We bring you 20 brilliant Speakers...

Please scroll down to find out about each speaker and the topic(s) they will present on at WOOF! (Please note that the topics are being added over the next two weeks so check back in to learn more.)

• Keynote Speaker: Dr. Julie S. Vargas Ph.D

  • Presentation 1: Origins

  • Presentation 2: Behavior Analysis for Effective Teaching

  • Presentation 3: Kinds of Consequences

  • Presentation 4: Making a Difference

• Chirag Patel

  • Presentation: TBC

• Eduardo J. Fernandez Ph.D

  • Presentation: Stereotypies: What is Being Repetitive About?

• Emelie Johnson Vegh

  • Presentation 1: Start Button Behaviors – A Tool for Communication (Joint presentation with Eva Bertilsson)

  • Presentation 2: Flowchart your Training Session! (Joint presentation with Eva Bertilsson)

• Eva Bertilsson

  • Presentation 1: Start Button Behaviors – A Tool for Communication

  • Presentation 2: Flowchart your Training Session!

• Helen Zulch MRCVS

  • Presentation: That Makes Me So Frustrated! Exploring the Concept of Frustration in Dogs

• Ilkka Hormila 

  • Presentation: How to use TPDA Method and the Four Stages in Dog Training.

• Julia Robertson 

  • Presentation: TBC

• Kay Laurence

  • Presentation: Thinking Laterally: The Influence of Anticipation

• Ken McCort

  • Presentation: Animals Assisted Interventions Using Dogs - An Overview

• Kim Monteith

  • Presentation: #Help #FosterNeeded: How Trainers can Help Shelter Animals in Urgent Need

• Liam Landymore

  • Presentation: Shaping the Future with Dog-Ed Determination

• Lore Haug DVM

  • Presentation: Common Medical Issues Affecting Aggression and Anxiety in Dogs

• Marty Becker DVM

  • Presentation: Pigs Can Fly With Unicorns

• Nancy Tucker

  • Presentation: The Good Enough Dog

• Sarah Fisher

  • Presentation: Do SWEAT the Small Stuff: An animal centred approach to improve education and wellbeing

• Sarah Whitehead

  • Presentation: Biting the bullet

• Steve White

  • Presentation: Secrets of Top Working Dogs: Environmental Stimulus Control and Decision-making Skills

• Theresa McKeon

  • Presentation: Information Blacksmith: Forging “What to Do” from “What to Know”

• T. V. (Joe) Layng Ph.D

  • Presentation 1: Introduction to the Science of Behavior

  • Presentation 2: Beyond Cognition and Behavior: Nonlinear Clinical Contingency Analysis

  • Presentation 3: Emotions and Emotional Behavior

  • Presentation 4: Contingency Adduction: It’s Experimental and Applied Roots

Scroll Down to Find Out More… 

Keynote Speaker: Julie Vargas Ph.D

Presentation 1: Origins

The science B. F. Skinner initiated came from a sequence of experimental apparatuses that he constructed during his graduate studies in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He ended with an apparatus that recorded actions over continuous time and that could present food contingent on different patterns of behaviour. He called this an “operant chamber.” Working over half a dozen years with his operant chamber, Skinner investigated how different arrangements of reinforcement affected the rate of responding. Still, it wasn’t until working on a project for World War II that he realised that shaping could be done out in the open. That began animal training as we know it, using clickers or other conditioned reinforcers.

One of the important features of Skinner’s work was the measure of rate of actions over continuous time. The importance of rate as a measure of mastery will be illustrated with group activities. There will also be time for questions.

Presentation 2: Behavior Analysis for Effective Teaching

Behavioural practices for the training of non-human animals have become standard practice. When working with homo sapiens however, teaching practices have not kept up to what we know about behaviour. The basic principles are no different. I will demonstrate and describe examples of how the principles can be adapted when working with people.

Presentation 3: Kinds of Consequences

Everyone expects consequences to change behaviour. But consequences are more complex than they seem, especially when working with people. What we hope will happen often differs from what the consequences actually produce. We must consider not only the timing of postcedents relative to the actions they are intended to change, but also their source.

Brief Exercises: Participants will work in small groups to discuss why unsuccessful solutions they have tried might not be “working”. They will propose alternatives that employ different contingencies.

Presentation 4: Making a Difference

The presentations in the conference have shown impressive results from behavioural practices based upon science. In the world we live in today, none of us can expect to live problem-free. We can, however, turn to our science. When frustrated, angry, or upset, we can work on the contingencies not only over the actions of others, but also over our own. In acting in a gentler, kinder way, we help make the world a better place for everyone.

Julie Vargas (formerly Skinner) was born in 1938 in Minneapolis where she lived for six years. After 2 years in Indiana, her family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. She received her bachelors in music from Radcliffe College, a masters in music education from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in educational research from the University of Pittsburgh. She taught 3rd and 4th grade before becoming a faculty member at West Virginia University where she taught practicing and prospective teachers for over 35 years.

Dr. Vargas is a former president of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and one of the founding editors of The Behavior Analyst. She is currently President of the B. F. Skinner Foundation, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. www.bfskinner.org

Chirag Patel

Chirag is the organiser of WOOF! and owner of Domesticated Manners. Chirag consults on the behaviour management and training of domestic animals kept as pets, exotics, zoo and laboratory animals. His passion is the application of behaviour change science and ethics to improve the life of animals living under human care, especially applying training principles to teach animals to be active participants in their own daily and veterinary care in a stress free manner. 

Chirag also consults for Guides Dogs for the Blind Association and the Kong Company. In 2015, Chirag was invited to join the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), Animal Training Focus group as the scientific officer and external consultant. He has also been invited and accepted as a Certified Parrot Behaviour Consultant (CPBC), with the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants (IAABC). Chirag has previously worked for Dogs Trust as Assistant Head of Canine Training & Behaviour.

Chirag earned his BSc(Hons) in Veterinary Sciences from the Royal Veterinary College in London and a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Animal Behaviour from the University of Lincoln, UK. He also holds an Advanced diploma in practical aspects of companion animal behaviour and training from the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology. Chirag is also currently continuing his education by studying further in the field of Applied Behaviour Analysis. In 2005, Chirag completed an internship in dog behaviour and training with a focus on aggressive behaviour under the mentorship of Jean Donaldson at the San Francisco SPCA and developed his understanding and skills in puppy training under the mentorship of Ian Dunbar PhD, BVetMed, MRCVS. He is also a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK (00923) and has previously served on their committee. Chirag is also proud to be on the faculty for Clicker Expo. 

Chirag's Website: www.domesticatedmanners.com

Eduardo J. Fernandez Ph.D

Presentation: Stereotypies: What is Being Repetitive About?

Eduardo J. Fernandez graduated with his M.S. in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas, where he was the co-founder and President of the Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals (ORCA). Eduardo runs the Animal Reinforcement Forum (ARF) listserv, which is dedicated to group discussions on animal training and behavior from a scientific perspective, runs the IU Zoo research group, which focuses on behavioral research in zoo settings at Indiana University, edits for the Pets, Zoos, and Animals section on the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies website, is the Chair and Program Chair of the Association for Behavior Analysis’s Special Interest Group, the Animal Trainer’s Forum, and is a board member of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA). He is currently working on a doctorate degree in Psychology with a minor in Animal Behavior and Neural Science at Indiana University in Bloomington, and spends much of his time conducting animal welfare, behavioral enrichment, and animal training/operant/respondent research in the laboratory and at the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Zoo. He has also been invited as a visiting Professors in the School of Behavior Analysis at Florida Tech.

Emelie Johnson Vegh

Presentation 1: Start Button Behaviors – A Tool for Communication

In our ambition to be the best partners and caregivers to our animals we need strategies to enhance choice, control and communication, provide prediction and ensure consent. In this session, E&E will discuss what that can look like.

Presentation 2: Flowchart your Training Session!

In this interactive session Emelie & Eva will teach you how to advance your training by using flowcharts. Flowcharts will make your training sessions clearer to you and keep you on track with the tools you have chosen to use in your training. They will help you prepare for all the possible outcomes in a session, making it easier for you to make decisions, clarifying which actions you should take and when. Flowcharts are a great tool for many purposes – from preparing or evaluating your own training session,  to clarifying instructions and getting your students to plan their own training. Once you’ve begun making use of them, you’ll wonder how you once lived without them!

Emelie’s great interest lies is teaching, whether it’s private lessons for clients with dogs, group classes, running coaching, creative writing with kids… The list goes on.

Together with business partner Eva Bertilsson, Emelie runs their collaboration Carpe Momentum. Emelie and Eva’s goal is to help people acquire knowledge and skills in science-based, modern, humane, and empowering teaching strategies for the benefit of learners of all species. They teach seminars on the general principles of behavior and learning, and coach trainers in the art of structuring great training sessions regardless of the venue or the species. Their book Agility Right from the Start was published by Karen Pryor Clicker Training (KPCT) in 2010. The book outlines Emelie and Eva’s philosophy and structured approach to training, making it a worthy read not only for agility enthusiasts.

”E&E” are part of the Clicker Expo faculty. In addition, they are the first TAGteach faculty in Europe and they introduced TAGteach to Scandinavia in 2005. They offer consultations and workshops about applying positive reinforcement based strategies with human learners in all imaginable areas.

Emelie studied to be a high school teacher in English and Swedish at Lund University, together with further studies of both linguistics and children’s literature. She does work as a translator, from Swedish to English and vice versa, and from Norwegian/Danish to Swedish/English. She also writes fiction novels for both adults and children. Emelie enjoys many different sports and finding ways to breaking them down and teaching them to others, both adults and children.   

Emelie lives in Malmö in the south of Sweden together with husband, three children and two dogs, Scout a kelpie and field golden puppy Tessa. Together they enjoy many outdoor activities and dog sports.

Eva Bertilsson

Presentation 1: Start Button Behaviors – A Tool for Communication

In our ambition to be the best partners and caregivers to our animals we need strategies to enhance choice, control and communication, provide prediction and ensure consent. In this session, E&E will discuss what that can look like.

Presentation 2: Flowchart your Training Session!

In this interactive session Emelie & Eva will teach you how to advance your training by using flowcharts. Flowcharts will make your training sessions clearer to you and keep you on track with the tools you have chosen to use in your training. They will help you prepare for all the possible outcomes in a session, making it easier for you to make decisions, clarifying which actions you should take and when. Flowcharts are a great tool for many purposes – from preparing or evaluating your own training session,  to clarifying instructions and getting your students to plan their own training. Once you’ve begun making use of them, you’ll wonder how you once lived without them!

Eva Bertilsson has a master’s degree in behavior analysis and a passion for all things related to behavior, learning and animal welfare. Together with business partner Emelie Johnson Vegh, Eva runs their collaboration Carpe Momentum. Eva and Emelie's goal is to help people acquire knowledge and skills in science-based, modern, humane and empowering teaching strategies for the benefit of learners of all species. They teach seminars on the general principles of behavior and learning, and coach trainers in the art of structuring great training sessions regardless of the venue or the species. Their book Agility Right from the Start was published by Karen Pryor Clicker Training (KPCT) in 2010, and outlines Emelie and Eva’s philosophy and structured approach to training, making it a worthy read not only for agility enthusiasts.

E&E are part of the Clicker Expo faculty. In addition, they are TAGteach Faculty and introduced TAGteach to Scandinavia in 2005. They offer consultations and workshops about applying positive-reinforcement based strategies with human learners in all imaginable areas. 

Eva is a board member of the Swedish Association for Behavior Analysis, and works to connect the communities - teaching behavior analysis to animal trainers, and teaching animal training strategies to behavior analysts working with people. She is also active in building a Fear Free™ veterinary care community in Scandinavia, and is the initiator and host of the Scandinavian CCC conference (where the three C:s stand for Choice, Control and Communication) .

Eva lives in the village Ljungskile, on the west coast of Sweden and north of Gothenburg, but spends much of her time traveling. Border collie Tizla makes sure Eva’s free time is filled with outdoor activities and enriching training projects.

Helen Zulch MRCVS

Presentation: That Makes Me So Frustrated! Exploring the Concept of Frustration in Dogs

Although emotional influences on behaviour have been recognised for a number of years, more emphasis is usually placed on fear than on frustration when emotional differentials for problem behaviour are discussed. This talk aims to look at the role frustration may play in the development of behaviour problems, as well as what we know about managing and preventing problematic frustration in dogs.

Helen is a veterinarian and Royal College and European Specialist in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine. She is currently the head of Professional Development in Canine Behaviour at Dogs Trust where she has responsibility for staff education and professional development in dog behaviour and training. She is also a Visiting Fellow in the School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, UK and an Honorary Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science. Helen has worked in the field of companion animal behaviour for over 15 years lecturing on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, consulting for pet owners and engaging with research across a range of areas in animal behaviour, learning and cognition. She has authored books and book chapters as well as scientific articles and was instrumental in developing the Life Skills for Puppies programme. Helen has owned and raised a number of dogs over the years and has trained for and competed in a range of dog sports.

Ilkka Hormila

Ilkka Hormila has worked for 43 years as a dog trainer and trainer for the Finnish police. He has been in charge of the dog units for the search of human remains and traces of blood, for the search of fire accellerants , for the ID Tracking Dogs. His working method is based on the creation of low stress learning environments and on the use of protocols for planning and evaluating the training activity. He is an internationally renowned lecturer and speaker for his great operational experience and his ability to teach. He has been a member of the scientific group “Scientific Working Group on Dogs and Orthogonal detector Guidelines” and he is founder of Il.Ma Global Training.

Julia Robertson

Julia brought Canine Myotherapy to the UK.  She is the expert within this modality and has treated over 8,000 dogs, developing the therapy from this extensive authentic experience.

She is an award winning therapist, a published author of three books and 2 x DVD’s and a sought after International Speaker.  (India, Taiwan, Australia, USA. Many countries in Europe, Scandinavia, Czech Republic).  Due to travel in 2018 to China, Mexico, Southern Ireland and Poland.

Julia works with other canine luminaries, one of which is Turid Rugaas, whose learning and subsequent teaching has changed our understanding of canine language and signals.

Julia established Galen Therapy Centre in 2002 and gained the full external accreditation on the Galen Myotherapy Diploma in 2006.

The Diploma course has now been running for over 10 successful years.

Qualifications;

• Certificate in Education (Cert Ed)

• Dip. Canine Myotherapy (OCN)

• Dip. Canine Exercise Physiology

• Dip. Sports and Remedial Massage (ITEC)

• Dip. Equine Sports and Remedial Massage (ITEC)

• Canine Massage ITT (NCTMB) U.S.A

• Reiki (second degree)

Kay Laurence

Presentation: Thinking Laterally: The Influence of Anticipation

We become familiar with wrapping our training application in commonly used phrases such as: proofing, duration, reinforcement. It always benefits our learning, for both the learner and the teacher, to stand back and examine these protocols in closer detail. By walking around and seeing them from a different angle can reveal that what we assumed was happening was only one, often narrow, view point. 

Anticipation, and the anticipatory effect, is playing with us, our learners and our processes all the time. Perhaps we should give it greater credit, greater attention and see if it changes the view of our landscape?"

Kay has been involved in training, breeding and rearing dogs for over forty years. What began as a hobby morphed into a full-time business via college teaching and sheep farming. The constant thread has been a passion for learning about dogs and effective teaching.

The business, Learning About Dogs, was established in 1996 and provides learning opportunities for dog professionals, training enthusiasts and everyday living with dogs. Workshops, seminars, books, videos and online courses provide thoughtful training based on science and understanding, delivered with empathy and experience. Training experience has been shaped by working and sports dogs that demand high levels of precision and performance to designing online courses.

Kay leads the way in developing innovative and creative techniques that delivers connection and effective teaching for both dogs and people blended with passion, joy and enthusiasm. Her career has involved practical teaching and presenting for a variety of professional and academic organisations in the US, Australia, New Zealand, several European countries and across the UK.

From teaching communication skills, computing for the terrified to sheepdog training for farmers all range of learners. Masters education specialising in curriculum design, learning styles and designing competency based qualifications.

Presentations at the Karen Pryor Clicker Expo; Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK & Australia; University of North Texas, ORCA Conference; WOOF Conferences; Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT) Conferences, IAABC Conference Manchester. 

Designer of the Genabacab Table Game for teaching operant conditioning (aka PORTAL); designer of the Clicker CAP (Competency Assessment Programme); competitor at Crufts in Obedience and Heelwork to Music finals; breeder of collies under the Genabacab affix for sports partners, working dogs and full time companions. Publisher, editor and general collator for Teaching Dogs Magazine for four years. Several books and DVDs on training life skills, clicker training and specialities. Practical and Online courses for 10 years in short and long term training modules.

http://www.learningaboutdogs.com

Ken McCort

Presentation: Animals Assisted Interventions Using Dogs - An Overview

The human-animal bond is a very fascinating subject. The benefits of animal assisted interventions are becoming more complex every year.  There are several ways animals are utilized and we will discuss the difference between activity and therapy.  We will also look at that qualifications a team needs to have in order to be effective in these sometimes complex environments. How to conduct an interaction and what to do is another aspect we will cover. Finally, how the handler manages and utilizes the dog as a valuable team member will also be discussed. The way a team works together and the environment they work in makes a huge difference on how effective these intervention will be.

Ken McCort has a passion for understanding animals, how they think and learn, and their relationships with the humans with which they share space.  He is the owner and operator of Four Paws animal behavior services in Doylestown, Ohio. Although he is located just south of Akron, Ken sees clients all over the Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania. To get the best understanding of what the concerns are, clients and their animals are usually seen in their home environment.

Established in 1987, Ken has been helping people who have animals in need of training and behavior modification.  He trains with dogs, cats and birds with the general public. Most clients are acquired by referred from veterinarians or by other clients. Because he often works with more serious behavior concerns, all clients and their animals are seen on an individual basis and he does not offer group training classes.

Ken and his wife Marilyn, a veterinarian, live with a variety of animals of different species. Most of Ken and Marilyn’s animals were adopted and once had behavior concerns. Because Ken lives in a multi-species household, he understands the challenges that come with living with many animals as well as the challenges that can arise from adding animals to an existing group.

Kim Monteith

Presentation: #Help #FosterNeeded: How Trainers can help Shelter Animals in Urgent Need

A safety net for the most vulnerable animals in our communities, shelters are often the last resort for many animals. With limited resources, including access to trainers and behaviour support, some animals face increased length of stay and poor welfare in a shelter. Staff and volunteers work tirelessly to decrease length of stay and improve welfare on a daily basis. One way they do this is by recognising when an animal is deteriorating or not coping in shelter and make pleas for foster homes. Urgent pleas can mean different things however often they mean, “we need your help, right now, this animal needs out of the shelter”.

Getting a stressed or challenging animal out of the shelter is only one part of helping them. What can staff and volunteers do before a case becomes urgent, or what can they do once the animal is in foster? In this session, learn how trainers can help shelter animals both in the shelter and foster homes.

"Kim Monteith is one of those people so inspiring, it's hard to find the right words.

She serves as the Manager of Behavior and Welfare for the BC SPCA (BCSPCA) and calls Vancouver, BC her home base, but serves all the shelters within the British Columbia SPCA system.

Kim also goes above and beyond the call of duty by providing outreach to the homeless and their pets in downtown Vancouver through Supporters of Charlie's Food Bank. She's helped countless people keep their pets and provided much needed services to many of these animals. Her warmth and non-judgmental attitude has opened many doors and hearts.

Kim is truly an example of excellence in sheltering, as well as empathy in action and we are so lucky to call her one of our own." Jean Donaldson

Liam Landymore

Presentation: Shaping the Future with Dog-Ed Determination

Liam was 7 years old when he suffered a traumatic experience which changed his life dramatically. Liam talks for the very first time on how he turned his PTSD and severe depression around with the help of his best friend, Charlie. 

Liam Landymore is the founder of Liam’s MOB, an organisation in the UK promoting positive reinforcement dog training and to help promote dog/child safety. Liam’s MOB was first set up to promote more men to get involved with positive training methods, which now has a women’s side, MOBettes, and soon a children’s side, MOBsters.

He is also the co-owner of The Haven Dog Centre in North Devon, UK. Liam came into the dog training world when he was 7 years old, he suffered a traumatic event which caused PTSD and severe depression. At Liam’s lowest point, 14 years, he tried to commit suicide. This was when Charlie, a Labrador x springer, came into his life and saved him by giving him a purpose, and a true best friend, with whom he could confide in and not be judged.

With the help of Sarah Fisher and DHK, Liam discovered he really enjoyed training and he’s never looked back. Liam has studied with Chirag Patel, Sarah Fisher, IMDT. In 2017 he travelled to Atlanta, USA, to see first-hand the jail dog programme, observed police K9 Units at work and travelled to shelters with Victoria Stilwell. Achievements to date, Dogs Today Unsung Hero 2015 BBC One Teen Award Finalist 2015, North Devon Journal Community Young Champion finalist 2015 The Daily Mirror and RSPCA Young Animal Enthusiast of the Year 2016 The Kennel Club Good Buddy Award 2017

Lore Haug DVM

Presentation: Common Medical Issues Affecting Aggression and Anxiety in Dogs

The nature vs. nurture debate is old hat now as we learn the complexities of the behaviour-physiology interface. There are a myriad of medical issues that can affect behaviour in our learners. This lecture covers some of the more common medical problems affecting anxiety and aggression with some case examples.

I grew up surrounded by animals in a typical residential neighborhood.  My brothers and I at some point accumulated almost every type of small animal you could imagine (dogs, cats, rabbits, a wide variety of rodents, ferrets, parrots, finches, fish, and various reptiles and amphibians), much to my father’s dismay.  (He eventually adopted the “if you can’t beat’em, join’em” approach.)  In addition to the usual “pets,” we also frequently rehabilitated wild birds and small mammals, of which the owls were most fascinating.  Because my oldest brother was enraptured with reptiles and other creepy crawlies, I developed first an acceptance, and then absorption, of my own (in part to prevent him from being able to torture me through my entire childhood).

I began participating in competitive obedience with Doberman Pinschers in 1980.  Over the next 20 years, I titled Dobermans and a Dalmatian.  I also competed in conformation, and played around a little with tracking and agility.  I instructed obedience classes for many years, both privately and in association with a club.  I have had a long-term love of Doberman Pinschers.  Since the death of my last wonderful Doberman, Obeah, in October 2012, I have opened my heart and home to a lovely pit bull mix rescue dog, Sunny.

Similar to many young girls, I grew up fascinated by horses but unable to own one.  I have been fortunate to rectify this and now have friendship with a wonderful Polish Arabian gelding.

Making the decision to become a veterinarian was not hard.  In fact, everyone around me assumed that was my career path before I even accepted it myself.  Choosing behavioral medicine as a specialty was a little more difficult.  Although I loved behavior, I was also rewardingly challenged by other medical disciplines such as critical care and neurology.  In the end, the brain won.  The brain is one of our last true frontiers.  It is astonishing how much science has learned about the brain and the way it works.  Yet despite this, we still have such a poor grasp on why humans and animals behave the way they do.  The more questions that science answers, the more questions there are to answer.  Behavioral medicine allows me to be a neurologist and internist as well.  It also allows me to help people try to achieve the indescribably life-altering bond with their animals that I have had with mine.

From 1994-1999, I practiced general medicine with a special interest in behavior and exotic pet medicine.  I also have 15 years of part-time and 2 years of full time emergency medicine experience.  I like to think this gives me a broad perspective when working with my behavior patients.

In 1999, I returned to Texas A&M to complete my residency.  After finishing this, I remained on faculty at Texas A&M to run the Animal Behavior Service until 2007.  In the summer of 2007, I returned to Houston to begin a behavior referral practice.   I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at TAMU, but I have been able to provide a broader and more thorough service in my position here in Houston. 

Marty Becker DVM

Presentation: Pigs Can Fly With Unicorns

What has seemed impossible, that if it were possible, would dramatically change the way we take care of our companion animals and benefit everyone involved? Well, the impossible has arrived as veterinarians and veterinary nurses by the tens of thousands have learned the Fear Free skills necessary to “take the pet out of petrified” when it comes to veterinary visits. Yes, pets and their owners can now actually enjoy veterinary care, and the veterinary community is taking the necessary steps to make sure all aspects of pet care are delivered by professionals educated by, trained for, and committed to both the physical and emotional wellbeing of animals. Rather than treating behaviorists and trainers like afterthoughts, Fear Free insures that all pet health professionals---veterinarians, boarded behaviorists, trainers (even groomers)---work in a highly synchronized way, where everyone wins: pet, pet owner, professionals and our professions. Attend this lecture and “Do well, by doing good.”

Dr. Marty Becker, “America’s Veterinarian,” has spent his life working toward better health for pets and the people who love them. He is the founder of Fear FreeSM, an initiative to “take the ‘pet’ out of ‘petrified’” and get pets back for veterinary visits by promoting considerate approach and gentle control techniques used in calming environments.

Dr. Becker was the resident veterinary contributor on “Good Morning America” for 17 years. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the American Humane Association as well as its Chief Veterinary Correspondent, a founding member of Core Team Oz for “The Dr. Oz Show,” and a member of the Dr. Oz Medical Advisory Panel.

He has written 25 books that have sold almost 8 million copies, including three New York Times best-sellers — one of which is the fastest-selling pet book of all time, Chicken Soup for the Pet-Lovers Soul. He has been a contributor to Parade magazine, Reader’s Digestand AARP.com. Animal Radio hosts him monthly as their Chief Veterinary Correspondent.

He also writes the weekly nationally syndicated newspaper feature Pet Connection with his writing partner, Kim Campbell Thornton, and is featured in Dogster, Catster, and on Vetstreet.com.

Dr. Becker is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and also at the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine at both Colorado State University and the University of Missouri. Additionally, he has lectured at every veterinary school in the United States, and is on the advisory board of World Vets, an international veterinary and disaster relief program to help animals.

A passionate advocate for the human-animal bond, Dr. Becker serves as an adjunct professor at the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He is an honorary board member of Pet Partners and the Humane Society of New York, as well as a past board member and strong supporter of his local pet rescue group, Second Chance Animal Adoption of Bonner Ferry, ID, and a supporter of the Panhandle Animal Shelter in Sandpoint, ID, the Kootenai Humane Society in Coeur d’Alene, ID, and the Whitman County Humane Society in Pullman, WA.

Dr. Becker also serves as the Chief Veterinary Correspondent for the American Humane Association, with a strong focus on supporting their efforts to end the use of gas chambers in animal shelters, a cause for which he has successfully advocated since his earliest days as a veterinarian. His special fondness for older pets has led him to a spot on the Advisory Board of The Grey Muzzle Organization, which is dedicated to helping homeless senior dogs.

He practices at North Idaho Animal Hospital because he loves veterinary medicine, pets and the people who care for them.

Nancy Tucker

Presentation: The Good Enough Dog

How much training does your client’s dog really need? What do you do when you know your client is unlikely to follow through with your training plan?

Part of being an outstanding trainer is knowing how to work within limitations and still achieve results that make for a happy client. This presentation will illustrate how we can better help our clients and their dogs by becoming more creative problem-solvers and shifting the focus from “perfect” to “good enough”. Happy clients and happy dogs are good for business!

Nancy is a certified trainer with the CCPDT, and a certified behavior consultant with the IAABC. She teaches seminars, webinars, and workshops on dog training, dog behavior, and the business end of training throughout Canada, the US, and Europe. She has presented at conferences for the Pet Professional Guild (USA), the IAABC (UK), DogEvent (France), and will present at WOOF!2019 (UK).

She is also an instructor for Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, where she teaches online courses focusing on various topics including treating separation anxiety and learning to use desensitization and counter-conditioning to help fearful dogs.

Nancy’s professional background in public relations, communications, and customer service management has inspired her to share her business experience with dog trainers to increase their bottom line and to take the stress out of communicating with difficult clients.

Nancy has written numerous articles on dog behaviour and is a regular contributor to the Whole Dog Journal.

She shares her home in Quebec, Canada with her husband Tom and their Border Terrier, Bennigan. You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her website: woof@nancytucker.com

Sarah Fisher

Presentation: Do SWEAT the Small Stuff: An animal centred approach to improve education and wellbeing

Sarah Fisher is a TTouch Instructor and behaviour counsellor. She trained with Linda Tellington Jones and Robyn Hood and organises the TTouch trainings for the UK.  She has worked with animals for over seventeen years and teaches staff workshops for many of the UK’s top animal shelters including Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, the Mayhew Animal Home, Blue Cross, Wood Green Animal Shelter and Dogs Trust working with their long stay dogs and other animals with behavioural issues. Sarah also fosters challenging puppies for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and assesses dogs for court cases.

Sarah works with private clients, and lectures around the UK and internationally and has given talks and demonstrations on dog and horse handling and behaviour for a variety of organisations including the United Kingdom Register of Canine Behaviourists, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the British Veterinary Nurses Congress, the International Companion Animal Welfare Conference (Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Latvia), Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes, Canine Partners for Independence, Dogs for the Disabled Association, the Association of Chartered Animal Physiotherapists, the McTimoney Chiropractic Conference, Harper Adams University vet physio course, The Kennel Club (Discover Dogs), the Dog Groomers Association, Pet Care Trade Association, The Association of Behaviour Counsellors (South Africa), the Tellington TTouch Organisation (USA) the veterinary nursing staff at the Queen Mother Hospital RVC, dog breed clubs, dog training centres, riding clubs and the Irish Horse Welfare Trust.  

Sarah is a regular teacher on the Dogs Trust International Training Programme and teaches workshops both here and abroad.  In 2011 she went to Romania where she worked with many traumatised and neglected horses that were in the care of GIA (Group Initiative for Animals). She also teaches on the TTouch Equine Practitioner Training Clinics in the UK and South Africa.  Rescue work is closest to her heart and Sarah has taught workshops in Poland, Romania and Holland for rescue organisations and has created a new series of workshops under the title Cool to be Kind with Marie Miller promoting kind and effective handling and training techniques for dogs and horses.

Sarah Whitehead

Presentation: Biting the bullet

For the past twenty-odd years, I have specialised in aggression in dogs. I have seen hundreds of bites, to both humans and other animals, and have been told the stories of how they occurred and the history of how they happened.

I have seen photos of people and animals killed by dogs, and I have seen the results of attacks, bites, scratches and everything in between. I have asked many a victim to show me their injuries, and have seen more than my share of people’s bottoms, backs of thighs, arms, heads and hands, that have borne the brunt of canine teeth.

All of which has led me to ask questions, big questions. Questions not just about the incidents themselves, but about our beliefs around why they might have occurred and whether the severity of the bite is really linked to something that we all think we know and understand – bite inhibition.

In this talk, I will ask you to rethink what you’ve previously learned about bite inhibition, and the connection to the critical developmental stage in puppies. I’ll also share with you the results of the research study that myself and my team have just completed. It’s brand new, and never been shared before: I guarantee it will get you thinking!

Sarah Whitehead is a creative speaker, an imaginative problem-solver, a prolific published author, and a down-to-earth positive reinforcement trainer.

Sarah has an MSc in Animal Behaviour and is a full member of the APBC and APDT and is also one of a small number of specialists to have achieved the status of Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB).

Sarah runs ThinkDog! – offering accredited education courses in animal behaviour and training, and is passionate about helping those people who know they should be out there doing the job (but lack the confidence!) to get started.

Her specialities are aggression in dogs, weird and wonderful problems in cats, puppy development, adolescent dog issues, and canine and feline body language and facial expression.

She also runs the ‘Clever Dog Company Method Licenced Trainer Scheme’ – mentoring and supporting other trainers and behaviourists to create a legacy of change and progress, and a unique online CPD Programme, called the ‘Inner Circle’, which is open to all who want to stay up-to-date with this fast-paced science.

Steve White

Presentation: Secrets of Top Working Dogs: Environmental Stimulus Control and Decision-making Skills

In this presentation we’ll examine the how and why of achieving exquisite stimulus control. You’ll see exactly how extraneous stimuli can sneak in and wrest control of your dog’s behaviour away from you. We’ll show how you can fix, prevent, and maybe even harness extraneous stimuli to your benefit.

In his 43rd year of a K9-centered law enforcement career Steve White is the only person to have served as a handler, trainer, training-sergeant, and supervisor for the Seattle Police Canine Unit. Accredited as a Master Trainer in 1993 by the Washington State Police Canine Association, Steve is also a past Executive Board Member of that body. He served as Vice President of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and is a consultant and instructor for the K9 Academy for Law Enforcement. Steve has instructed at seminars in the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom. He has served as a primary instructor for Karen Pryor's ClickerExpo and the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior. His articles have appeared in police K-9 and dog training publications in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Finland, and Japan. He specializes in teaching behavior modification, tracking, and scent work through the use of positive reinforcement-based operant conditioning. He provides consultation and training to K-9 units on administrative and legal issues, and has been recognized as an expert witness by Washington and Federal courts in Police K-9 and dog behavior matters. 

Theresa McKeon

Presentation: Information Blacksmith: Forging “What to Do” from “What to Know”

For some of us, acquiring knowledge is almost an addiction. Just look at this conference. We are practically giddy at the opportunity to be completely overwhelmed with information. But after the conference, many of us will go back to teaching physical skills to our clients. Then we must do the work of blacksmiths, forging customised “To Do” instructions from huge chunks of “To Know” information.

As any good blacksmith knows, the right tools can improve the final product. During this interactive session, we’ll use TAGteach tools to find, and refine, precise instructions as we work to become information blacksmiths.

Theresa McKeon, BA, cofounder TAGteach International

In 1998, Theresa, a national-level gymnastics coach, was determined to find a way to speed up skill acquisition for her athletes (which as a fortuitous byproduct would reduce coach frustration). The answer came when she combined her 30 years of coaching, with principles she learned from clicker training her horses. As it turns out, clear communication, feedback, and a focus on positive reinforcement was not an ‘animal training’ thing, it was smart teacher thing.

The TAGteach tools were later modified by Theresa and Joan Orr to make use of human language (or to make up for the overuse of human language) and the methodology continued to prove itself effective.

Theresa now travels the world presenting workshops and seminars and designing and presenting TAGteach programs for an unending variety of applications including: the largest commercial fishing/processing company in the United States, Orthopedic surgeons at Montefiore Teaching Hospital, corporate trainings for Mercer-Marsh Voluntary Benefits, PGA golf instructors, Karen Pryor Academy, education and special education classroom, and finally rounding back to where it started, to those who teach people to train animals.

Theresa's website: http://www.tagteach.com/

T. V. (Joe) Layng Ph.D

Presentation 1: Introduction to the Science of Behavior

This presentation will introduce the audience to the application of the methods of the natural sciences to the study of behavior. We will begin with a definition of behavior, how that leads to the search for functional relations that describe an organisms relation to its environment [B=ƒ(x) under c], which leads us to the concept of consequential contingency, from which we can define reinforcement (positive and negative), punishment, and extinction. We will then carefully define other relations important to applications of the fundamental relations, such as potentiating variables, stimulus props, conditioned reinforcement, stimulus control, shaping, and schedules of reinforcement. The importance of considering alternative behaviors and contingencies to understanding complex behavior relations will be discussed as well.

Presentation 2: Beyond Cognition and Behavior: Nonlinear Clinical Contingency Analysis

Over the past several years, evidence-based therapies such as CBT, ACT, FAP, and others, have become increasingly popular. While differing in their procedures, they all share a common characteristic: they largely rely on what may be considered linear analyses and topical interventions. A different approach is described here that has the potential to add to the therapist's analytical tool box. In contrast to the more common therapies, it is derived from nonlinear consequential contingency analysis and offers the possibility of systemic as well as topical interventions. This approach and its developmental history, previously described by Layng, is the result of decades-long research, much of which was conducted at the University of Chicago by Israel Goldiamond, his colleagues, and students. Here, we provide an introductory exploration and explanation of nonlinear contingency analysis illustrated with case studies often found among the most challenging.

Presentation 3: Emotions and Emotional Behavior

Whereas emotional behavior can easily be included in a behavior analytic account, emotion as private experience has proven much more difficult. I will argue that simply considering the private experience of emotion as covert behavior, stimuli (to be gained or avoided), or motivating operations is not satisfactory. The fact of private experience presents definitional problems not encountered when considering public behavior. The problem of privacy as elucidated by Skinner and Wittgenstein is discussed and a possible solution provided. This solution is based upon an approach first described by Israel Goldiamond which treats private emotions as indicators or descriptors – non-spoken tacts – of consequential contingencies. The  experience of emotion is considered as occurring with, and determined by, the contingency. In this account emotions neither cause behavior nor are caused by behavior; they are instead part of consequential contingencies. The differences among emotions reflect the differences in contingencies described. Once “made public,” however, emotion may become linked to “emotional behavior,” which is then maintained by its consequences.

Presentation 4: Contingency Adduction: It’s Experimental and Applied Roots

Behavior shaped under one set of circumstances may be recruited under different circumstances to serve new functions or combine with other previously shaped patterns to create new blends or (re)combinations of behavior. The instance of recruitment has been defined as contingency adduction. Instances of adduction were first observed in the psychology clinic and later formally investigated with pigeons in the laboratory. The sources of repertoires which the contingencies may adduce will be described including resurgence, adjunctive patterns, and combining stimuli that control separate behaviors. The role of contingency adduction in problem solving and the use of verbal behavior in humans will be described.

T. V. Joe Layng has nearly 50 years of experience in the experimental and applied analysis of behavior with a particular focus on the design of teaching/learning environments. in 1971 he founded the Center for Innovative Design and Programed Instruction at Western Illinois University. A few years later Joe established a research/treatment program, the Personal Effectiveness Group, at the Institute of Psychiatry, Northwestern University Medical Center. He went on in 1984 to found Enabling Technologies, a software firm that produced the first use of gamification to teach business software, as well as an array of business products and advanced 3D modeling software. In the 1990s, Joe was Director of Academic Support and then Dean at Malcolm X College in Chicago where her founded the award winning Personalized Curriculum Institute. In 1999, he co-founded Headsprout. At Headsprout, Joe led the scientific team that developed the technology that forms the basis of the company’s patented Early Reading and Reading Comprehension online reading programs, for which he was the chief architect. The reading programs have helped over three million children learn to read and have been awarded the software industries greatest acknowledgment, the CODiE Award, for best instructional solutions. He is currently a partner in Generategy, LLC, which publishes the patented Music Learning Lab.

Joe earned a Ph.D. in Behavioral Science (biopsychology) at the University of Chicago. At Chicago, working with pigeons, he investigated animal models of psychopathology, specifically the recurrence of pathological patterns (head-banging) as a function of normal behavioral processes. While at Chicago he also contributed to the discovery and characterization of the behavioral process known as contingency adduction. Joe also has extensive clinical behavior analysis experience with a focus on ambulatory schizophrenia, especially the systemic as well as topical treatment of delusional speech and hallucinatory behavior. Joe has published over 50 articles or chapters, and a book on Signal Detection Theory for behavior analysts. He is a fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, and Chair, Board of Trustees, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.