Pre-Conference Workshops
Register for the Pre-Conference Workshops
Workshops will be held prior to the start of the 2025 Conference on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
Separate fee is required and limited space is available for each workshop.
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The 2025 pre-conference workshops are sponsored by Cloud Star. ​
The Magical World of Tricks
Instructors: Sarah Babcock, CTC, CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA, CDBC, and Chrissy Joy​
Cost: $125
Date: November 4, 2025
Time: 9:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: Richmond SPCA
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* Transportation and box lunch provided.
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Description:
The magic of tricks is that they can be used for virtually everything. They are wonderful enrichment for any dog, whether that dog is in a home or in a shelter. They are great for confidence building in shy dogs and adding structure for high energy "busy" dogs. They provide the perfect foundation for dog sports, including agility, flyball, obedience, rally obedience, parkour, and more. They are great for therapy dogs and service dogs, and if taught well, can allow your dogs to get commercial work including in television and on film. And, they will allow you, the human to practice and perfect your training skills, no matter where else you want to use them. Come join this fun-filled workshop to take your trick-training skills to the next level.
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If you are interested in bringing your own dog to participate in this workshop, please contact Sarah Babcock at sbabcock@richmondspca.org for approval.
Wagging Without Worry: Helping Dogs with Fear and Aggression
Instructor: Michael Shikashio, CDBC
Cost: $125
Date: November 4, 2025
Time: 9:00-4:00 pm
Location: Richmond SPCA
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* Transportation and box lunch provided.
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Description:
Join world-renowned aggression expert Michael Shikashio CDBC for an informative one-day workshop designed to be an immersive experience into practical and efficient strategies for working with dogs with a history of fear or aggression.
The first half of the day wil dive into how to safely approach and handle dogs while minimizing stress. Topics that will be covered will include:
- How to use your own body language to reduce fear responses and minimize stress
- How to identify critical red flags for aggression to maximize safety for handlers
- The strategic use of food and other appetitive stimuli to build trust
- The many essential safety tools to use in your practice
* Live dogs will be part of the morning presentation.
The second half of the day will be a one-of-a-kind experience where attendees will work a variety of behavior cases as a team with Michael! Topics that will be covered will include:
- Learning efficient approaches to history taking in aggression cases
- Developing safety and management strategies while incorporating concepts from the morning session
- Forming a prognosis to help inform clients of realistic goals and expectations while improving client participation
- Develop behavior change strategies that are efficient, humane, and effective
* No dogs will be used for the afternoon presentation. This will be an interactive session as attendees "play the role of behavior consultant."
This workshop, designed for trainers, behavior consultants, veterinary professionals, and anyone passionate about improving the lives of dogs and their guardians, will provide attendees with actionable, real-world skllls they can immediately apply. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to take a deep dive into fear and aggression in dogs!
Your PORTL to Improving Your Shaping Skills
Instructors: Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz and Mary Hunter​
Cost: $125
Date: November 4, 2025
Time: 9:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: Richmond Convention Center
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* Box lunch provided.
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Description:
Join Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz and Mary Hunter for a one-day workshop all about shaping behaviors. You’ll learn about behavior principles and techniques that will help you create optimal learning situations when working with both animals and people. Throughout the workshop, we’ll talk about reinforcement systems, picking effective starting points, how to shape actions, raising criteria, errorless learning, and more. In addition to lectures and discussion, this workshop will allow you to practice your shaping skills with another human as the learner using the shaping game PORTL. The PORTL exercises will help you learn to problem solve and think more creatively when designing training solutions. You will also get to play the role of the learner, which will give you more insight into how people and animals learn.