ForceFree Training Seminar Held at New Skete

Brother Christopher

            In the summer of 2007, we began to introduce into our board and train program the use of the remote training collar. Earlier that summer I had attended a workshop held by Marc Goldberg and Martin Deeley, two experts on its use, and experienced first-hand how effective and gentle it could be when used properly for regular obedience training. Until that point, I had used the remote collar only to solve particularly difficult behavior problems. What I witnessed at the workshop was a new way of approaching this sort of training that provided dog owners reliable obedience and a new level of freedom in both communicating and relating with their dogs. The effect that seminar had on the way we train dogs here at New Skete has been revolutionary. Building on the tradition of training we have been known for many years, we were now able to help owners reach off-leash reliability with their dogs much more quickly, allowing for a more relaxed and enjoyable relationship. In short, we were able to be even more helpful to clients who enrolled their dogs in our program than ever before. It also began a lasting friendship between New Skete and both these stellar trainers.

            Well, fast forward to the present day. For the past several years we have been hosting two four-day seminars each summer entitled “The Art of Living with your Dog.” Marc Goldberg initially suggested the idea to us, and the seminars have been very successful and warmly received. They have provided us with an additional means of sharing our vision and approach to dogs with the general public. However, those seminars are not “hands on” in the sense of teaching attendees the practical skills of working with dogs. “The Art of Living with Your Dog” has been intentionally more philosophical in orientation, giving attendees the opportunity to experience our approach in a unique and relaxed way. People have been grateful for this approach; at the same time, many encouraged us to consider offering a separate seminar that focused on the e-collar and the way we use it here at New Skete. Since we had learned so much from our friendship and association with Marc Goldberg, we came to the mutual decision to collaborate in hosting a “Force-Free Training Workshop” devoted to teaching this method and using New Skete as the venue.

            Happily, the first e-collar workshop took place from June 7th to the 11th and brought 19 eager attendees. Throughout that week, they took advantage of the unique opportunity of learning this approach in a practical and safe way, working with some of their own dogs as well as dogs that were present in the training program. For myself personally, it was a great pleasure working closely with Marc Goldberg. Having come to know each other well over the past eight years, we were easily able to provide a comprehensive and in-depth introduction to this method of training in a manner that meshed our presentations seamlessly with each other. The result was an enlightening seminar that was very well received by the participants. Plans are already afoot for hosting the workshop again next year.

            Putting together a workshop is always something of an adventure, and this one in particular had its own challenges. Aside from some of the attendees bringing their own dogs and requiring boarding, working with “live” dogs to see how the training works in real life made the seminar different from our other seminar. However, the fact that the seminar was well thought out and planned made it flow naturally and organically. Much of the credit for this goes to our employees, who worked continuously behind the scenes, making sure the schedule was kept to, meals were prepared and served, and coordinating the efforts of the volunteers to make the seminar a success. To all who helped during these days, a very sincere thank you!