Recently I had the pleasure of spending 2 days in Atlanta learning with renowned trainer and behaviorist, Nicole Wilde. Nicole is an international leader and author with a specialty in working with fearful and aggressive dogs and wolf-hybrids.
The first day of the workshop included a variety of topics to address the dog’s issues, such as anxiety, fears, and phobias; the physiology of fear and extreme fear; root causes; human body language which affects fear; nutrition; the need for physical exercise and mental stimulation; the role of training foundation behaviors; working with aggressive dogs in the home; behavior modification and protocol design; as well as complementary therapies.
The second day of the workshop included a variety of techniques, methods and strategies for working successfully with clients so that they too can make progress and achieve success with their fearful or aggressive dogs.
It was a delight spending 2 day learning, as well as reconnecting with training friends of mine and meeting some new trainers. One of the group class techniques I learned is the Sniff & Circle exercise to be used with group classes. This exercise is designed to let dogs get to know one another through their noses vs. meeting face to face on leash. The class rotates from training station to training station and each dog gets to sniff the mat of every dog in the class. It was quite effective in helping the dogs settle.
Continuing education is important to me. I have most all of Nicole’s books and I really enjoy working with clients to problem solve their dog’s fearful or aggressive behavior. The seminar bolstered my existing knowledge base so that I can be even more effective helping clients and their dogs.
