Pittsburgh may not be in a hub of excitement but over the last two years we’ve had quite a few AMAZING canine themed seminars and workshops either in the city or within just a few hours drive. Last year we had Patricia McConnell, Nicole Wilde, Sarah Kalnajs, Dr. Dodds, and I THINK Nicholas Dodman (but that may have been the year before).
This year is no different. Earlier this year we had Suzanne Clothier come for a weekend seminar which I heard was FANTASTIC (unfortunately, I was traveling for a memorial service that weekend).

Coming up September 7th, 8th, and 9th, CARMAA (Coalition to Adopt, Rehome and Match Abandoned Animals) is hosting international superstar… or trainer… Turid Rugaas. She is the author of quite a few books and pamphlets ranging from loose leash walking technique to a great book on canine body language. She is the woman credited with coining the phrase, “Calming Signals.”

The three seminar topics are “Everyday Problem Solving,” “Calming Signals/natural behavior and how to use it,” and “Stress and Problem Solving.” She does NOT come to the states often for seminars and is an absolute gift.

Unfortunately the funds for seminars have run out (you’ll find out why in a moment) so I will not be attending BUT I would highly encourage you all to get more information from CARMAA’s website (and take good notes if you go!).

I will, however, be going to a Grisha Stewart seminar, the creator of BAT (Behavior Adjustment Training), which is a technique I use when working with reactive dogs. She will be coming to the Cleveland area for a weekend seminar September 22nd and 23rd about her amazing work with reactive, fearful, over aroused, and aggressive dogs using BAT.

I’ve had the pleasure of talking to Grisha a few times over the course of the last few years about various
topics and she’s been nothing but awesome. She is willing to answer many questions, ridiculously friendly, really engaging and is just such a wealth of knowledge!

This seminar would be great for people from trainers, vets, and shelter workers to guardians of fearful, reactive, over aroused, or aggressive. There were a few working spots but they have all been filled (were filled VERY quickly) but this is the type of seminar I would rather watch than participate in so I can really focus on the learning and not handling a dog. For more information on this 2-day seminar check out Fortunate Fido’s website.

CARMAA is always a fantastic resource for local seminars of positive reinforcement trainers, animal experts, and shelter information. You should check them out if you are interested in continuing education in the canine world!

I hope to see some of you at the Grisha Stewart seminar and those of you going to see Turid Rugaas, TAKE NOTES!