There are a variety of tools we trainers can use for dogs who are reactive, hyperactive, or who are at risk of shutting down when scared - attention work, DS/CC, avoidance. But, there is another tool we can use - one that dogs have built into their systems: Their noses! Dogs can smell 40' under their feet (that's 4 basketball nets down into the ground). By using scenting games and skills as an activity for reactive, hyperactive, and dogs at risk of shutting down, we can use their noses to help teach coping skills, give them something to focus on, and help them tune out the environmental stimuli that create issues for dogs and handlers alike, particularly in busy environments like cities. In this presentation, Melissa McCue-McGrath, the co-training director of New England Dog Training Club (the oldest AKC obedience club in the US) will discuss and demonstrate skills, games and activities using sports (with a focus on scentwork) to help dogs who are explosively reactive, too impulsive to focus, or are at risk of shutting down when they are scared. This is an especially useful program for those who live in environments where it's hard to control the triggers (like urban environments).

Sponsor:Raising Canine, LLC
Speaker(s):Melissa McCue-McGrath

Contact: Susan Smith
 Email: sue@raisingcanine.com
 Phone: 512-916-4007
 Web: https://raisingcanine.com/