However, observers should not bring their dogs to the lab.

Description: Polite greeting behavior in dogs involves more than whether they jump up or keep all four paws on the floor during petting by a new human friend. It encompasses the entire greeting routine, from the initial perception to the final goodbyes. The way we support our dogs through the beginning and end sequences in a greeting behavior chain can dramatically impact how they feel and behave during polite greeting opportunities. This Learning Lab will guide you in crafting a start-to-finish polite greeting interaction between your dog and friendly strangers. You will learn to design pre-greeting routines (including antecedent arrangements and associated environmental cues) and post-greeting reinforcement rituals (consequences) that work for you and your dog. Additionally, we'll explore how to apply these skills across various contexts, greeting types, and individual dog and human preferences.

Spotlight Spot Prerequisites: We will have approximately twelve (12) spots for participants who will work in groups. You may participate or you may attend as an observer. This Lab is for people; no need to bring your dogs—let them rest! The focus will be on trainer skills. To participate in this Lab, you are expected to attend the prerequisite session (Reinforcement Systems: Looking at Reinforcement Under the Microscope).

Description: Is rapid progress possible, even at the very beginning of training? According to Dr. Murray Sidman (2010), B. F. Skinner was able to achieve one-trial learning when teaching his rats to press a lever. This fast progress was due to Skinner's method of initially teaching his rats when reinforcement was available and how to access and consume the reinforcer.

Skinner recognized that he was teaching a behavior chain, as reinforcement involves a series of actions on the part of the learner. In applied animal training, reinforcement involves an interconnected chain of behaviors between a teacher and learner. How can we effectively teach these interconnected chains and achieve the rapid learning that Skinner observed with his rats?

This Learning Lab will be a follow-up session to Mary’s presentation on reinforcement systems. It will be a hands-on session involving small group activities and exercises using the shaping game PORTL. Participants will learn how to design reinforcement systems as interconnected chains and how to use backward chaining to teach reinforcement systems efficiently and with minimal errors.

Description: When you buy a horse, chances are that horse has experienced “normal” command-based, do-it-or-else training. So, when you ask your horse to join you in routine practices such as grooming, haltering, leading, lunging, saddling, and, most importantly riding, you may encounter a sullen response or even an outright “no” to your invitation. In this Session, we’ll explore some creative strategies for transforming these crossover horses into willing participants. We’ll examine the difference between passive participation and active participation. Saddling is a great way to see the difference between these two training approaches. Both use positive reinforcement and break the training down into many small steps. The key difference is the role the horse plays in the process, as illustrated by the outcome. In passive participation, the horse stands quietly while the handler approaches and puts a saddle on his back. In active participation, the handler stands quietly holding the saddle up in the air, and the horse comes over and puts himself under the saddle. He essentially “dresses” himself. Active participation doesn’t just create behaviors that are fun to “show off.” It helps transform the emotional response a horse may have to many important activities that have been spoiled by previous experiences. In this Session, we’ll look at some fun active-participation techniques to transform haltering, bridling, foot care, saddling, lunging and getting on at the mounting block into activities the horse truly can say "yes" to.