Training Matters, located at 1104 Ames Hill Road in Brattleboro, Vermont, is pleased to offer occasional seminars, workshops and classes to introduce residents of Brattleboro and surrounding communities to the latest thinking on positive dog training and animal behavior. These sessions are packed with interesting and practical dog training strategies and information for other companion animal owners.
- Former zookeeper and professional dog trainer Sara Matters covers topics ranging from basic manners and obedience training for dogs to animal behavior across species, from parrots to pigs. Future sessions may include:
- Basics of canine behavior,
- How animals learn,
- Operant conditioning in zoo animals and how it can work for your pet,
- How to keep your animals adequately stimulated when life gets hectic or the weather is lousy and why it’s important
Additionally, Training Matters hosts applied workshops and other educational seminars for animal training professionals, other animal care practitioners, and dedicated animal guardians at our Lemon’s Hope Sanctuary, a small farm animal sanctuary for rescued and re-homed animals. Applied workshops cover topics like evidence-based enrichment provision and force free husbandry training. Many include hands-on practice with our miniature horses, goats, sheep and guinea pigs. Informational seminars include topics such as the elements of applied behavior analysis that all trainers and animal care professionals should understand to do their best work, how to work with fearful animals, and the latest science on topics such as neuroscience and cognition.
Check back here periodically to find out about upcoming classes and events!
Covid-19 policy: We are proceeding with events in person as of August 2021. As a backup, we will have Zoom rain dates in case live events cannot proceed as planned. The Zoom-date, if you will, will be at the same scheduled time as the scheduled event, but will be held via Zoom. Partial refunds will be offered if that is the case.
Our facility is a large one, capable of holding up to 90 people under previous guidance recommending social distancing of 6′ between people. None of our events will be anywhere near this large. Our events are intimate, small, relaxed gatherings and we want to keep them that way. We require that attendees be vaccinated, boosted, and masked indoors. We will keep up with Covid restriction recommendations for gatherings and adhere to those. We are simply hoping to proceed as normally as possible at any given time.
Animal Trainer’s Retreat
A weekend of support, collaboration, education, recreation and rejuvenation in beautiful southern Vermont.
October 4-6, 2024, Brattleboro, Vermont
This is a three-day, in person event beginning October 4, 2024, with Sara Matters, MA, ABCDT, ABA certificant and Debbie Jacobs, CPDT-KA, RBT, as part of our ongoing mission to provide our fellow trainers with mutual aid and support through the development and nurturing of community. In addition to being located in a sublime location our weekend will include opportunities to work on training mechanics with trusted others and resident animals, educational presentations, thought-provoking discussions, and fun outdoor activities. Regardless of where you are in your journey to be the best trainer you can be, to positively impact the lives of owners and pets, this weekend has something for you. Our goal at Lemon’s Hope Sanctuary is to enthusiastically welcome everyone who is interested in learning more about the science of learning and behavior.
Your hosts Sara Matters and Debbie Jacobs share an interest in the science of Applied Behavior Analysis and how its use can be a game changer for even the most problematic behavior. Sara completed a Master’s certificate program in ABA in addition to her Master’s in Animal Behavior. Debbie is the founder of www.fearfuldogs.com as well as the influential Fearful Dogs Facebook group, and author of the popular A Guide To Living With & Training A Fearful Dog. Prior to the pandemic she worked as a Registered Behavior Technician with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other cognitive or developmental challenges. Recently, she launched an online course entitled, “Essentials of Applied Behavior Analysis for Serious Animal Trainers: Transforming Problem Behaviors in Animals.”
The guest presenter this year is Sharon Wachsler, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, of At Your Service Dog Training in Hadley, Massachusetts. Sharon launched At Your Service Dog training in 2014 to bring skilled, rewards-based service dog training to Western Massachusetts. Sharon holds deep knowledge about how to train a service dog while living with a disability. She worked for numerous disability service agencies before becoming severely disabled by chronic illness for 18 years. During that time, she trained three service dogs for herself. As a practitioner of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and TAGteach, Sharon’s clients enjoy kindness, empathy, and clarity in their training sessions. As a nationally respected science-based dog trainer, Sharon loves consulting with, mentoring, and teaching professional dog trainers, as well as her own clients, to achieve outstanding training results, transforming pets into canine assistants.
Presentations will include:
- information about the use and risks of escape extinction
- analyses of assent-assuming protocols
- playing the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab table game for trainers
- training the animals of Lemon’s Hope Sanctuary, who include horses, sheep, goats and Guinea pigs
- an introduction to Debbie’s new online course
- analyzing the mechanisms at play in popular protocols
- reviewing behavioral approaches to enrichment provision for any animal, with a focus on dogs and horses
Special Guest Presentations by Sharon Wachsler
- multifunctional cues: teaching a single cued behavior that serves a function for the dog, handler and strangers or others in the environment simultaneously.
- working with disabled clients
Sharon’s presentations will be useful for both service dog trainers and pet trainers. After Sharon demonstrates how she has developed multifunctional cues, attendees will brainstorm and work in small groups to devise a training plan for a multifunctional cue of their own and then discuss it. In relation to working with disabled clients, Sharon will review some do’s and don’ts, address common issues, moderate discussion and answer questions, facilitate role playing, and review situations trainers have experienced with clients.
IAABC Ceus: pending
KPA Ceus: 17
PPG Ceus: 10.5
CCPDT Ceus: 25 for trainers
Cost: Early bird pricing, $275; regular admission, $325. Includes 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch & 1 dinner.
Location: 1104 Ames Hill Road, Brattleboro, Vermont
To register, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/animal-trainers-retreat-tickets-926941034587
Training With Love + Science: Essentials of ABA for Dog Professionals
This one-day event is a mini-conference featuring talks by multiple trainers who base their work in applied behavior analysis.
September 7, 2024, New York, New York
Dog Trainers’ Retreat on Aggression and Reactivity
with Emily Lewis, CDBC, and Casey Matthews-Lomonaco,
KPA-CT, FDM, FFCP
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. She specializes in aggressive behavior in dogs. Casey Matthews-Lomonaco, who currently works with Behavior Vets NYC, 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. Attendees can join us for one or both days.
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
- Detailed presentation of several case studies including human directed and intrahousehold aggression
Day one with Casey Matthews: Teaching Relaxation Skills
- Implementing relaxation protocols to promote relaxed behavior in dogs
- Why they’re helpful for dogs exhibiting aggressive behaviors
- Contains information included in Casey’s popular online course for Behavior Vets, “From Stressed Out to Chilled Out”
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 Matthews: Orchestrating enrichment
- Everyday strategies to address behavioral needs while dogs and their people proceed through reactivity training
- Creative and structured outlets for physical activity and mental stimulation for dogs who exhibit challenging behaviors
- Review various types of enrichment and how they can fulfill dogs’ ethological needs
- Tailor enrichment and exercise programs to individual dogs
Dates: May 18, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and May 19, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: 1104 Ames Hill, Brattleboro Vermont
Ceus pending
To read more and to register go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dog-trainers-retreat-on-aggression-and-reactivity-tickets-846357336577
Winter classes with Sara Matters and Debbie Jacobs
Single-behavior group classes conducted by Debbie Jacobs and Sara Matters, reviewing training and management solutions to common behavioral issues pet owners face.
Teaching Your Dog to Come When Called
Two-class course to teach your dog to reliably come when called, March 9 and 16. There will be two separate group classes, one at two p.m. and another at 4 p.m. The 4 p.m. class is currently full. $60 for the two-class course. Email sara@mattersdogtraining.com to learn more.
Event Recordings
Understanding Your Rescue Dog: Why they do what they do
This seminar focused on the difficulties adopters of rescue dogs often face. Adopters learned what they need to know about their dog’s behavior to make life easier for dogs and humans alike. Debbie Jacobs, CPDT-KA, RBT and fearful dog specialist, provided expert help on addressing safety hazards for dogs and their owners. Cost is $25. Email sara@mattersdogtraining.com to receive an invoice and make payment.
An Introduction to Fear-Based Behavior Across Species
With Debbie Jacobs, CPDT-KA, RBT; Michelle Martiya, equine trainer; Katenna Jones, ScM, ACAAB,CCBC, CDBC, CPDT-KA; Emily Strong, CDBC, CPDT-KA, SBA
This event was held via Zoom in February of 2021. The focus was on how we address fear-based behavior challenges in multiple species to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges professionals face and how they handle them. Species discussed were dogs, horses, cats and birds. The event was two hours in length. Once the recording is purchased, Training Matters will send a link to access the recording via the email address associated with the payment. There may be a delay as this is not an automated process. Cost is $25. Email sara@mattersdogtraining.com to receive an invoice and make payment.
