I can hardly wait! Let me tell you a bit about what to expect:
New themes
One of the things attendees at ClickerExpo Long Beach loved about this year's program was the emphasis on understanding canine emotions—what's going on with dogs and people both. That will be a continuing theme in Norfolk.
New faces
Of course you'll enjoy ClickerExpo favorites Ken Ramirez, Kathy Sdao, Kay Laurence, Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, and Emma Parsons, all with new topics and new ideas. This year you'll also meet some new faculty members and speakers. Susan Friedman, Ph.D., who was our dinner speaker last year, is now on the faculty, I'm proud to say. Her talks were hugely popular at January's ClickerExpo in Long Beach, California. Don't miss Lindsay Wood, a KPA faculty member with a lot to tell us about managing shelter dogs. Hannah Branigan, also a KPA instructor, will be talking about training for obedience competition. Both presenters were big hits in Long Beach.
Laura VanArendonk Baugh, an author, dancer, and KPA instructor, will be teaching you how to build better behavior chains, in both a Session and a Learning Lab. We'll also have two experts discussing clicking with horses in Norfolk: Alexandra Kurland and Peggy Hogan.
New schedule
Another change—and also very popular—is the schedule. This year we've broken each of the previous 90-minute afternoon sessions into two 40 minute sessions, with 10-minute breaks in between. This change provides a lot more choices in the afternoon, and a chance to hear new and wonderful speakers who were not at the conference in Long Beach. KPA faculty member Laurie Luck will be teaching the training of service dogs, Andre Yeu, KPA Certified Training Partner (CTP) has a lot to teach us about converting doubtful pet owners into eager clicker trainers, and Laura Sharkey, also a KPA CTP, will be talking about both timid puppies and aggressive puppies.
Steve Benjamin, co-author of our new Shelter Training & Enrichment online course, will lead both a Session and a Lab, with KPA Director Lori Gwyr wowing the crowd by transforming volunteered shelter dogs into eager clicker dogs—as you watch.
Susan Schneider, Ph.D., will be our dinner and our closing speaker. She will talk about pushing the limits of creative training and about how you can participate in research. Again, Susan Schneider was a speaker who was very much enjoyed by the Long Beach crowd; she is sure to be a hit with you.
Remote broadcasting
This year, for the first time ever, we are broadcasting a Taste of ClickerExpo, to several locations around the United States. A Taste of ClickerExpo will be one day full of the largest presentations from ClickerExpo, live on video! Presenters will include Ken Ramirez, Michele Pouliot, Kay Laurence, and Lindsay Wood. Laura Monaco Torelli will be our on-the spot host for the distance viewers. If you can't make Norfolk, think about putting in a day at one of these locations to experience the ClickerExpo live experience from a distance: The Shedd Aquarium, Chicago; Des Moines, Iowa; Cincinnati; Appleton, Wisconsin; Austin, Texas. Find a broadcast location near you.
Ships
At Long Beach, we enjoyed the exotic experience of staying aboard the elegant 1930s luxury liner The Queen Mary. In Norfolk, we'll be ashore, at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside, with a beautiful view of the harbor and a boardwalk along the waterfront that you and the dogs will enjoy. But you needn't entirely miss being on a ship. Just a short stroll down the boardwalk, you can tour the WW II battleship, U.S.S Wisconsin. Last time I was in Norfolk, I went aboard this huge ship and was amazed and moved by the experience.
The store
What do people like best about ClickerExpo? Some people say the ClickerExpo Store! It's bigger and better than ever this year. Don't overlook the streaming videos from past and present ClickerExpo conferences. Take advantage of the discount if you order videos before you go.
If you see me at any time during ClickerExpo, in the halls or on the boardwalk, please come and say hello!
Karen Pryor is the founder and CEO of Karen Pryor Clicker Training and Karen Pryor Academy. She is the author of many books, including Don't Shoot the Dog and Reaching the Animal Mind. Learn more about Karen Pryor or read Karen's Letters online.
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