Special Events at Wag More Barn
Coming up:
Learning About Border Collies:
Oct 16
with Kay Laurence
Many sports enthusiasts are choosing the multi-talented collie, or sheepdog, to partner them in a variety of activities. From Agility to Freestyle, from Obedience to Tracking, the collies will do their best to enjoy and fully participate in the training and competition.
We employ their inherited talents; such as supreme concentration, athleticism, mental and physical stamina and enthusiasm to learn and tailor these skills to our sport's requirements. In the same package other talents can interfere with the very skills we are trying to develop, such as over arousal, response to uncontrolled activity, using prey behaviours.
This workshop focusses on teaching you about the "whole package" and learning to use ALL their talents to create a balanced partner. A critical part of developing a healthy collie is to teach relaxation and find the "off" switch.
On the day there is an opportunity to work with some of the dogs to explore their particular talents and look at some rehabilitation strategies. Whatever breed we select we can never dismiss or ignore the selective breeding that has captured the characteristics we desire. The inherited behaviours have been fixed, multiplied in strengthened over many hundreds of generations in Border Collies and cannot be tossed away as “inconvenient” just because you do not personally need them.
Breeds that have roots going back of hundreds of years are specialists and you can no more stop a Setter or Spaniel enjoying the air, than stop a collie wanting to control movement.
Suppression of these inherited behaviours can lead to a distortion of their personalities, immeasurable frustration and a lifetime of conflict between you and the dog.
Learning about Border Collies, and the associated working sheepdogs or heading dogs, can help you understand how they are designed, why you have specific behaviours that seem contrary to popular understanding, and why many of the regular training solutions seem ineffective. Using their inherited skills is probably the most reinforcing opportunity they can have. This passion, that often needs no external reinforcer, needs to be channelled towards your chosen activities, not pushed aside. You can use their skills to enhance existing behaviours, remove frustration, and as the perfect reinforcer. No sheep are needed, balls make wonderful substitutes.
Once you let your Border Collie BE a Border Collie, they enjoy life much more, seem more balanced and content within themselves.
What’s New in Dog Training:
Jun 26
with Kay Laurence
Focus on “Training is a process not an event”. Encouraging clients to look at managing their dogs as a long term process and move away from quick fixes.
Looking at the underpinning science behind many of the techniques used in every classes and assessing their effectiveness. In particular developing social skills and familiarisation.
Teaching people to go beyond the mechanics of a behaviour and assess their dog’s state of mind, relationship and energy levels. Making changes that effect the outcomes they are looking for through understanding, not suppression, of behaviour.
A range of teaching exercises to keep motivation levels high whilst at the same time ensuring good quality learning happens.
What’s New in Clicker Training:
Jun 27
with Kay Laurence & Helen Phillips
It’s changing all the time, we learn more, we improve, we communicate more effectively.
In particular looking at The Effective Click, through setting up error-free learning. Instead of hoping the dog will find the behaviour you are looking for, with the right energy, quality and understanding, we now look at the set up that more precisely stimulates the behaviour and how the reinforcement placement and delivery can affect this.
Helen Phillips will look at the difference between adding a click to traditional teaching and how a change in mindset will approach the teaching of behaviour in a completely different way.
A synopsis of what’s happening in the Clicker World from the 2010 presentation at the Karen Pryor Clicker Expo
Learning About Play
Jul 11
Nature’s class room provides us with excellent opportunities for learning. This day will look at several learning games that use the natural skills of the dog in their chosen learning format.
How to build fitness and motor skills
Building relationships, deepening understand of natural behaviours
Identifying the learning that happens - for good and bad when you play with your dog.
Ideal for those that teach classes, work with rehabilitation - both physical and mental, and preparing rescue dogs for a new start.
Learning About Canine Chiropractic: Jul 31
with Dr Emma Fretwell
Dr Emma Fretwell is a Chiropractor for people, dogs, horses and other animals. Emma has been qualified for 10 years, recently being the second person in UK to gain the advanced certification with the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association. During that time she has run various clinics, including being team adviser to the Endurance horse teams GB, treating both the horse and the rider as one unit. Recently, she has appointed Team Chiropractor for the Kennel Club National teams for Dog Agility and Dog Obedience, which involves travelling with the teams to the European Games and World Games later this year.
In this workshop, Emma will be guiding us through the canine neuromusculoskeletal systems (nerves, muscles and bones) showing us what problems occur and why. This will include sports injuries, breed specific problems, sport specific problems, and general skeletal problems that our dogs can suffer. She will also be able to show how we can avoid some of these problems, and if our dogs are suffering, how we can control, manage and rehabilitate our canine friends.
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