Dogs Give Us a Lot to Talk About
My interactive, customizable presentations help people better understand dogs—why they do what they do, what their behavior may be telling us, and what to do with that information.
We start with how dogs learn, then use real-life questions, case studies, and practical examples to explore behavior, body language, training, management, enrichment, and more.
Expect useful information, a little science, plenty of real life, and lots of room for questions.
Why Understanding How Dogs Learn Matters
Understanding how dogs learn gives us much more than a way to teach a particular behavior. It helps us understand the why behind what dogs do.
Why is my dog doing this—or not doing it? Why now? Why here? Why can my dog do something beautifully at home but seem to forget everything somewhere else?
Looking at those questions helps us see the bigger picture: what the dog may be communicating through body language, what they’re learning from their environment and experiences, and whether training, management, enrichment—or some combination of all three—might help.
Once we better understand the why, we can make more informed choices about what to do next. And yes, that understanding also helps us get more of the behaviors we want—and less of the behaviors we don’t.
Start With How Dogs Learn. Go Where the Questions Take Us.
How Dogs Learn provides the foundation for my community presentations.
I explain important learning concepts efficiently, using relatable analogies and real-life examples. From there, presentations often evolve naturally into an Ask the Trainer format, using questions and situations from the people in the room.
We might find ourselves talking about dog body language, recall, barking, jumping, pulling, fear or reactivity, enrichment, management, welcoming a new dog, or why a dog seems to “know” something in one situation but not another.
The questions—and the dogs behind them—make every presentation a little different.
Programs can be customized in length and format to fit your group, event, and goals. They can be designed for humans only or for people and their dogs, depending on the setting and purpose of the event.
Presentations may include PowerPoint, case studies, demonstrations, discussion, and plenty of opportunity for questions.
In Person
Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, and surrounding communities.
Virtual
Available to groups anywhere.
For Businesses: More Than Educational
It’s a shared experience.
Dogs are natural conversation starters, giving coworkers who may not ordinarily socialize something they already have in common—and plenty to talk about.
These programs give people an opportunity to learn something useful, ask questions they genuinely care about, and connect around a shared interest in dogs.
Wherever people are curious about dogs, there’s plenty to explore together.
Programs can be tailored for:
- Businesses and employee groups
- Nonprofits and community organizations
- Animal shelters and rescue organizations
- Veterinary practices and teams
- Breed clubs and dog clubs
- Dog sport groups, including agility, Flyball, Nose Work, and others
- Facebook, Nextdoor, Meetup, and other dog-focused communities
- Professional and special-interest groups
- Private groups of inquisitive dog lovers
Agility group? Neighborhood dog group? Company lunch-and-learn? Club meeting?
If your people have dog questions, chances are we’ll have plenty to talk about.
Bring It to Your Group
Planning an employee program, club meeting, community event, lunch-and-learn, member gathering, or something entirely different?
Tell me a little about your group, what has everyone curious, and what you’d like participants to take away from the experience.
Together, we can create a program that fits.