Dog Trainer Courses: Short-Intensive

Application process

1. Click the 'Apply now' button and complete the online form
2. You will receive an application confirmation email with further information about the course and how to enrol
3. At this point there is no obligation to enrol in the full-time course. If you choose to enrol, follow the instructions outlined in the application confirmation email

Course Overview

The ACP short-Intensive Dog Trainer Course runs over a two week period, Monday to Friday with a weekend break in between.

Short intensive dog trainer courses:
26th February - 8th March 2024
15th July - 26th July 2024
18th November - 29th November 2024


ADVANCED Short-Intensive Dog Trainer Course:
TBA

Introduction

The Alpha Canine Professional Short-Intensive Dog Trainer Course has been developed by dog trainers, for dog trainers. The 'hands-on' nature of this course has been designed to give trainees unique learning opportunities by applying and validating the methods taught on real dogs, often with real behavioural issues.

By assimilating modern and proven canine learning and behavioural principles into many and varied handling, behaviour shaping and training scenarios, trainees are able to see theory come to life in a practical and relevant manner. The positive and consistent outcomes achieved with dogs afflicted with aggressive, excitable, fearful and anxious behaviours occur in real-time and help to form a genuine understanding of canine behaviour.

Target Audience

The Short-Intensive Dog Trainer course has been developed for anybody wishing to learn how to become a professional dog trainer. This course has also proven to be helpful for those already in the industry, but are in need of more ‘hands-on’ dog handling and training experience or have found that the methods they have previously learned are not effective in reality.

This course is particularly suitable for those who are not local to Melbourne, Australia and are travelling from country areas, from interstate or from overseas. The course is also open to Melbourne trainees who are unable to attend the longer duration part-time course option.

Objectives

The focus of this course is to teach trainees how to develop a genuine feel for teaching different dogs good manners, leadership, obedience and where applicable, rehabilitation techniques that target and interrupt unacceptable canine behaviour.

Through 'hands-on' application of the methods on their own dogs and many different dogs throughout the course, trainees experience and validate the methods first-hand which in the end gives them an invaluable belief in the techniques being taught. At the same time an important empathy is developed for the dog owners they will be helping in the future. The methods learned and practiced on the course are exactly the same as those you will teach others!

Outcomes

At the end of the course all trainees are handling and training dogs of all shapes and sizes with a genuine confidence and competence that can only be achieved through 'hands-on' experience. The knowledge and skills gained are both incredibly relevant to working with dog owners in the real world and teaching them the finer points of both preventative training approaches and if required, rehabilitative training approaches.

The Alpha Canine Professional Short-Intensive Dog Trainer Course truly prepares trainers for the realities of helping owners to understand, train, (if need be) rehabilitate and safely manage their dogs.

Pre-requisites

Alpha Canine Professional requires that all trainees must speak and understand the English language.

There are no pre-requisites on dog training or handling experience.

Alpha Canine Professional teaches relevant theory and effective methods that are not widely known or understood within our industry. Those with prior learning from other industry courses or previous industry experience are accepted into Alpha Canine Professional courses on an individual case-by-case basis to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

This is a 'hands-on' dog trainer course and as such is suitable for anyone who is fit and healthy. Dog training can be a physical activity, however it is not overly strenuous. Please contact us if you have any ailments that could affect your ability to participate in the more physical aspects of the course.

All trainees must own a dog and if they are from Australia, must bring their own dog along to the course for training up to demonstration standard. If travelling from overseas, Alpha Canine Professional will provide international trainees an untrained project dog for the duration of the course that they can train to demonstration standard.

Course Outline

The Alpha Canine Professional Short-Intensive Dog Trainer Course is structured around modern, relevant canine learning and behavioural theory that is then combined with 'hands-on' workshops covering dog handling and behaviour recognition, Leadership Obedience training, Canine Good Behaviour Shaping and Alpha Canine Behavioural Rehabilitation.

Alpha Canine Professional has pioneered many exciting and new approaches to canine learning and behavioural theory based consistent and positive results - successfully working with real owners and their real dogs that have been experiencing very real behavioural issues. The topics listed below go well beyond any popular or academic theories of the day and are based on methods that can be consistently demonstrated to be relevant and effective in obedience, behaviour shaping and canine behavioural rehabilitation.

Theory topics covered include:

• Understanding the negative side-affects and limitations of food rewards in obedience training and canine behavioural rehabilitation
• Understanding Reinforcement and Reward - learning and behavioural theory that translates into positive results with all dogs, including dogs with serious behavioural issues
• Perspective On Punishment - Not all punishment is the same - Objectively moving beyond dated, subjective and emotive attitudes and opinions
• Leadership Obedience Training - reliable obedience under distraction
• The Pattern Learning Training Method
• The Perfect Position & Short Loose Lead
• The 3 Ds (reliable step-aways)
• Reinforcement Contrast Effect
• Reset Learning Principle - Situation Creation & Regroup & Retry
• The Quadrants Of Canine Good Behaviour Shaping
• Reinforcement Crossover Consistency
• The 4 Rs of Canine Behavioural Rehabilitation
• Canine Behaviour Recognition - The Rules Of Engagement
• The Canine Behaviour Interrupt Principle
• The Control Zone (superseding critical distance)
• The Four Cs of method consistency
• The Canine Behavioural Transition Phase
• The Phases Of Learning - Teaching, Training, Proofing & Communication
• Real-time Canine Behavioural & Relationship Assessments (not questionnaires)
• Customer Service & Relations - guidelines from successful business models - Leading By Example!
• Regular discussions on case studies and outcomes (current & past)

The 'Hands-on' workshops are conducted throughout the course and are closely related to the theory topics above. Trainees work their own dogs (project dogs for international students), other assigned project dogs and many different dogs of varying age, breed and disposition. As the course progresses the three core disciplines within The Canine Leadership System (obedience, behaviour shaping & rehabilitation) merge seamlessly to consistently produce complete and positive outcomes for the dogs you are handling.

Workshop Topics include:

• Training Equipment Options & Demonstrations
• Leadership Obedience - Effective and practical handling techniques under distraction
• Canine Good Behaviour Shaping - manners that really matter - under distraction
• Canine Behaviour Recognition - Interaction and assessment
• Canine Body Language - Learning from real dogs
• Canine Behavioural Rehabilitation Techniques & Strategies - Real dogs, real problems... real results
• Canine Socialisation Techniques & Strategies
• 'Hands-on' Canine Behavioural Assessments

By the end of any Alpha Canine Professional course you will understand how these important concepts and principles come together to create methods that are changing the accepted ideas on canine behavioural rehabilitation, obedience training, private and group teaching methods and professional standards in our industry.

Important Note: Everything in the previous lists can be explained and demonstrated to be relevant in achieving positive outcomes in both the prevention or rehabilitation of unacceptable canine behaviour. These concepts and principles have been developed with real owners and their real dogs with real behavioural problems in very real living situations... not in unnatural scientific experiments void of any reality, distraction and ultimately... relevance!

Instructor Information

Greg Fontana is the Training Director of The Alpha Canine Group here in Melbourne, Australia. Greg has been a trainer since 1985 and has extensive experience in applying and teaching effective dog training methods in group obedience classes, in-home private tuition and boarding school settings. His teaching style is both informative and supportive, with his wealth of practical knowledge being complimented by the ability to demonstrate realistic methods on virtually any dog whilst drawing attention to the consistent links between relevant theory and 'hands-on' results.

Greg is also assisted by many of his full-time, professional training staff who actively apply the methods on a daily basis when educating dog owners and training dogs. These professional trainers are skilled teachers in their own right and enjoy helping trainees to perfect their skills whilst answering any questions along the way.

No Dogless Experts On Alpha Canine Professional Courses!
The 'Lead By Example' standard set by Alpha Canine Professional ensures that you will be learning from dedicated and experienced instructors who teach with their own well trained and behaved dogs by their side and are capable of demonstrating the methods being taught with the many different dogs handled throughout the course. We do this to inspire our trainees to reach for industry leading standards and to prove that our practical knowledge and experience comes from real results with real dogs - results that can be explained and demonstrated in real-time... anytime!

Please take the time to watch the informative videos on all our websites to see exactly what our methods are capable of achieving for owners and their dogs.

© Copyright Greg Fontana, Training Director, The Alpha Canine Group 2011. Creativity by Ladybug®.