Dog Trainers' Retreat on Dog Aggression and Reactivity

This is a two-day event focusing on working with aggressive and reactive behavior in dogs. Day one is aimed at professional dog trainers and will feature case studies of challenging cases presented by Emily Lewis, a certified dog behavior consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Casey Matthews-Lomonaco will present on teaching relaxation skills with these dogs. Day two is aimed at trainers, owners, walkers and other animal care professionals and will focus on how to live with reactivity, including how to address dogs' behavioral needs while working through training with possibly restricted activities.

Day one with Emily Lewis: Changing Reactive and Aggressive Behaviors without Aversives:

• What are aversives and how do they work?
• How does the prior use of aversives complicate a behavior case?
• Workflow from intake to final lesson with client
• Safety procedures
• Behavior assessment and tracking tools
• Case Study 1 (positive outcome): separation anxiety, noise phobia, leash and barrier reactivity, no prior use of aversives
• Case Study 2 (behavior euthanasia): separation anxiety, compulsive light and shadow chasing, handling sensitivities, prior use of aversives
• Case Study 3 (mixed outcome): intrahousehold aggression, prior use of aversives
• Case Study 4 (positive outcome with rehoming): interspecific resource guarding, prior use of aversives

Day one with Casey Lomonaco: How to Teach Relaxation Skills

Implementing relaxation protocols and other strategies to promote relaxed behavior in dogs and why they're helpful in relation to aggressive behavior.

Day two with Emily Lewis: Living with Reactivity:

• What is reactivity?
• What causes reactivity?
• What is threshold, and why is this concept important?
• Trigger stacking
• Safety equipment for walks
• Leash handling - demo and hands on
• Management strategies for improving quality of life
• Alternate behaviors
• Changing emotional responses
• Clicker games and training demos

Day two with Casey Lomonaco: Enrichment

Everyday strategies to address behavioral needs while dogs and their people proceed through reactivity training.

Emily Lewis has 22 years of professional experience as a trainer, shelter behavior consultant and veterinary technician. Aggression cases became a significant portion of her client list in 2012. She was a guest instructor on dog behavior including aggression at the University of Vermont in 2023. She operates Vermont Dog Behavior in Essex Junction, Vermont.

Casey Matthews-Lomonaco has 16 years of professional experience as a trainer and director of training and behavior programs for two different shelters. She has offered training services through her business Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training in Rochester, New York. Casey has published hundreds of articles on dog behavior and training in addition to contributing to books as an author and editor, and currently works as a behavior consultant at Behavior Vets.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

1104 Ames Hill Rd, 1104 Ames Hill Road, Brattleboro, United States