APDT Conference 2011- San Diego, CA
Many of you have asked about my trip to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers’ conference in San Diego in October. It was fantastic! Undoubtedly the highlight of my trip were the field studies at the San Diego Zoo and Sea World San Diego, especially since I work in multiple species and most of my clients live with more than one type of pet! The trainers at these facilities were so gracious and endlessly patient in answering all of our questions about zoo animal training, husbandry, handling, and their education. By the end of the trip to Sea World our entire group of dog trainers were all ready to ditch working with dogs and go straight to Orcas! (Not that that’s particularly likely … that water is COLD!)
And I have several videos as well:
First we met a cheetah.
Then, we met Daisy, the armadillo.
..And Tess, the sloth
And we talked with the marine mammal trainers, too.
And met Orchid the Orca
I can’t wait for the next conference!
And in addition (but making for less interesting video) I learned all sorts of new and interesting dog training protocols, techniques, found some cool new equipment, met some brilliant animal trainers, and generated many, many new ideas which are already being integrated into my training of humans and animals!
The opportunity to receive continuing education in the very latest in animal training, in such a hands-on, entertaining and integrative way, is so valuable in the dog training profession. I’m very grateful for it.
Plus, I got my picture taken with Karen Pryor while simultaneously creating one of the most awkward, geeked-out fan moments of my career. It was awesome. The picture’s here on Facebook. 😉
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