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What happens when you combine (playing with your dog) + (training obedience)? You get something very powerful we like to call Play Training.

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"Your dog learns how to use their brain. It's all those unwanted behaviours put into a couple of minutes of play. Happy dog = happy owner, and it would just be generally good for everyone! It's been a privilege. ⁣

It's about understanding that your dog is a dog. ⁣

⁣That they are going to deliver certain aspects of behaviour to you. And, this sort of workshop will give you a way to manage that behaviour, keep them safe, keep you safe, and also keep other people safe too. ⁣

I would recommend this workshop, endlessly. To everyone that owns a dog. Whether you’re capable, whether you’ve had other dogs - this is just another (obvious to me now) tool you can use to help your dog become a thriving member of the family. ⁣

⁣The biggest mistake owners are likely to make, is putting their dogs into situations they're not ready for. Dog parks and that. To view “socialisation” as, introducing them to every dog and every person…

When they are like us. There are people and dogs they don't like. But, you need to get a basic default behaviour in them to be able to manage their over-reactive behaviour in different environments.

 

⁣The big difference, is my dog wanting to be with me. Giving me engagement that the environment usually took away from me. With that engagement, I’m able to continue and have success with our obedience.” - Carole Jacobs

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Does your dog get excited about playing with their toys, or about playing with you?

We believe there’s a big difference and we'd like to let you know why. The issue with playing games like fetch is that you're training your dog to become more excited about chasing balls than they are about interacting directly with you.

The side effect of that, being that your dog will be far more prone to giving into distractions, ultimately making your life and walks much harder then they have to be. Here are a few perks of focusing your dog's interactions on you:

- Reliably win their attention in many situations

- Channel their attention into beneficial skills

- Less giving into environmental distractions

- Better self-discipline and impulse control

- A higher level on trust in the relationship

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Presented by dog trainers, Ryan King and Shaun Tan with help from the team, you can expect to get home with a fresh new perspective, an understanding of what to do/what not to, and a set of skills you can start practicing that very moment!

For your dog, playing becomes a chase, a hunt, a taste of the endorphins that once coursed through them mid-hunt. Once they get the hang of it, they'll crave it and you'll feel like you've done a great job nurturing their prey drive. To grant them the interactions that were once vital to their survival. Is there any better way to build confidence?

For instance, to that develop confidence, independence, and motivation for learning in children, our good friends over at 8 Senses Therapy use play as their primary tool of choice for instilling these qualities. We do the same with our dogs, because it's powerful and has the potential to change lives.

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"I started training here about 18 months ago. Since then, I've done a few different things. We now do obedience, rally, agility, and we just started scent work. It's all just about exposing the dog to more.

Back when we finished the OZDOG, Shaun took us through and introduced us to basic play. So, I came to this to get a better understanding of how I might be able to incorporate play into our training…

Maybe develop drive for things apart from food!

When you're doing obedience agility and things like that, you can't take food into a competition ring. If I can get her to not want food all the time and want a toy, then she can do more of what I want her to do.

Anyone can learn from this workshop. One of my biggest things, (and this is why I do everything I do), is because I want Missy to have fun. I'd rather her do what I want, because she's happy about doing it." - Dale Goldfinch

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We love watching owners play with their dogs, but without experience, guidance, and training, things you may be doing wrong could damage your bond, create overstimulation or a lack of impulse control.

All in all, the core objective behind the style of play we teach is to make you the most fun, exciting, and important thing in their eyes! Which is exactly what we'll be teaching owners during this workshop.

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Learning how to play correctly with your dog is a skill that can bridge any gap in your relationship by making the most of the interactions you already love sharing with them. Becoming a leader through play will earn you the respect of your dog and motivate them to achieve anything for you.

If your dog has low food drive, we'll teach you how to build it! If your dog is hyperactive and always go, go, go, let us show you how to channel that high-energy into play-based skills with obedience outcomes!

 

Play is limitlessly beneficial, and that's a fact that every attendee will leave knowing for certain.

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To sum it up, here's what you can look forward to learning!

- How play and obedience combine beautifully

- The fundamental do's and don'ts of playing

- Understand the components of prey drive

- How to build interactions through prey drive

- Recognise the conventional styles of playing

- Develop your dog's motivation and enthusiasm

- See how it all works together with a LIVE demo

- Ask any questions you have during Q&A time

 

We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming workshops!

 

Note: This is a human-only event.

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Not located in Adelaide?

 

Watch this presentation from anywhere in the world LIVE! Also gain access to past and future School of Play workshops to help you retain everything you learn on the day. 

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