Choosing Your Courses
LIVE (virtual) • January 26 - 28, 2024
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 Your Interests
Interested in courses on a particular topic? Each of the courses in the program has one or more identifying topics that indicate the focal point(s) of the course. Below is a summary of these identifying topics and their meanings.
Aggression & Behavior Management
Courses relevant for people working with behavior issues including, but not limited to, management of reactivity and aggression
Business
Courses for professional trainers looking to sustain and grow their businesses
Competition
Canine sports and competition courses
Equine
Courses developed specifically for horse trainers and owners
Health & Wellness
Courses related to optimal health and wellness practices, including canine conditioning
Human
Courses related to the use of behavior technology and it’s human application
Other Species
Explores working with species other than dogs, horses and humans - such as birds, cats, lemurs, and more!
Science
Courses that look at skill-building and knowledge through the lens of behavioral science
Shelter & Rescue Work
Issues common to shelter and rescue work
Skill
Training skills and knowledge critical to trainers’ continued skill development
Teaching Others
Skills and knowledge related to teaching people
Veterinary
Skill development and knowledge useful in veterinary environments
General
Covering a range of topics (for example, ClickerExpo’s opening and closing presentations)
Sponsor
Course offered by one of the conference sponsors
2. Assess your skill and
knowledge level
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.
Intermediate
Intermediate courses are intended for attendees with 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 are intended for students with a solid understanding of learning theory and the vocabulary of training and operant conditioning, as well as considerable experience in applying these techniques.
Advanced courses assume that attendees teach behaviors through shaping and targeting routinely, have many behaviors reliably on cue, have built small behavior chains, and know how to rename cues.
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
Dem-OH!
Learn about a training topic and watch it come to life! Live demonstrations from world-class trainers working with their animals or with colleagues’ animals from around the globe. Includes demonstrations, presentation, and audience Q&A.
Learning Lab
Participate from home alongside trainers and teachers and your animals! Practice the exercises with your own animals during designated working times or sign up for one of the limited Spotlight spots to also get coaching from the presenter(s) in view of the virtual audience. Includes audience Q&A and, usually, a presentation and a live demonstration, too!
Webinar
Prefer a traditional online presentation? We’ve got those, too! These courses are for attendees who like learning from a webinar-style presentation, with time for Q&A.
Bonus Time
Ask questions or be a fly on the wall and listen to a spontaneous and candid conversation about training—and anything else that comes up. It's Bonus Time!
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!
Courses in the Conference Program are color coded so that you can easily tell the course format.
Important!
ClickerExpo LIVE registration includes access to all courses PLUS access to all the conference course recordings for one year. Conference recordings are expected to be available within one week of the event.
There are limited Spotlight Spots in Learning Labs that require pre-registration to get coaching from the presenter(s) in view of the virtual audience. There is a maximum of 1 Spotlight Spot per registrant.
- Some Learning Labs are meant for you to work with your animal. Those Labs have limited Animal/Handler Spotlight Team spots for $21.95.
- Others are meant to develop your skills and are for humans only. Those Labs have Spotlight Participants (no charge).
Make sure to read the course descriptions and Learning Lab prerequisites fully.
Prefer to work with your animal off-camera without Faculty feedback, or simply observe? That’s fine too!
