Learn more in three days than you thought possible!
The 2017 ClickerExpo program in Portland is filled with innovative courses, creative teachers, and fun events. If you’ve been to a ClickerExpo event once or many times, you’ll find a wealth of groundbreaking new courses at your level! Our faculty brings you to the cutting edge of knowledge and best practices, sharing each year’s newest research, techniques, tools, and skills.
This year’s program includes an expanded curriculum—more than 80 courses and a faculty of 23 talented teachers. What hasn’t changed is what sets ClickerExpo apart—unparalleled interaction with so many top–level teachers and trainers! Our ClickerExpo faculty members are not only great trainers, they are skilled and enthusiastic teachers. Plus, in ClickerExpo’s unique culture of mutual discovery, teachers and attendees listen, practice, and learn from each other.
Maybe that’s why, year after year, almost every attendee (average of 98%!) who turned in a survey said that ClickerExpo met their expectations, was “really good,” or gave them a “Wow” experience. It was true for our very first ClickerExpo and it has been true for the 12 years we have been operating ClickerExpo. Wow!
“The best conference there is—approachable trainers and top–quality, intelligent information.”
Reserve your spot for Portland 2017 and a chance at your own “Wow” experience!
An Amazing 2017 Program
These courses and activities will help you get to the next level of your development, and have a great time doing it!
The heart of the ClickerExpo program is divided into “education themes” — essentially courses that we group together thematically. They are not necessarily in the same room so are they are not “tracks” to which you are locked in. Pick and choose from among them and consult the main schedule to avoid time conflicts.
- Navigate the menu below to see the courses under any of the key themes. Some courses will be cross-themed and so they are cross-listed
- When you click on any title, you will link to the detailed description of that course, including the name of the faculty member teaching it and the Experience Level to which it is targeted.
- Any course title that contains the words “In Action” indicates a Learning Lab linked to a Session.
ClickerExpo Portland 2017 - Education Themes
- Trainer Skill Development - focused on the training skills and knowledge that are critical to trainers' continued development
- Teaching People - focused on skills and knowledge related to teaching people
- Aggression & General Behavior Management - content relevant for those working with behavior issues including, but not limited to, management of reactivity and aggression
- Shelter & Rescue - focus on issues common to shelter and rescue work
- Competition & Sport - focused on canine sports and competitions
- Veterinary - focused on skill-development and knowledge useful in veterinary environments
- Science - focused on skill-building and knowledge through the lens of behavioral science
- Business - focused on content for professional trainers looking to sustain and grow their business, and improve their skills at working with people
- Equine - courses developed specifically for horse trainers and owners
Trainer Skill Development (back to top)
These courses focus on the training skills and knowledge that are critical to trainers' continued development. We’ve further divided these courses into two categories: Core Skills & Concepts and Developed Skills & Concepts
Core Skills & Concepts
If you’re new to clicker training or uncertain about your skills and knowledge, be sure to choose courses from this list. Or, get a day-by-day guide by viewing our Foundation Curriculum. We don’t call them basic skills and concepts for a reason. Instead, they are core skills and concepts. Core skills and concepts are at the heart of good training practices. A solid core will support your efforts to be creative, to self-assess, and to continue to learn.
- A Moment of Science: Clicker Training 101
- Building Behavior: Shape the Future (NEW)
- Building Behavior: Shape the Future - In Action (NEW)
- When Good Training Goes Badly: Troubleshooting Your Training Sessions (NEW)
- When Good Training Goes Badly - In Action! (NEW)
- What a Cue Can Do: Developing Cueing Skills
- What a Cue Can Do - In Action! (NEW)
- Train that Chain! Behavior Chains
- Train that Chain! Behavior Chains - In Action
- Love It! Effective Non-Food Reinforcement
Developed Skills & Concepts
Courses for the dedicated trainer with a strong core of practical training experience and knowledge
- Full House? Working & Living with Multiple Animals
- The Fab Five: Concepts That Will Make Your Training Rock! (NEW)
- Thinking Fast & Flow (NEW)
- Retrieve Reboot: Unfreeze Your Retrieve (NEW)
- We Just Have to Dish: Training, Science & Nerdy Stuff with Kathy & Susan (NEW)
- How to Get Started with Concept Training (NEW)
- If You Build it, They Will Come: Training a Reliable Recall (NEW)
- Dr. No: Teaching an Animal to Say "No" Can Be the Right Prescription (NEW)
- At Long Last! Creating Longer-Duration Behaviors (NEW)
- At Long Last! Creating Longer-Duration Behaviors - In Action (NEW)
- Taking Platform Training to New Heights (NEW)
- Love It! Effective Non-Food Reinforcement
- Do It Again: The Use of Patterns in Training (NEW)
- Control is an Illusion: Stimulus Control without Frustration
- Control is an Illusion – In Action
- Inside Out: How Understanding Emotions Makes for Complete Training (NEW)
- Play it Forward: Using Cues to Make Play Fun Again (NEW)
- Collar Cues: Communicating through Touch
- Collar Cues – In Action
- Practice Makes Perfect - with Locum! (NEW)
- Tricky Motivators (NEW)
- Animals in Control: The Choice is Theirs
- Animals in Control: The Choice is Theirs - In Action (NEW)
- Ideas that Should Die: Outdated, Outmoded & Misunderstood Behavior (NEW)
- Dr. Dolittle, I Presume (NEW)
- Mat Training: A Power Tool Trainers (NEW)
- Loopy Training (NEW)
- The Great Divide: Is it Operant or Classical? (NEW)
- Game On: Train or Be Trained Part 1
- Game On: Train or Be Trained Part 2 (NEW)
Teaching People (back to top)
These courses look at skill-building and knowledge through the lens of behavioral science.
- Thinking Fast and Flow - (NEW)
- Wanted: Training Consultant (Those Good with Animals Need Not Apply!) (NEW)
- Keep Your Candle Burning: Avoiding Professional Burnout (NEW)
- What a Pithy: Making Classes Memorable
- Teaching & Training at the Next Level: Karen Pryor Academy
- Look Away from the Dog
- Help Your Teacher Help You (NEW)
- Turn Me On... (or Not) Inspiring Others to Choose Positive Reinforcement (NEW)
- Game On: Train or Be Trained Part 1
- Game On: Train or Be Trained Part 2 (NEW)
Aggression & General Behavior Management (back to top)
These courses focus on content relevant for those working with behavior issues including, but not limited to, management of reactivity and aggression.
- Full House? Working & Living with Multiple Animals
- On Guard! Resource Guarding Lab
- The Animal Behavior Healthcare Team: Real-World Trainer & Verterinary Collaboration Models (NEW)
- Ready . . . or Not? Working with Reactive Dogs
- Elimination Happens! (NEW)
- Keep Your Candle Burning: Avoiding Professional Burnout (NEW)
- The Anatomy of an Aggresive-Dog Training Plan (NEW)
- At Long Last! Creating Longer Duration Behaviors (NEW)
- At Long Last! Creating Longer Duration Behaviors - In Action (NEW)
- Reactive-Dog Games (NEW)
- The Great Divide: Is it Operant or Classical (NEW)
Shelter & Rescue (back to top)
These course focus on issues common to shelter and rescue work and help attendees focus on this growing area of interest.
- On Guard! Resource Guarding Lab
- Keep Your Candle Burning: Avoiding Professional Burnout (NEW)
- Words Matter: The Impact of Language Choices
Competition & Sport (back to top)
These courses focus on canine sports and competition.
- Fail-Safe: Cracking the Code for Ultra-Dependability (NEW)
- Fail-Safe: Cracking the Code for Ultra-Dependability - In Action! (NEW)
- High Precision, High Scores
- High Precision, High Scores – In Action
- The Fab Five: Concepts That Will Make Your Training Rock! (NEW)
- Retrieve Reboot: Unfreeze Your Retrieve (NEW)
- Taking Platform Training to New Heights (NEW)
Veterinary (back to top)
These courses focus on skill-development and knowledge useful in veterinary environments.
- The Animal Behavior Healthcare Team: Real-World Trainer & Verterinary Collaboration Models (NEW)
- Crossing Chasms: Understanding Trainer & Veterinary Perspective on Animal Care (NEW)
Science (back to top)
These courses look at skill-building and knowledge through the lens of behavioral science.
- A Moment of Science: Clicker Training 101
- We Just Have to Dish: Training, Science & Nerdy Stuff with Kathy & Susan (NEW)
- The Great Divide: Is it Operant or Classical? (NEW)
- Consuming Research Without Indigestion (NEW)
- Consuming Research Without Indigestion - In Action (NEW)
- Effective Affection: How to Get it Right (NEW)
- Poisoned Cues: Diagnosis, Analysis & Repair (NEW)
- Ideas that Should Die: Outdated, Outmoded & Misunderstood Behavior Science (NEW)
- The Rat is Never Wrong: Understanding Errorless Learning
Business (back to top)
By popular demand, we have added several new courses that focus on content for professional trainers looking to sustain and grow their business, and improve their skills at working with people.
Equine (back to top)
These courses focus on skills for horse trainers and owners.
- Let's Get Started! Introducing Your Horse to Clicker Training (NEW)
- From Fear to Near: Behaviors that Change Horse Husbandry - Part 1 (NEW)
- From Fear to Near: Behaviors that Change Horse Husbandry - Part 2 (NEW)
- Safety in Numbers: Working with Multiple Horses (NEW)
- Mat Training: A Power Tool Trainers (NEW)
- Baby's Fist Steps: Foal-Raising
- Fear Factors: Understanding and Reducing Fear Across Species (NEW)
- All Aboard! Trailer-Loading Made Easy
- Do It Again: The Use of Pattern in Training (NEW)
- Loopy Training (NEW)
- Into the Wild: Taming Mustangs Clicker-Style Part 1
- Into the Wild: Taming Mustangs Clicker-Style Part 2
- Dr. Dolittle, I Presume (NEW)
- Let's Stay Together: Start Your Horses Under Saddle at Home (NEW)
- Riding with Clicker Training (NEW)
Love Those Learning Labs (back to top)
Learning Labs get dog and handler partners out on the floor to practice and hone new skills under the experienced eyes of ClickerExpo faculty members. Many Learning Labs are linked to Sessions so that you can attend the Session and then put into practice what you just learned -- in the Learning Lab.
You can reserve a participation (also called dog and handler) spot for you and your dog or attend as an observer.
Remember, Learning Labs have a limited number of spots for dog and handler teams. These limits are set by the faculty members who teach them in order to provide an excellent learning experience. We advise that you register early if you want to have working spots in the Labs.
No dog? No problem! Learning Labs are incredibly valuable teaching forums for observers as well. For attendees coming without their dogs, we have special seating arrangements in the Labs to optimize viewing.
Nighttime and Mealtime Activities (back to top)
ClickerExpo attendees enjoy one another’s company!
- Kick off ClickerExpo on Thursday evening with a complimentary welcome reception sponsored by Karen Pryor Academy.
- Every day at lunchtime join in the roundtable discussions and connect with like–minded people on topics of mutual interest or with people in your geographic area. Register for restaurant lunches to join the discussion.
- Friday and Saturday Dinners. We have two fabulous evening events:
- On Friday night, we invite you to join us at our Friday Night Dinner and Networking Event. Make professional connections and new friends while you enjoy a well–deserved meal. Don’t forget your business cards!
- On Saturday night, please join us for a special Dinner with remarks by Al Kordowski of Service Dogs, Inc.: ”From Shelter to Service Dog: The Positive Reinforcement Journey"
Our 2017 Faculty (back to top)
The ClickerExpo faculty is truly unique. From premier institutions and schools, they are an all–star group of top clicker trainers, competitors in canine sports, and leaders and innovators in the field of operant conditioning. Meet the entire ClickerExpo faculty.
- Eva Bertilsson
- Lori Chamberland
- Aaron Clayton
- Jen Digate
- Susan Friedman
- Peggy Hogan
- Emelie Johnson-Vegh
- Alexandra Kurland
- Debbie Martin
- Emma Parsons
- Theresa McKeon
- Sarah Owings
- Michele Pouliot
- Ken Ramirez
- Jesus Rosales-Ruiz
- Kathy Sdao
- Laura Van Arendonk Baugh
- Lindsay Wood Brown
