Expert Webinars

Every Wednesday, the Academy hosts an online webinar for our students and graduates. The webinars alternate between live, new webinar content; and group review sessions of core, curriculum-related webinars.

The live webinars are led by Jean Donaldson, a member of the Academy’s staff, program graduates, or invited guest experts. Live webinars cover a variety of topics: fast-paced quiz webinars to help students learn our curriculum, interactive webinars, case study webinars, and expert-led webinars on topics ranging from self-care, to canine genetics, to dog sports, growing your business, canine academic research, ABA and client approaches, and more.

On alternating weeks, the Academy hosts group review sessions of the nearly 100 required webinars. These webinars include “deep dive” sessions into curriculum topics, such as client counseling, ABA, genetics, evolution, and ethology. Although all required webinars are available recorded for students to review at their leisure, these voluntary group sessions provide a time for current students to meet virtually and ask questions of the Academy’s staff about the course content. It is yet another way that the Academy fosters a community of sharing, academic inquisitiveness, and support.

Graduates are welcome to attend webinars post-graduation, and review webinars when they wish. The comprehensive library of recorded webinars available to program participants has hundreds of titles, and is growing every year.

Some examples of the webinars our students and grads have access to:

• Quadrants as Clues to Internal States – A required freshman webinar about how understanding Skinner’s quadrants can give dog trainers clues to a dog’s emotional state.
• Overshadowing and Blocking – A required freshman webinar about identifying and avoiding competing stimuli in classical conditioning protocols.
• Breeds Quiz – A required freshman webinar testing breed identification and behaviour.
• Dog-Dog On Leash – A required junior webinar with case-coaching and diagnostic information, in support of the leash reactivity module in the core curriculum.
• Play Problems Case Study – A required junior webinar with diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols for dogs with a global play skills deficit.
• Mad Skillz – A recurring webinar in which the best student examples of training are showcased, and provide an opportunity for the audience to practice the positive coaching technique they learn in the Academy.
• Going Full Time Into Training – A guest webinar presented by Veronica Boutelle and Gina Phairas of Dog*Biz outlining how to migrate from training part-time to going pro, full time.
• From Force to Leadership to Plenty with Kathy Sdao – A guest webinar presented by the inimitable Kathy Sdao, about navigating dog training culture and philosophy.
• Genetics of Canine Aggression with Jessica Hekman – A guest webinar presented by veterinarian and geneticist Jessica Hekman, taking students through recent research on genetics, ethology, and aggression.
• Compassion Fatigue with Jessica Dolce – A guest webinar with compassion fatigue/self-care expert Jessica Dolce, covering both why and how to undertake self-care as a dog professional.