Seminars/Events

Proofing and Problem Solving

Presenter: Chris Bach and THE THIRD WAY

Date: Saturday April 2nd, 2011 - Sunday April 3rd, 2011

Location: Forever Friends Dog Training, 17 Grenfell Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario

Registration: To register, download and complete the registration form

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Day One:

Proofing - April 2, 2011

  1. What proofing is and why it is so important for reliability
  2. How proofing assures enthusiastic and animated performances
  3. Information about “commitment” and how this affects your dog’s ability to perform
  4. Information about “commitment points” and how to affect them for optimal training success
  5. How and why to proof using THE THIRD WAY’S philosophies and techniques
  6. THE THIRD WAY’S unique and effective way to think about dogs and how this way maximizes proofing results and your working partnership
  7. THE THIRD WAY’S unique and effective way to be with dogs and how this way maximizes your ability to bring out the best in your dog and your dog’s performances
  8. THE THIRD WAY of teaching dogs skills so that each skill can be proofed for maximum reliability and enthusiasm
  9. How and why to carefully and humanely “answer” your dog’s “questions” during the teaching process so your dog can learn skills quickly, confidently, and reliably
  10. How and why you use proofing to “ask” your dog “questions” to clarify his understanding of his skills and to assure his ability to perform under stimulating and distracting circumstances
  11. The three “C’s” of Proofing that make or break successful training sessions
  12. The three “D’s” of Proofing that make or break successful performances
  13. How to use distractions to prepare your dog for the “unexpected”, to teach great recovery and to teach duration
  14. How to set up “proofing sessions” when training alone, or with a training buddy
  15. How to use the proofing as an effective strategy for solving performance problems

Day Two:

Problem Solving – Sunday April 3, 2011

  1. Problem Solving vs Teaching
  2. Problem Solving Strategies
  3. Identify the REAL Problem
    1. Do a problem solving reality check
    2. Problems are a fact of life
    3. Dogs cannot learn what not to do
    4. Beware of your emotional state
    5. Narrow the problem down
    6. You must affect commitment point - Commitment point: The magic moment when the decision is made to proceed
    7. No action can be better than the wrong action
    8. Forgo speed/style
    9. Performance problems can be caused at home
    10. Some problems are not worth the time and effort to solve
  4. Ask four important questions.
    1. What owner expectation is not being met?
    2. What is the dog expected to do about it?
    3. What should the dog do instead?
    4. What are my options?
  5. The Four Problem Solving Options
    1. Option #1 – Eliminate the problem
    2. Option #2 – Live with the problem
    3. Option #3 – Manage the problem
    4. Option #4 – Solve the problem
  6. 1.The Third Way’s Four Keys to Problem Solving

About Chris Bach and The Third Way

She began to study dogs as soon as she was old enough to hold a leash! Her life-long passion has been to get to know all about them. Her goal was to develop a way of training that resulted in prompt, reliable and accurate responses to commands while also maintaining the best relationship possible between dogs and their owners.

While growing up, Chris could not have a dog of her own, so she walked and trained neighborhood dogs. She and her favorite, Heidi, (a German Shepherd Dog), spent many years together walking to a local dog-training club. Because she was too young to join the club, she spent many hours on the side-lines watching and learning.

This experience hooked Chris for life on the sport of obedience and put a high priority on teaching dogs skills that would be performed reliably under any circumstances. During these years of observation, she saw many different approaches to training and heard many different theories about dog behavior. She thought that some had positive affects on dogs and owners and some did not. She became determined to find a way to teach that used all the wonderful things she had learned and eliminated all that was not effective and not enjoyable for dogs and people. The result is her unique, innovative, powerful and most importantly, dog-friendly, approach she calls THE THIRD WAY.

As an adult, Chris used THE THIRD WAY to become a top obedience trial competitor. Her first canine partner was a Shetland Sheepdog named Flirt. One of their finest achievements was to be the first team in Wisconsin to earn an Obedience Trial Championship (OTCh.), which is the highest obedience title attainable in the sport!

Fifteen years later, Chris and her Border Collie, Goosey, also achieved the OTCh. and along the way, earned a perfect score of 200, which is a rarity in the sport. When the new title of Utility Dog Excellent was offered, once again one of Chris’ dogs was the first in Wisconsin to earn that coveted title. In addition, Chris and Goosey also achieved a distinction that will be very difficult to duplicate either in Wisconsin or nationwide: Together they earned nine obedience degrees in ten months, beginning when Goosey was just over one year old.

Chris progressed from successful competitor to having a loyal following of students who also earned many top honors in obedience. In addition, many of them participated successfully in other dog sports including agility, tracking, Schutzhund, herding, fly ball and scent hurdle racing. Their many accomplishments testify to how utilizing THE THIRD WAY produces highly-trained dogs that are also relaxed and reliable, enthusiastic and accurate.

To broaden her knowledge and expertise about what people wanted and needed their dogs to learn, Chris branched out into noncompetitive venues. Through local veterinary referrals, she spent years counseling pet owners about behavior and training. She became intimately involved with the service dog industry when she donated one of her well-trained German Shepherd Dogs to a deserving recipient. In addition, her love for working with puppies resulted in her developing a much sought after Puppy Kindergarten class curriculum that is cutting edge in the industry today.

Chris is a charter board member of the very prestigious International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She was also asked to join the distinguished American Humane Association committee, which brought together top U.S. trainers to build a code of ethics and guidelines for logical and humane dog training. She wrote a series of articles for a renowned dog training magazine and continues to author manuscripts about THE THIRD WAY. Chris does seminars about dog behavior and training across the United States and Canada and is well-known for her unique and proven approach to teaching reliable skills and enhancing all aspects of the dog/human relationship.

THE THIRD WAY has become a global phenomenon and Chris is working towards certifying trainers in well over a dozen countries including South Africa, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, England, Ireland, the Netherlands and many more.

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin is home to Chris, her wonderful and supportive husband, Bill, and their Border Collie, Stunner and Sheltie, Doozi.