Suzanne Clothier has been professionally involved with animals since 1977. She has taught in the US, Canada, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Japan, Australia and New Zealand for groups as varied as Wolf Park, Association of Pet Dog Trainers, FEMA (Northeast Region Disaster Dog Teams), and Alaskan Dog Musher Association, national specialties, and obedience, agility, breed, rescue, shelter and SAR groups. Her book, Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs has received wide spread praise from every corner of the dog world, including twice being included in the Wall Street Journal’s list of Top 5 Dog Books. An award winning author of videos, books, booklets and numerous articles, Suzanne has served as a committee member for the AKC’s Agility Advisory Board, and for the American Humane Association’s Task Force for the Development of Humane Standards in Dog Training. “Looking for the gem in every individual” Developed by Suzanne Clothier in 2007, CARAT (Clothier Animal Response Assessment Tool) is a novel assessment system that categorizes behavior traits in multiple components that are intuitive and practical. It is the assessment system currently in use at Guiding Eyes for the Blind, one of the world’s largest guide dog schools, and is used to evaluate puppies, breeding stock and dogs coming in for training. CARAT takes a detailed view of the individual dog as a unique combination of many factors working together to influence, exacerbate, mitigate and enhance each other. In the profile created by the nuances and specifics of this complex interaction of multiple traits, an accurate picture is created of the individual, regardless of breed or age. CARAT is unique in its recognition that a response to any given stimulus can either inhibit or activate the animal, attract the animal or create avoidant behavior, and that the distinction between the two is critical in understanding the individual. For example, a dog who reacts quickly and avoidantly to a sudden noise is demonstrating a different response than a dog who reacts quickly and towards the same noise. At all times, behavior is assessed according to how productive, functional, or adaptive it may be, with a full understanding that what may be productive, functional or adaptive in one context may not be in another context. For example, there would be great differences in the CARAT profiles for a successful guide dog, competitive agility and a suitable companion for an elderly person with mobility issues. WHO NEEDS CARAT? CARAT is a must-have tool for any serious animal professional who is involved in assessing behavior. Whether you are a trainer, a behaviorist, a breeder, a veterinarian, in rescue/shelter work, or involved in service dog organizations, CARAT can open a new world of observation and understanding. CARAT will fine tune your assessments, your behavior modification & training plans, improve your selection of suitable dogs for a given task, sharpen your breeding program’s focus on desired traits, and help find the best possible job/task/home for an individual dog.

Sponsor:CANINE PHD
Speaker(s):**Suzanne Clothier

Contact: Canine PhD.
 Email: info@yourcaninephd.com
 Phone: 404-931-2035
 Web: http://www.yourcaninephd.com/