Conference
Agenda

Last modified July 2008.

 

Continuing Education Units - The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) has approved "Weekend with the Dunbars" for 13 CEU’s.

 

Saturday, December 6, 2008

 

8:00 - 8:45

On-site check in and registration

 

8:45 - 9:00

Opening Remarks

 

9:00 - 10:45

Kelly Dunbar

General Session I - An Intro to Open Paw & Minimal Mental Health Requirements

 

11:00 – Noon 

Kelly Dunbar

General Session II - Four Level Training For Dogs & Cats

 

1:00 - 2:45

Dr. Ian Dunbar

General Session III - Raising the Bar in Dog Training Part One

 

3:00 - 5:00

Dr. Ian Dunbar

General Session IV - Raising the Bar in Dog Training Part Two

 

Sunday, December 7, 2008

 

10:00 – Noon 

Kelly Dunbar

General Session I - Implementing Open Paw in Your Shelter

 

1:00 - 2:45

Dr. Ian Dunbar

General Session II - Dissecting Dominance Part One

 

3:00 - 5:00

Dr. Ian Dunbar

General Session III - Dissecting Dominance Part Two

 

5:00 - 6:00

Dr. Ian and Kelly Dunbar

Live Question & Answer Session with Audience

 

 

 

An Intro to Open Paw & Minimal Mental Health Requirements

As ambassadors for the humane treatment of animals across the nation, it is essential for shelters to place equal value on the mental and physical needs of the animals in their custody. Attention to an incarcerated animal’s mental well-being should not be an afterthought or a bonus, but on par with physical health concerns and part of the standard protocol for care.

 

This session will explore this concept, introduce Open Paw and the “Minimum Mental Health Requirements For Shelter Animals” which serve as a template for shelters interested setting an example for the community by providing holistic care for their residents.

 

 

 

 

Four Level Training For Dogs & Cats

 

This session will explore Open Paw's four levels of training which are designed to address the socialization, environmental enrichment, and behavior of sheltered dogs. In it we will learn how to make dogs more comfortable, calmer, and friendlier in their kennels, and well-behaved outside their kennels on walks or in the training room.

 

 

 

 

Raising the Bar in Dog Training

 

This session will examine the five stages of a comprehensive training program. Including: 

  • Teaching Dogs What We Want Them To Do -  Completely phasing out food lures as they are first replaced by hand signals (hand lures) and then eventually, by requests (verbal lures).

  • Teaching Dogs To Want To Do What We Want Them To Do - Phasing out teaching rewards as they are first replaced by life rewards and then eventually, by auto-reinforcement.

  • Enforcing Compliance Without Fear, Force, or Pain - Teaching dogs to always respond promptly and appropriately by enforcing compliance without fear, force, or pain

  • Refining Performance Precision And Pizzazz - Once response-reliability tops 95%, it is time to shape and differentially reinforce performance precision and pizzazz.

  • Protecting Performance Reliability And Precision - Stage 4 requires a substantial time-commitment and so it is essential to “protect” the dog’s superior performance.

 

 

 

Implementing Open Paw In Your Shelter

 

In this session, Kelly Gorman Dunbar will discuss the steps necessary for implementing Open Paw in your shelter. This will include an examination of:

  • Step One: Pilot Shelters

  • Step Two: 4 Level Pilot Shelters

  • Step Three: MMHR Shelters

  • Step Four: Pilot 2X Shelters

  • Step Five: 4 or 5 Level Shelter

  • Open Paw In Progress Model Shelters

Dissecting Dominance