To help keep dogs in their homes and out of shelters, Dog-Harmony Inc. is offering a low-cost day of seminars June 16 to help owners understand and train their pets.

The morning seminars, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will cover topics such as “how to talk dog,” fear at the vet’s office, and what it takes to become a therapy team with a dog.

The afternoon seminars, from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., offer strategies to help dogs that lunge and growl at other dogs, clicker training, and how to use playtime to teach dogs good behavior.

The seminars will be at Dog-Harmony’s new education and rescue headquarters, 237 Market St., off County Highway 393 north.

The seminars, for people only, will be conducted by trainers with the highest level of credentials.

Morning Seminars

Learn to Talk Dog – 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Instructor: Debbie Revell

Humans talk, dogs observe. Our dogs are giving us cues and signals with their body language all of the time. However, most of the time we don’t recognize these signals. You will learn to recognize fearful vs. aggressive canine body language and learn human body language basics, too. We will discuss two myths that sabotage many human-canine relationships and steps to better communication.

Cooperative Care – 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Instructor: Hannah Burke

Does your dog hate nail trims? Are trips to the vet stressful for both of you? We will discuss the benefits of teaching your dog how to be a willing participant in his own care, along with how to reduce stress and fear at vet visits.

What does it take to become a therapy team? – noon to 1 p.m.

Instructor: Debbie Cole

This seminar outlines what specific qualities you and your dog need to be a registered therapy animal team, and clears up the confusing jargon surrounding this type of therapy.

Afternoon Seminars

Dog-Dog Reactivity – 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Instructor: Debbie Revell

HELP! My dog barks, lunges, growls at other dogs. These dogs are reactive for a variety of reasons: fear, overstimulation, frustration and excitement. This presentation will focus on dogs that are over-reactive around other dogs and highlight the difference between behavior modification and training. We will discuss reasons why a dog may develop a behavior problem and the keys to working with a reactive dog. In order to help our young dogs develop into confident, well-adjusted pets, we will discuss strategies to “bomb-proof” your dog.

Play Together Stay Together – 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Instructor: Hanna Burke Garbett

We all know playing with dogs is fun, but did you know play can be an integral part of behavior modification and obedience training? We’ll discuss the benefits of play and how it can be used to enhance your relationship with your dog and help solve common behavior problems.

Clicker Training – 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Instructor: Debbie Revell

Clicker training is a fun and very effective way to teach obedience exercises, solve behavior problems and even teach tricks! Clicker training has been used with marine mammals for years, and is a clear way to communicate with your dog.

Instructor Bios

Debbie Revell is the owner and manager of Pets Behave Dog Training and Behavior Consulting in Niceville, Florida. She has worked with more than 1,000 dogs and their humans, and competes with her own dogs at advanced levels in obedience, rally, agility, field/gundog and herding. She specializes in training and rehabilitating problem dogs and cats using positive reinforcement, and is an expert on how diet affects canine behavior and training.

Credentials: CDBC – Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants; ACCBC – Associate Certified Cat Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants; DipCABT – Diploma in Companion Animal Behavior and Training from the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology; Animal Behavior College mentor trainer; American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen evaluator; member of the Pet Professional Guild, Five Flags Dog Training Club, Florida Pan-Handlers Australian Shepherd Club and National Association of Canine Scent Work; Family Paws Parent Education licensed presenter

Hannah Burke Garbett is the head trainer at Pets Behave Dog Training and Behavior Consulting in Niceville, Florida. After graduating from The Ohio State University with a zoology degree, she started her training career with a variety of species – including penguins, porcupines and cheetahs – while working at several zoological institutions in Ohio. No matter how much fun she had working with a wide variety of animals, Hannah kept coming back to dogs. Hannah has a special interest in play-based socialization and cooperative care training. She is currently working to complete her coursework and evaluations to become a certified dog behavior consultant.
Credentials: Fear-Free Animal Trainer Certification; American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen evaluator; member of the Pet Professional Guild

Debbie Cole has been an evaluator and instructor for 10 years with Intermountain Therapy Animals. She’s in charge of the nonprofit organization’s Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program in Walton County, which helps children with reading and communication skills by reading to dogs.