The Play Way is Amy Cook’s method of helping shy and fearful dogs overcome these issues to live a happier, less-stressed life. Is your dog brilliant at home but shuts down in class or in new environments? Does she bark at people or dogs? Is he afraid of the novel objects? Is the attention of strangers too much pressure? Does she seem generally stressed? Rather than focusing mainly on food, as many do when working with these dogs, Amy has established a more nuanced rehabilitation process that revolves around personal, social play. She believes play is a much more reliable method of judging a dog’s true behavioral thresholds, while being equally effective at supporting a dog to make emotional change. Play is both an indicator of stress and an intervention for stress! In this two-day seminar you will learn: -How to identify stress in dogs -About threshold management -How to read a dog so you know what to do and when -About relaxed play, and its important role in the rehabilitation of stress & anxiety -Personal play, food, or toys: which one should you use and when? -How to help a dog "Look and Dismiss" and take challenges in stride. Whether your pup is being reactive on leash, fearful in the world, or you are struggling with a dog who performs great during training but shuts down at trials, this seminar can provide unique skills and a different approach to traditional food-driven counter conditioning protocols. Dr. Amy Cook is an International Association of Animal Behavior Consultant (IAABC) Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, a longstanding professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) and was one of the first trainers nationally to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through independent evaluation. Dr. Cook received her Ph.D. in Psychology from UC Berkeley, with her research focusing on the dog-human relationship and its effect on the problem-solving strategies dogs employ. Dr. Cook is the founder and creator of the Play Way and a popular instructor for the online school, The Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. She has been training dogs for over 30 years and has specialized in the rehabilitation of shy and fearful dogs for over 20 years. To learn more about Dr. Cook, visit her website. This 2-day seminar is lecture only on Saturday and lecture with limited working spots on Sunday (only pre-approved dogs with an additional $50 cost which will be billed separately if accepted). A questionnaire will be sent (after July 1) if you are interested in a working spot. Lunch will be on your own both days. Early Bird Pricing until June 15. Refund/cancellation policy: A refund, less a $15.00 processing fee, will be issued if requested in writing to info@foryourk9.com on or before July 1, 2025.

Sponsor:For Your K9
Speaker(s):Dr. Amy Cook

Contact: Liz Vanderhoef
 Email: liz@foryourk9.com
 Web: https://foryourk9.com/