John Rogerson

This once in a life time course is set on a farm in the beautiful and spectacular countryside a three hour drive from the bustling city of Mumbai (Bombay). Exotic tropical plants and trees line the driveway to the house where the training will take place and there are thousands of acres of unspoilt land on which to work the dogs on the course. The local village is a mere two hundred metres away where life has remained unchanged for centuries.

There you will be given a unique opportunity to study the village dogs as part of the course. You will sleep at the local hostel but spend the rest of your time either studying at the farm or working a dog in the surrounding countryside. Chefs will be on hand to prepare an amazing variety of Indian speciality dishes assisted by some of the women from the local village. All of your meals will be eaten alongside the instructors and on some evenings students will be able to eat their evening biryani while watching the sunset on a vantage point which overlooks towns 2,500 feet below There will also be the possibility of seeing jackals, hyenas and maybe even a leopard! The climate in January is beautifully warm through the day and cool at night. Lectures are taken outside under the shade of a mango tree on a beautifully landscaped lawn. There are no telephones available unless in an emergency, no access to the internet, the nearest main road is nearly an hours drive away and everything that you need has to be taken with you by bus from Bombay. The course is all inclusive which means that food, drink (water is clean and comes from a private well) accommodation and study material is supplied as part of the course fee. Return transportation to and from Bombay is also included in the cost of the course.

The course is designed for those wishing to either start or pursue a career in dog training and behaviour and is not intended for beginners. There are a very limited number of places on this course and there are a number of pre course requirements that applicants have to satisfy.

This course is limited to a maximum of 20 students. Each student should be knowledgeable in training procedures, have a good understanding of the various competitions that are available, be familiar with the British Good Citizen Test (CGC), and have trained their own dogs to a good standard. Every student will have to fill in the questionnaire below prior to being allowed to enrol on the course.

Phase One of the course looks at basic training both in theory and in practice. You will be working with dogs that have been specially selected for the course. You will not work with any dog with which you have had even a passing relationship (i.e. bringing someone else‘s dog to the workshop). On this phase of the course, we will look at approaching many problems from a training perspective. How can you have a dog that is dog or people aggressive when outside the house, if it is trained to sit when told, walk correctly on the lead and come when called? Because we will be working with the more ’difficult‘ dogs (i.e. not your own), it will allow you to develop better personal handling, training and communication skills. John believes that if YOU cannot handle a dog and get it to behave in a particular way, it will be impossible to teach the OWNER to carry out any behavior modification procedures.

There will also be lectures to supplement the practical sessions and some self study in the evenings. You will work in small groups of four to discuss various related topics and then have the opportunity to put your theories into practice.

Phase Two of the course begins to focus on behaviour problems and we will look at diagnosing and modifying bad behaviour. You will be shown how to train dogs for very specific and specialized tasks, some of which will take place outside in public. You will again be working with dogs that have been specifically chosen and this part will teach some behaviour modification skills. It may also involve handling and attempting to modify aggressive behaviour. To supplement the practical and theoretical sections, there will also be a great deal of self study and written tests. These tests will help to identify your areas of weakness so you can work on these weaknesses during the final phase of the course.

Phase Three takes a more in depth look at behaviour counselling and instructing owners. You will be seeing owners who are having both training and behaviour problems with their dogs. There will be in-house group consultations (groups of four), plus reports and programs to write out for owners to follow. You will gain experience in manning a telephone advice line for owners who are experiencing difficulties with their dogs and will be required to deliver a short lecture to a selected audience.

John will assign you a dog and over the 21 days, your dog assignment will change one or more times. You are responsible for walking and feeding and caring for your assigned dog so it is for this reason that you are not able to bring your own dog.

QUESTIONNIARE

Tell me about your own dogs, both past and present. Are you having any problem with your current dog(s) and if so what are they and what standard is it trained to?
What classes have you attended with your dog as a student?
Have you ever worked (even as a volunteer) at a shelter taking dogs out of kennels or as a dog walker?
Have you handled dogs on a regular basis as a veterinary technician, breed show handler, groomer, etc.?
What do you know about the following areas of Specialized Training? Guide Dogs, Hearing dogs, Therapy dogs, Search and Rescue, Assistance dogs for the Disabled, Police Dogs, Drug Dogs, etc.
Are you familiar with Obedience competitions, Tracking Tests, Agility, Flyball, Gundog Trials, Lure Coursing, etc.?

Prerequisites for the course are:

Some prior experience in training and handling at least six different breeds of dog
A basic understanding of how a dog thinks
You MUST have owned and lived with a dog for at least one year prior to the start of the course
You must be familiar with the British Kennel Club Canine good citizen test at bronze, silver and gold levels (information from www.the-kennel-club.org.uk)
You will also need a huge amount of enthusiasm, three weeks of free time, and the ability to get along with others and work in a small team.

You must have read all of the following books:

Don‘t Shoot the Dog - Karen Prior
The Family Dog, Its Choice and Training - John Holmes
On Aggression - Konrad Lorenz
The Naked Ape - Desmond Morris
Psychology, the Science of Mind and Behaviour - Richard Gross
Lateral Thinking - Edward De Bono

Interested???? Send me a completed questionnaire and I will get back to you with more details.

rogersjo821@aol.com

Northern Centre for Canine Behaviour
East Howle
Ferryhill
County Durham
DL17 8SA