How do you effectively motivate and help others to adopt training methods that are not only more humane but more effective? Where do you start? What creates openness to change and actual progress towards crossing over to positive reinforcement training?

In 1974, Michele Pouliot began her career as a guide dog trainer. Not only has guide dog training been around for over 90 years but traditional techniques were successful, giving trainers very little reason to consider change. In 2000, Michele began a six-year effort with the largest guide dog training school in North America, Guide Dogs for the Blind, to adopt clicker training as their training methodology.

This effort has been wildly successful. The organization, which has approximately 75 trainers, now not only uses clicker training to teach their dogs, but also uses modern positive methods to teach the handler/clients. Clicker training has dramatically increased the success rate of the puppies that enter the program, and reduced the training time it takes for client handlers to learn the new skills they need to be successful back home.

In this lecture, you'll learn how to help people and organizations "crossover" to clicker training. You'll be made more aware of the challenges traditional trainers face in adopting clicker training. You'll learn what motivates people to change, and ways to reinforce the process for those going through the transformation.

Join Michele Pouliot as she distills for you the principles and lessons that will help you to help others make better training choices for themselves and for the animals in their care.