Animal Actors

Engage Students

Enroll as early as possible but no later than February 7, 2025. Early enrollment offers more learning time!

Excel Students

Enroll by January 31, 2025, to allow enough time to start training and submit videos for instructor feedback before the first real-time class on Saturday, February 8, 2025. Please note that only 8 Excel spots are available.

LIVE stands for Learning that's Interactive and Virtually Engaged.

As a student in a KPA LIVE class, you will experience a unique learning environment where interactivity and engagement are key. You will have the opportunity to receive personal coaching or to observe as others are coached, witness training breakthroughs, ask questions directly, and benefit from the questions posed by other participants. This interactive and community-oriented class ensures that every participant always has the best "seat" in the house! 

KPA's LIVE class integrates three learning components: 

•  A week-by-week curriculum, meticulously crafted by each instructor, ensures that students know what to expect each week. 
• Real-time weekly classes conducted over Zoom, including real-time training, video review, student coaching, and Q&A. 
• An online platform hosting a class discussion forum where students can connect, share training videos, and access instructor feedback.

This combination of elements, along with KPA’s exceptional LIVE class instructors who excel in teaching real-time online classes, sets the LIVE learning experience apart. 

Some LIVE classes also include the opportunity to earn KPA's SkillCheck designation via an assessment of a skill or protocol.

Engage Students: $199

Excel Students: $399

KPA CTP Professional Members: Check the Resource Center for special rates!

See pricing and compare experiences

This LIVE class includes:

• Four real-time LIVE classes conducted over Zoom.
• Access to an on-demand curriculum, including video lectures and weekly exercises.
• A class discussion forum where you can share videos, ask questions, receive feedback, and interact with fellow students. All students can view the instructor’s feedback on Excel-level students' videos and the responses to Excel students’ questions.

All students receive access to the complete week-by-week curriculum approximately two weeks before the discussion board opens. The weekly real-time classes are recorded in case you miss or want to review a class. The discussion board opens on February 1, 2025. You will have access to the course curriculum and class recordings for one year.

Engage and Excel experiences include:

• Weekly live virtual classes.
• Integrated step-by-step curriculum and recorded lectures.
• Hands-on training exercises.
• Access to the class discussion forum, where you can view the instructor’s comments and responses to questions, share your training progress videos, and/or cheer on your classmates.

Excel experience:

• Limited to 8 (maximum) actively coached by the instructor throughout the course.

For more details on the Engage vs. the Excel experiences, see the Engage or Excel Experience? FAQ below or this detailed side-by-side comparison.

Choose the experience that's right for you!

• Engage Experience: Ideal for trainers with less experience or less time for weekly exercises with their dogs.
• Excel Experience: Suitable for trainers with some training fundamentals and time for weekly training sessions. Note the specific criteria for this class (see FAQ: Is This Class Right for Me?).

For the Excel experience, active participation is critical to both your experience and that of other students. Please keep up with the lessons, work closely with your instructor, record and post videos of your training progress, ask questions, and come prepared to participate in the weekly LIVE classes over Zoom.

For all students, enrollment includes one year of access to the course curriculum and class recordings. Each real-time LIVE format class will be recorded and available for self-study after each class.

Engage Experience:

• Includes four real-time Zoom classes where you observe the LIVE virtual class and participate in the Q&A.
• Access to the weekly step-by-step curriculum with engaging lectures and hands-on training exercises.
• Access to the class discussion forum to share your video submissions, view other students' videos, and benefit from the instructor’s written feedback on Excel students' videos and questions.

Excel Experience:

• Limited to a maximum of 8 actively coached participants.
• Includes access to the integrated step-by-step weekly curriculum with lectures, instructional videos, and assigned training exercises.
• Special opportunities for real-time coaching during the LIVE virtual class, feedback on practice videos, and answers to your questions on the class forum between sessions.

Compare the Excel and Engage experience (summary table).

You will learn the foundational skills and behaviors Melissa uses throughout her career in working with animals in TV/film. This class also teaches you how to find opportunities to work in the industry. Your dog will learn a suite of skills and behaviors that prove incredibly useful on and off set. 

All Students will learn (and practice):

How to create show-stopping behaviors and routines, including:

• The critical behaviors your dog needs for nearly every working set
• How to train for performances that hold up under the many distractions and challenging environments of movie sets, including working with new handlers
• How to navigate and find opportunities in “the industry”

Excel students will learn and practice all of the above, plus develop and rehearse an audition-worthy routine for your dog with individualized coaching and instruction from Melissa to enhance training strategies and outcomes in real time.

This class will be eligible for CEUs from the following organizations:

• Karen Pryor Academy (KPA)
  • CEUs Excel: 13-20
  • CEUs Engage: 12-15
• The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT)
  • CEUs Excel: 7-14 (1.5-3 Skills CEUs)
  • CEUs Engage: 5-10 (0 Skills CEUs)
• The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC):
  • CEUs Excel: 13-20
  • CEUs Engage: 12-15

Please note that the range of CEUs awarded by each organization is provided as a guide. The finalized CEU credits will be communicated to all enrolled students.

The four-unit, five-week class includes three major components: the online curriculum (video lectures and weekly exercises), the online discussion forum, and the weekly virtual LIVE class.

• Online Discussion Forum: Opens on February 1, 2025, enabling Excel students to begin submitting videos of their initial training for review and feedback from the instructor.
• Live Classes: Conducted online via Zoom on Saturdays for two hours, starting at 11:00 AM Pacific/2:00 PM Eastern Time on the following dates: Saturday, February 8, 2025; Saturday, February 15, 2025; Saturday, February 22, 2025; and Saturday, March 1, 2025.
  • Ice-Breaker: There will be an optional Zoom session on February 1, 2025, at 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET. Everyone will be able to meet Excel team attendees and the instructor and get information on maximizing the LIVE Class platform, discussion board, and Zoom sessions.

If you are unable to attend a virtual class, don't worry; the LIVE classes will be recorded and made available approximately 24-48 hours after the class.

*Please note that it may take up to 48 hours for Excel students to receive access to the student portal after registration.

To participate in the class, you'll need the following:

All Students:

• A computer or device with high-speed Internet access.

Excel Students (those seeking personalized feedback):

• A camera or phone to record training videos, along with a stable setup like a tripod or gimbal.
• A camera for video conferencing during the LIVE class sessions.
• The ability to clip videos to a maximum length of five minutes, preferably in one-minute increments.
• A private YouTube or Vimeo channel to share video links (videos cannot be hosted within the discussion platform).
• A clicker or distinct sound to mark good behavior.
• Training treats your dog enjoys (dogs and cats LOVE our On Cue! Training Treats in any flavor).
• Various (3+) sizes of ‘Mark’ - ‘Marks’ can be books, pieces of plywood, pieces of yoga mat placed on sturdy objects, or other flat and mobile surfaces.
• A platform for your dog to work on. This can be a Klimb, elevated dog bed, ottoman, or other home-made or purchased raised surface
• Eyeline stick: This can be a back scratcher or another telescoping/extendable clip.  
• A pillow
• A wall to practice along
• A helper for some parts of the training exercises

Consistent access to a dog is required for Excel students and recommended for all students.

To guide you, on a weekly basis, you should plan to:

• Attend the LIVE classes that meet over Zoom on Saturdays at 11:00 AM PT/2:00 PM ET. Each meeting will be approximately two hours long.
• Before the LIVE class, watch the weekly skills video, each roughly an hour long.
• Practice training the weekly behaviors.
  • Excel students should spend at least an hour and a half, spread out over several days, practicing the weekly behaviors.
  • Optional: Build in time for videography. Excel students can submit videos of their practice sessions to the instructor for written feedback via the class forum. Limit: Up to five minutes of video in total per unit, with a maximum of five submissions. Each video submission should be three minutes or less. The video submission must be shared by 11:00 AM  PT/2:00 PM ET on the Thursday before the LIVE class meeting.

Engage Students: Plan on spending as much time training as Excel students to get the most out of the class, although this is not a requirement. Follow and contribute to the discussion forum at your leisure.

The weekly LIVE classes are recorded and will be available in the student portal approximately 24-48 hours after the class. Excel-level students must attend the weekly LIVE class to receive real-time coaching.

The LIVE classes meet over Zoom on Saturdays for two hours, starting at 11:00 AM PT/2:00 PM ET on the following dates: Saturday, February 8, 2025; Saturday, February 15, 2025; Saturday, February 22, 2025; and Saturday, March 1, 2025.

Once you have registered, your class fee is non-refundable.

The full curriculum is available to you upon registration. All classes and the curriculum are recorded and available for a year.

If you wish to be an Excel student, remember that spots are limited to 8 students. Please ensure that you are able to participate before you register. We are not responsible for Internet-connection or other issues that interrupt your training.

Yes. The LIVE Class is closed-captioned-enabled and will be recorded with closed captioning. The weekly video lectures in the curriculum are closed-captioned.