This past weekend was spent in the company of Greatness. Wags unlimited had the great pleasure of hosting Suzanne Clothier for a second time; she was here (in Calgary, Alberta at Sit Happens!) in November 2012 and back now again April 13-14, 2013.
As a new addition and a small side-game for the seminar participants, we asked people to post favourite quotes to Wags' facebook page/ things that Suzanne said that either made them laugh or think and reflect, or both. I will share some of the highlights of the more Reflective kind of quotes here. Words of Wisdom, shared by Suzanne Clothier:
"The real thing is....does the dog choose to?"
"We are looking for the edge of the iceberg."
"Look at the sensitivity of the animal."
"Identify the moment of decision."
"Time the treats so that it's clear."
"She's not getting away with anything, she's doing exactly what she thinks the rules are."
"Is the handler being reactive to dog behaviour or pro-active?"
"Hysteria is not Drive."
"He's just doing it with tremendous power and at great speed. That's not drive, it's crazy amounts of arousal."
"Adolescent dogs are trying to mess with your head.
Like Tax Attorneys, if they can see a loophole, they'll drive at truck through it."
"Goal number one, help him feel Safe."
"Genes are like toothpaste. Leave the cap off & push down& something comes out."
"Muttle through it! Sometimes it's the best you have that day."
"If this dog had a cell phone, she would let it go to voicemail. She would not answer! Your dogs should not let you go to voicemail."
"The norm is not necessarily normal."
"Keep the light in their eyes."
"How is this for you?"
"There is no Good or Bad, I'm just looking to see how each puppy handles it."
"Individual socialization matters a great deal."
"The dogs are always telling you what their truth is."
***comments made by participants:
"Suzanne Clothier is a genius and funny to boot. If you were to take ONE class about dogs, our relationship to them, and how to train them, pick Suzanne. What a fun, and informative day!" shared after Day 1 on Facebook by Sherri Olsen.
"What an awesome fun filled insightful weekend with Suzanne. Thank you Wags for hosting a great seminar. Could not think of a better way to spend a nasty weather weekend. Look forward to attending further seminars with Suzanne in the time to come." shared by Cindy Maynes.
This is a good time to mention that Suzanne is coming back to Calgary Nov 9-11, 2013. Registration is open and there is a "Seminar Special" in effect for Super Early Birds who register before May 15, 2013. Save up to $80 on your registration! Send Annette a note here to get the registration package sent to you.
