Monday, May 13, 2013

Nicole Wilde Seminar

This past weekend, I attended a Nicole Wilde seminar.  It was wonderful, and I highly recommend that anyone who trains, rescues, or has dogs with fear or anxiety issues attend one if the opportunity presents itself.

The majority of attendees were trainers, with a handful of rescuers and private owners.  This particular seminar of hers was not specifically aimed at or designed for trainers.

The first day was all about helping fearful dogs.  The causes and physiological responses were discussed.  I loved that she stated a good foundation must be set for any progress to be made, regarding management, physical well being, etc.  I found out that she also feeds raw, when she was discussing physical well-being.  She noted that corn suppresses serotonin/tryptophan levels.  She discussed types of fear, fear sources (handler, vet, objects, etc.) and how to work with the dog to overcome these fears.  Complimentary therapies, such as D.A.P. and music were also discussed.

Surprising to my friend and I, another wolfdog friend (she owns a rescued lower mid content) was in attendance.  We had never actually met her, only corresponded via Facebook.  It was a very nice surprise.

A large amount of information was presented.  She is a wonderful speaker, with eloquence and nice cadence.  She is intelligent, informative, witty, down to earth and approachable.  Some items were being sold, and I wanted to purchase her book Help for Your Fearful Dog.  All copies quickly sold out.  I was able to order it, and it will be mailed out tomorrow.


 Saturday evening, we all went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Dublin.  Afterwards, a woofer friend met up with us.  She brought along an absolutely adorable puppy.


 Yes, we carried the puppy through the hotel, up to our room.  This sweet little girl was shy at first, but quickly warmed up.

Sunday's first topic was separation anxiety.  Lots of videos were shown, and management/training techniques were discussed.  While none of mine appear to suffer from separation anxiety, I still found it very helpful. 

The second topic was the dynamics of dog-dog play.  This was mostly fun stuff, though warning signs were again discussed.  We watched a lot of videos, and discussed as a group what was going on.  Plenty of careless owners were present in these videos, which is unfortunate.  Nicole Wilde is not a fan of dog parks, as there is no one actually running them, and too many owners are more worried about socializing themselves.  She is a fan of well-run doggy daycares, though.

She discussed how different breeds and different dogs have different play styles.  What's important to know is how your dog plays, and to watch how the other dog(s) respond to it.  She owns two northern breed mixes herself, and showed a video of them playing at home.  This reassured me, as they play as rough as my crew does.

Again, it was a wonderful seminar, and I'm so glad Susan suggested we attend together.

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like it was wonderful. And that pup is adorable.
    Blessings,
    Goose

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, that pups is ADORABLES!!!
    It sure sounds like it was a good seminar!
    Kisses,
    Ruby

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for the howls!!