Is your dog brilliant at home but shuts down at the show? Does he bark and lunge at people or dogs? Is she afraid of the teeter? Is the judge too much pressure? Does he get zoomies or leave you to go sniffing in the ring? Does she seem generally stressed out?

Join Amy Cook as she teaches you to use social play to help your dog.

All of these common behaviors can be addressed through understanding basic rehabilitation principles. For a pet dog, dealing with behavior challenges is a good idea. For a competition dog, it’s non-negotiable. Our goal is to make your dog enthusiastic about performance (and life!) so he can enjoy himself!

The​ ​Play​ ​Way​ is Amy Cook’s method of helping shy and fearful dogs, whether pets or performance dogs, overcome behavioral issues to live a happier, less-stressed life. Rather than focusing on food and classical/counter conditioning, Amy has established a more nuanced process that revolves around play. She will show you why play is a reliable method of judging a dog’s true behavioral thresholds, while being equally effective at supporting a dog to make emotional change. Play is both an indicator of stress and an intervention for stress!

This seminar is appropriate for dog owners, dog sport competitors, veterinarians, pet care professionals, and professional dog trainers.

Whether your dog is a pet dog who struggles with fear or reactivity in daily life or your dog is a sports competitor who struggles with trial stress, ring stress, or pressure from judges/stewards (or something in between), you will learn new play-based techniques to help them improve their emotional wellness.

In this seminar you will learn:

• How to identify and mitigate stress in your dog

• How to assess preparedness to work

• About threshold management

• How to read your dog, so you know what to do, and when

• About relaxed play, and its important role in resolving stress & anxiety

• Personal play, food or toys: which one should you use, and when?

• How to help your dog "Look and Dismiss" and take challenges in stride

About Amy Cook

Amy is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), a longstanding professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) and was one of the first trainers nationally to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) through independent evaluation. Amy returned to school in 2006 to get her Ph.D. in Psychology from UC Berkeley. Her research focused on the dog-human relationship and its effect on the problem-solving strategies dogs employ. To learn more about Dr. Cook, please visit playwaydogs.com.

Details for working spots:

There are 10 working spots available for one-on-one time working with Amy on Sunday (Saturday is lecture only).  Each dog/handler team will have 2 working sessions with Amy and although there are working spots, this seminar is not heavy on working time (so the cost difference between working and auditing is less than usual). Working dogs are welcome to attend Saturday but must be crated in the building or your vehicle.

This seminar is appropriate for socially confident dogs (for humans to learn the hands on skills) and dogs with general anxiety, performance/ring stress, or over-arousal; we cannot accept dogs with aggression towards people or dogs. Dogs must be able to function well in a seminar environment with many other people watching and dogs in the environment and they must be able to handle the lengthy down time.  They can’t be overtly reactive or shut down, and have to be able to be in the presence of strangers and other dogs while still able to work. Not all dogs will feel comfortable in this type of environment - please consider your dog’s comfort level before inquiring about a working spot. Auditing this seminar is incredibly valuable and provides a great opportunity to really observe dog body language and human body language throughout the play process to take away and work with other dogs.

There are no refunds for working teams if a dog finds this workshop environment too overwhelming to successfully wait their turn or work in front of the group.

All WORKING teams must be approved by Helen at helen@nothingtosniffat.com. If you would like one of the 10 working spots, please send her an email with information about your dog. Once approved you will receive a link to pay. Auditors can purchase tickets online at the links below.

Pricing

Early Bird Price (purchased before 12/15/19)
$325 – 2 Day Working Spot
$225 – 2 Day Auditing Spot
$125 – 1 Day Auditing Spot
 
Regular Price (purchased after 12/15/19)
$375 – 2 Day Working Spot
$275 – 2 Day Auditing Spot
$150 – 1 Day Auditing Spot

Group Price (for 5+ 2-day auditing tickets purchased together)
$150 – (purchased before 12/15/19)
$200 – (purchased after 12/15/19)

Coffee and breakfast items will be provided, lunch will be on your own. There are many restaurants within walking distance of PHS. More information on parking and other day-of details will be mailed the week before the event.

Cancellation Policy

If notice of cancellation is received by one month prior to seminar date. refunds will be available less a $25 non-refundable administrative fee for a one-day seminar or $40 for a two-day seminar. Notices should be in writing and can be emailed to helen@nothingtosniffat.com. If notice is not received by one month prior to the seminar date, no refund will be given unless your spot can be filled from the wait list (the non-refundable administrative fee still applies).