October 25, 2010

back from the big city


I have returned from Atlanta with my brain full of new dog training info and my purse empty of money. Just take a look at all the fun dog stuff I scored at the APDT Trade Show. I won't bore you with everything I purchased, but some of the highlights are the Kong Wobbler, a couple of Nina Ottosson toys (the Tornado and Twister) and a new Premier Slap Happy. I also went a little nuts at the Dogwise booth and bought several new books (on the topics of shy and fearful dogs, managing a multi-dog household and canine cognition). If you want more info on any of the books or any toys you spy in the picture above, just let me know.

We went non-stop every day during the conference, and I was so excited that I got a chance to learn from some of the top trainers and animal behaviorists in the country. One of the big highlights of my week was meeting Patricia McConnell in person and having the opportunity to listen to her presentation on canine cognition and emotions.

I also attended an "Intro to K9 Nose Work" presentation at the conference, and I am so excited about it. It's a relatively new sport in the dog world, and the great thing about it is that you don't have to compete to actually enjoy the sport with your dog. It's all about developing your dog's natural scenting abilities, and it's lots of fun for both owner and dog. The K9 Nose Work concept was developed by Amy Herot, Jill Marie O'Brien and Ron Gaunt, and their presentation was a basic introduction to the sport and provided just enough information to make me excited to start working with my dogs. If you want more information on it, you can check out their site.

That's going to have to be all for now because I'm off to catch up on collar-making and hanging out with my pups... I missed them!

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