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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260414T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260418T235959
DTSTAMP:20260618T134209
CREATED:20260210T190335Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260516T173944Z
UID:4951-1776124800-1776556799@kynology.org
SUMMARY:Kynology 4.0 Symposium
DESCRIPTION:Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers\, Santa Rosa\, CA\n\n\n\nGetting the %$#@’ing Band Back Together\n\n\n\nAll the science\, twice the caffeine\, probably at least one good party\, and more cussing than ever! Join the incomparable Michael Ellis\, the puckish and masterful Forrest Micke\, and the deeply irreverent Stewart Hilliard for five days of behavioral science\, the ethics and data underlying animal welfare\, and the history\, mechanics\, and future of dog training. We’ll play updated cuts of all our grooves\, and some new songs\, too\, and like Bob we may suddenly go electric and &%$# with your mind. If you were here for Kynology 1\, 2\, or 3\, you know what you are in for\, only more. If not\, then buckle up. \n\n\n\n\n\nProgram OverviewRegistration Options (& Demo Dog Application!)\n\nKynology 4.0\n\n\n\nFeaturing: Michael Ellis\, Forrest Micke\, and Darshan Herrán (Dog Demos) & Dr. Stewart Hilliard (Lectures & Discussion) \n\n\n\nThe symposium\, as the name implies\, will be discussion-heavy\, perhaps 50% (or more) lecture and theory and 50% practical exercises. Forrest will describe and show\, as only he can\, how science-based theory is put into practice. Michael will be super-smart\, eloquent\, and crystal-clear\, all at the same time– causing everything to make simple sense. Dr. Hilliard’s lectures will be comprehensive\, passionate\, at times comical or profane or both\, and feature detailed treatment of the following topics: \n\n\n\n\nAll the Lessons of Dog Spit\, and why Ivan (not Balabanov\, that other one) is out to get you\n\n\n\nConsequences\, Schmonsequences\, and what is the deal with people who say “Operant” versus everybody else?\n\n\n\nIvan Again\, that Asshole? The misbehavior of raccoons\, pigs\, dogs\, and college undergraduates.\n\n\n\nTaking the Piss out of BF Skinner — The risks of positive reinforcement\n\n\n\nThe Harshing of the Mellow — Aversiveness and positive punishment\n\n\n\nHow come Pat Nolan Wears Shoes? Escape and avoidance\n\n\n\nGood News — Signaling to your dog about positive reinforcement\, and the offsets of buzzkills\n\n\n\nBad News — Signaling to your dog about all that other shit \n\n\n\nHow We Confuse Dogs Without Really Trying — Stimulus control\, blocking\, overshadowing\, and other tools of the Devil\n\n\n\nControl is Freaky — Learned helplessness and how people who don’t know enough about it\, or about the way dogs are trained in the real world\, use it as a cudgel to try to beat the the rest of us senseless \n\n\n\nTraining Methodology — Seriously: The Agency- Accountability Approach to dog training and how it provides for training techniques that are kind and fair to dogs\, ethically-defensible\, and consistent with scientific data on animal learning and animal welfare — while also providing real-world results for dog trainers\n\n\n\nNOTE — If a bunch of this doesn’t make sense to you\, then it will when we’re done with you\, and you’ll be &%$#ing fascinated\n\n\n\n\nSchedule:\n\n\n\nAll events located at Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers  3641 Stony Point Rd\, Santa Rosa\, CA 95407 unless otherwise posted \n\n\n\n\nPre-Event Mixer — April 13 ( Monday )  6 PM to 8 PM (ish) — note that this time has been moved an hour earlier than originally posted\n\n\n\nSymposium — April 14 – 18 ( Tues – Sat ) 9:30 AM to 5 PM (ish)\n\n\n\nNote that in-person students are welcome to watch morning training from 8 am – 9:15 am (ish). As this is not officially part of the symposium\, morning training sessions will not be live-streamed.\n\n\n\nNew: We plan to have an outdoor Potlock/BBQ at a nearby location on Thursday from 6 – 9 pm (address to be announced at the event)\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Options – Click Tab above\n\n\n\nThis includes detailed information on registration options (in-person vs. livestream) and how to nominate your dog to participate in working sessions. \n\n\n\nReturning IN-PERSON attendees of another Kynology event receive a discount (check your email for discount code). \n\n\n\nDemo Dog Applicants\n\n\n\nPlease Submit videos of your dog ASAP to events@kynology.org (see instructions on Registration tab) \n\n\n\nPre-Event Resources (HOMEWORK)\n\n\n\nPlease check for an email from events@kynology.org containing the link to the Kynology 4 Student Portal\, where you will find Event Resources including Full length lectures to review prior to the event. \n\n\n\n\n\nKynology Symposium – $2\,000 (Limited to 40 slots)\n\n\n\nReturning IN-PERSON attendees of another Kynology event receive a discount (check your email for discount code). \n\n\n\nDemonstration dogs\n\n\n\nThis is not a working seminar meant to advance individual handler-dog teams. It is a Kynology Symposium meant to explore general dog training principles and themes….. and to analyze and demonstrate how they are translated into technique. That said we will definitely use live dogs to demonstrate practical work. The objective is to select approximately 5 demonstration dogs in the initial stages of training (but exhibiting good engagement with food and “toys\,” and confident behavior in new and busy environments) and 5 dogs well-advanced in their training for their chosen discipline. If participants are interested in employing their dogs as demo dogs (to be handled by themselves and/or by instructors)\, they should please submit one\, or at most two\, 3- or 4-min video clips of the dogs working. Videos should particularly feature the dogs engaging with food and “toys” in a novel\, busy environment. Instructors will evaluate the videos and select dogs based on their suitability to illustrate the principles of the course. Please host your videos on any platform you prefer (Youtube\, Vimeo\, etc.) and send link to doc@kynology.org \n\n\n\nVirtual Participation – $700\n\n\n\nThe event will be live-streamed. All attendees\, both live and virtual\, will have 6 MONTHS of access to recordings of the event. Virtual attendees will have the ability to submit comments and questions; while these inputs may not be reviewed by instructors in real time\, they will influence event contents and discussions. All activities taking place in the main training room at MES (lectures\, discussions\, and practical training) will be recorded and live-streamed. Early morning training sessions (which in-person students are welcome to observe but are not officially part of the event) will not. \n\n\n\nNote that the event begins on the evening of 13 April with a mixer\, and a lecture by Dr. Hilliard. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTicket Purchase\n\n\n\nYou must register for an account (or login) before purchasing a ticket. We do this so that you are able to access pre-event resources tied to your event ticket purchase 🙂 \n\n\n\nFor step-by-step instructions on how to do this\, check out our FAQ Page. If you’re still having issues\, feel free to email us at events@kynology.org. \n\n\n\n\nAccount Registration\n\n\nLog in
URL:https://kynology.org/event/kynology-4-symposium/
LOCATION:Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers\, 3641 Stony Point Road\, Santa Rosa\, CA\, 95407\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260604T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260607T235959
DTSTAMP:20260618T134209
CREATED:20251008T221729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T165226Z
UID:981-1780531200-1780876799@kynology.org
SUMMARY:Incense and Irreverence Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Opportunity Barks\, The Farm\, Philadelphia\, Pennsylvania\n\n\n\nEssentials of Modern Dog Training – General Training Emphasis\n\n\n\nThis event will be appropriate for trainers working in a broad variety of disciplines\, including companion dog\, working dog\, and obedience dog training. If you haven’t seen how Leigh hosts an event\, then prepare yourself for an exercise in masterful organization\, impeccable taste\, good humor\, and nostalgic music — not to mention fresh fruit and little &%$#ing chocolates and stuff she puts out to make you feel at home\, and all loved and shit. As jaded\, disorganized\, and irreverent as Forrest and Stewart can be\, they loved the first Kynology/Opportunity Barks event and can’t wait to go back. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProgram OverviewCourse SyllabusTravel & Logistics\n\nA Rare Gathering in Kynology\n\n\n\nHosted by Opportunity Barks | Featuring Stewart Hilliard & Forrest Micke\n\n\n\nMost seminars tell you what to do. This gathering teaches you how to look. \n\n\n\nBecause if you can’t see what’s in front of you\, it doesn’t matter how many techniques you’ve collected\, you’re still guessing. \n\n\n\nThis isn’t a mass-market\, sit-in-the-back-and-take-notes kind of thing. It’s small on purpose. A working room. Real dogs\, real people\, real-time decisions. The kind of place where things can get a little messy in the best possible way. \n\n\n\nOver four days\, we’re not trying to rush you through a checklist. We’re slowing things down enough that you can actually notice what’s happening\, and maybe catch a few things you’ve been missing. \n\n\n\nThe Room (and What We’re Actually Doing Here)\n\n\n\nKynology is the study of the dog as a whole system: science\, behavior\, instinct\, pressure\, communication\, relationship — all of it tangled together like it actually is in real life. \n\n\n\nNot neat. Not linear. Not polite. \n\n\n\nSo we keep the group small\, not to be fancy\, but so the work can breathe a little. So someone can ask a question and we don’t have to sprint past it. So a dog can do something unexpected and we can actually stay with it instead of pretending it didn’t happen. \n\n\n\nAnd just to be clear: the dogs aren’t props. They’re not demos. They’re the whole point. \n\n\n\nKynology provides the language for why this work matters. \n\n\n\n\n8 Working Spots: You and your dog\, in it for real.\n\n\n\nLimited In-Room Seats: Close enough to see everything\, whether you brought a dog or not.\n\n\n\nLivestream Auditing: For the behavior nerds watching from afar.\n\n\n\n\nWhy Four Days (Yes\, Four)\n\n\n\nBecause dogs don’t care about your seminar schedule. \n\n\n\nThey need time to settle. To show you who they actually are once the initial nonsense wears off. Patterns don’t show up on command\, and neither does understanding. \n\n\n\nSo instead of cramming information into a weekend and calling it a day\, we stretch it out. You’ll see something\, try something\, get it wrong\, adjust\, and then maybe\, maybe\, start to feel what you’re doing. \n\n\n\nThat’s the part that matters. \n\n\n\nWhat We’re Looking At\n\n\n\n\nHow instinct and drive actually show up\, not how we wish they would.\n\n\n\nWhat pressure is doing: when it helps\, when it confuses\, when it backfires.\n\n\n\nThat elusive thing people call “feel\,” which is really just paying attention at a higher resolution\n\n\n\n\nNo magic tricks. No scripts. Just better observation and better timing. \n\n\n\nThe Part People Don’t Plan For (But Remember the Most)\n\n\n\nSaturday night we’ll gather for dinner. Not as a formality\, but because once people stop “being in a seminar\,” the real conversations unfold. The off-script stuff. The stories. The questions you didn’t know how to ask at 2 pm. \n\n\n\nThat’s usually where things click. \n\n\n\nSchedule\n\n\n\nJune 4 – 7 (Thursday – Sunday): 9 am – 5 pm \n\n\n\n\nCoffee & Light Bites will be available each morning\n\n\n\nBYOL (Bring your own lunch)\n\n\n\nDinner on Saturday included\, for the conversations (and camaraderie) you didn’t know you needed.\n\n\n\n\nGetting Psyched? Click the COURSE SYLLABUS Tab (above) to get a taste of some of the topics we will cover during lectures\, discussion and live demonstrations. For more details on venue and location\, see the Travel & Logistics Tab \n\n\n\n\n\nJoin us for four days of in-depth conversation\, scientific analysis\, and practical work. The seminar will be split among lecture and theory\, demonstration and discussion\, and hands-on training with participants’ dogs. We will focus on core aspects of modern dog training\, including the application of functionally-defined aversive control. The ambience is intimate and the venue is small\, so slots are limited. Dr. Hilliard’s lectures will provide insights on topics such as: \n\n\n\n\nPavlovian Conditioning: The mechanisms of stimulus — stimulus learning and their relevance to dog training\, including inhibitory conditioning\, counterconditioning\, and the technical problem of extinction.\n\n\n\nInstrumental Conditioning: Essentials of response — consequence learning and practical applications.\n\n\n\nThe Contingency Square: A deeper understanding of the distinction between the valence (feels good or feels bad) of the stimuli we employ to train the dog versus the valence of the consequence the dog actually experiences\n\n\n\nPavlovian – Instrumental interactions: How Pavlovian-Instrumental interactions determine the effectiveness of training techniques\, and procedures used to “insulate” the target instrumental response from interference by embedded Pavlovian contingencies\n\n\n\nAversive Control: Distinguishing between aversive stimuli (those that are unpleasant for the dog to experience) and functionally-defined aversive control (defined by the effect on behavior)\, and understanding why the distinction is important for dog welfare.\n\n\n\nNegative Reinforcement and Positive Punishment: Mechanisms of negative reinforcement and positive punishment\, including the critical distinction between escape and avoidance\, and the importance of safety cues \n\n\n\nSignaling: The roles of secondary reinforcers and secondary punishers in dog training.\n\n\n\nDog Welfare: The truth about learned helplessness\, the nature of stress\, and why dog welfare should not be defined in terms of the presence or absence of stress\, but instead in terms of the dog’s ability to predict and control stress\n\n\n\nTraining Methodology: The Agency- Accountability Approach to dog training and how it provides for training techniques that are kind and fair to dogs\, ethically-defensible\, and consistent with scientific data on animal learning and animal welfare– while also providing real-world results for dog trainers\n\n\n\n\nGetting More Psyched? Click the TRAVEL & LOGISTICS tab (above) for venue details\, travel logistics\, accommodations\, etc. \n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Location\n\n\n\nOpportunity Barks is located in the Quakertown\, PA vicinity (event address provided after registration)  \n\n\n\nTravel\n\n\n\n\nPhiladelphia: ~1 hour\n\n\n\nAllentown: ~35 minutes\n\n\n\nPrinceton\, NJ: ~1 hour\n\n\n\nBrooklyn\, NY: ~2 hours\n\n\n\nWilmington\, DE: ~1 hr 15 min\n\n\n\nWashington\, DC: ~3 hr 10 min\n\n\n\n\nAirports\n\n\n\n\nAirports: Lehigh Valley (35 min)\n\n\n\nPhiladelphia International (55 min)\n\n\n\n\nWhere to Stay\n\n\n\nAnywhere around Sellersville\, Perkasie\, or Quakertown\, PA. \n\n\n\nHotels (about 15 min out):\n\n\n\n\nHoliday Inn Express & Suites — Quakertown\n\n\n\nQuality Inn & Suites — Quakertown-Allentown\n\n\n\nSpringHill Suites — Quakertown\n\n\n\nHampton Inn — Quakertown\n\n\n\n\nCabins/Camping\n\n\n\n\nLake Nockimixon Cabins\, PDF. More details about Lake Nocki Cabins\n\n\n\nTohickon Campground\n\n\n\nHomestead Family Campground\n\n\n\nRinging Rocks Campground\n\n\n\n\nMore details to come!\n\n\n\nIn-person Registrants will receive an email from Leigh several days prior to the event with more details and to prep working teams. For questions regarding venue location\, travel and accommodations\, please e-mail Leigh at leigh@opbarks.com \n\n\n\nGetting Even More Psyched? See REGISTRATION OPTIONS (below) to see details on registration options and how to nominate your dog as a demo dog. Note that registered students will be given access to pre-event resources. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Options\n\n\n\nSeminar Participant ($600 In-Person)\n\n\n\nFully immerse yourself in lectures\, discussions and live-demos\, with or without a dog. Unlike traditional seminars\, which prioritizes individualized attention to each dog-handler teams with little participation from other handlers and auditors who pay a nominal fee to passively listen in\, the hands-on demonstrations and training sessions with selected participants dogs will be inclusive of the entire group\, permitting everyone to ask questions and fully participate in the discussions\, learning the practical application of topics presented in the lectures by watching a multitude of dogs and scenarios. \n\n\n\nThe first 10 registrants will get $100 off (in-person) or $60 off (Virtual attendance). Discount will be reflected in ticket cost (below)\, if you do not see a price reduction\, then they have all been claimed. \n\n\n\nWorking Spots ($165 upgrade)\n\n\n\nThose who would like to participate with their dog in the hands-on demonstrations must first register for the event (purchase a ticket) to reserve your spot as a seminar participant. After purchase\, submit 1 – 2 minute video clips (rather than one very long video) of a training session showcasing your dog working in a busy\, unfamiliar environment. Video clips should show your dog interacting with multiple rewards\, including food\, different types of toys\, and bites on equipment (if appropriate for your discipline). The objective here is to make sure that the dog can function well in a seminar context and that in-seminar work will promote learning for all seminar participants\, including your dog. \n\n\n\nSubmit links to your video (hosted on YouTube\, Vimeo\, etc) to events@kynology.org. Videos can also be submitted directly through WhatsApp (email us for that number). Once you are approved\, you may reserve a spot for your dog by purchasing a working spot upgrade. Note that submission does not guarantee approval\, and there are no refunds on seminar tickets if your dog is not approved (we want to fill the room with those who want to learn with the community and not just those who wish to work there dogs individually). \n\n\n\nVirtual Participation ($365 Livestream)\n\n\n\nCan’t make it in person but really want to be there? We are offering a LIMITED number of Livestream seats. Are we professional Livestreamers? No. Will you get to follow the fun and the chaos and get to participate in the group chat and occasionally get “behind the scenes” fun with the behind the scenes people? Yes. \n\n\n\nAnd in trade for the occasional technical glitch (and because we appreciate you and that not everyone learns at the same rates)\, EVERYONE in the room\, whether virtual or in-person\, will receive 2 weeks access to recordings after the event. Note that we are doing this to give you all an opportunity to catch anything that you missed and not stress about frantically capturing notes. We intend this to be a live event for people “in the room” (in person or in virtual simulacra) rather than purchase of a pre-recorded event. \n\n\n\n\n\nALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT? Login prior to purchase to expedite the process.  \n\n\n\nAccount Login\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIMPORTANT: Be sure to add your name and email to the attendee collection form during checkout to receive event updates and access to recordings.
URL:https://kynology.org/event/incense-and-irreverence-seminar/
LOCATION:Opportunity Barks\, Quakertown\, PA\, 18960\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
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