STAYING SAFE IN AGGRESSION CASES
WITH MICHAEL SHIKASHIO
A KPA LIVE!™ Class featuring real-time training and coaching WITH michael
TAKE THE BITE OUT OF AGGRESSION CASES!
Join Michael Shikashio and learn to minimize dog-bite risk through effective environmental management and skillful leash handling.In this four-week, four-unit LIVE virtual class, you will learn aggression specialist Michael Shikashio’s proven approach to staying safe handling and working with dogs—from dogs that are new to you with an unknown history to those you know have an established bite history You will learn all about the safety tools and set-ups, as well as a variety of defensive leash handling techniques that are critical to creating a safe environment. If you are a dog trainer, veterinary professional, shelter or rescue staff member, or an animal control officer and want to learn how to avoid dog-bite incidents, this class will equip you with the tools you need to maximize safety.
An estimated 4.5 million dog bites happen every year in the U.S. alone. Knowing how to create safe working environments and maximize safe handling procedures helps prevent trainers, dogs, clients, and everyone else from becoming part of that statistic, or worse. In this class, you will learn how to incorporate proactive safety setups and management tools to stay safe in your work with all dogs. You will also bring your defensive and leash-handling skills to the next level with a deep dive into various techniques that can prevent dog bites. This LIVE class will cover both preemptive measures to take when handling a dog with a history of aggression and the emergency techniques to employ during an attack.
Michael Shikashio, CDBC, is the founder of AggressiveDog.com. He focuses on teaching professionals from around the world “how to work” canine aggression cases successfully. His expert opinion is sought after by numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, the New York Post, Fox News, The List TV, The Baltimore Sun, WebMD, Women’s Health magazine, Real Simple magazine, and SiriusXM Radio. Michael hosts the popular podcast The Bitey End of the Dog where he chats with the foremost experts on dog aggression.
Michael has been a featured keynote speaker at conferences, universities, and seminars in more than 200 cities and 14 different countries around the world. He offers a variety of educational opportunities on the topic of canine aggression, including the Aggression in Dogs Master Course and the annual Aggression in Dogs Conference.
NOTES:
- Excel students will practice building fluency in the proactive handling exercises with their own dogs. However, the defensive-handling techniques covered in this class should NOT be practiced with a real dog.
- Modifications can be made to all mechanical techniques taught in this class based on a student’s needs.
LEARN, PRACTICE, SHARE
LEARN
Six weeks of training, a week-by-week curriculum integrated with four LIVE virtual classes with real-time coaching, interactive learning, and Q&A. Super educational, super fun.
PRACTICE
The LIVE week-by-week curriculum integrates with, and prepares you for, the weekly LIVE class. New levels of advancement each week!
SHARE
Ask questions and share insights, pics, and your training videos. Celebrate progress together!The week-by-week curriculum integrates with and prepares you for, the weekly LIVE class.
- Build essential leash handling and environmental arrangement skills that help to keep you safe in when working with potentially aggressive dogs!
- Practice the skills in between the LIVE class meetings, working through the training plan progressively over the span of the six weeks. Engage students have the option to observe or work at their own pace.
- Four pre-recorded video lectures (45-60 minutes each) from your instructor help you develop a solid foundation of skills and build on them; you'll learn both why those behaviors are necessary and how to train them to fluency.
- The complete pre-recorded video lectures and handouts are available to you after you enroll. You can watch them as often as you like. Get an early start or take it one week at a time.
Let's Begin This Fabulous Journey, Together
- Unit 1 Lessons
- Live Class 1: November 2nd
- Unit 2 Lessons
- Live Class 2: November 9th
- Unit 3 Lessons
- Live Class 3: November 16th
- Unit 4 Lessons
- Live Class 4: November 30th
LEARN WITH Michael shikashio
Michael Shikashio, CDBC, is the founder of AggressiveDog.com. He focuses on teaching professionals from around the world “how to work” aggression cases successfully. Michael is a five-term president of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and was the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) Member of the Year in 2020.
Michael’s expert opinion is sought after by numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, the New York Post, Fox News, The List TV, The Baltimore Sun, WebMD, Women’s Health magazine, Real Simple magazine, SiriusXM Radio, The Chronicle of the Dog, and Steve Dale’s Pet World podcast. He also hosts the popular podcast The Bitey End of the Dog where he chats with the foremost experts on dog aggression.
Michael has been a featured keynote speaker at conferences, universities, and seminars in more than 200 cities and 14 different countries around the world. He offers a variety of educational opportunities on the topic of canine aggression, including the Aggression in Dogs Master Course and the annual Aggression in Dogs Conference.
Here's What You'll Be Learning UNIT by UNIT
1
Avoiding the bitey end of the dog
List of skills:
- Choosing a leash
- Leash lock
- Leash-lock variations
- Same-side handling and leash length
- Center of gravity
- Switching sides
Michael’s general approach is to carefully orchestrate interactions with the dog—reducing the likelihood of an aggressive response—and then employ leash-handling skills to respond if an incident is imminent.
Unit #1 is a deep dive into various safety set-ups and tools used in aggression cases to reduce the risk of bite incidents. Michael will teach you to use tools like gates, back-ties, and muzzles to provide the dog agency in its environment, ensuring that it feels safe, while also prioritizing your safety. Avoiding any new aggression incidents is crucial, so Michael will explore time-tested strategies for preventing bites. In this first unit, you will also begin to learn defensive leash-handling strategies and skills.
Be sure to follow the discussion forum on groups.io where Michael will be answering Excel students' questions and reviewing videos of their training progress in preparation for the first Zoom meet-up. Engage students can follow along with each of the Excel student discussion threads as well as share their own progress and offer kudos to their classmates.
In the virtual classroom, Excel students will demonstrate their skill progression, receive coaching from Michael, share their experiences, and ask questions about the tools and strategies. Michael will also look ahead to the skills taught in the next unit and answer questions from Engage students.
2
Become a Leash-Handling Virtuoso
List of skills:
- Quick control
- Arm drag-back
- Proactive handling
- Straight arm
- Treat-tossing techniques
- Back-tie handling
Unit #2 takes you deeper into leash-handling techniques that can be used in both everyday approaches and emergency scenarios, such as dealing with a dog attack. Leash handling is a vital part of Michael’s safety system; this unit will cover his most critical techniques so that you can become a leash-handling virtuoso!
Unit 2 also teaches skills for treat delivery in aggression cases. How, where, and when you deliver treats can significantly impact safety, behavior, and how the dog responds to your interactions. Michael will teach you to make sound treat-delivery decisions and you will practice the physical treat-delivery skills.
In the virtual classroom, Excel students will demonstrate their skill progression, receive coaching from Michael, share their experience, and ask questions about the fundamental leash skills and handling. Michael will also look ahead to the skills taught in the next unit and answer questions from Engage students.
3
Defensive Handling in the Real World
List of Skills:
- Leash, Muzzle, Hip turns
- Inside U-turn
- Get behind
- Off-leash dog scenarios
- Distraction techniques
- Emergency use of tools
In real-world, real-time scenarios, trainers often need to act quickly under challenging conditions. Skilled defensive handlers possess a high degree of situational awareness; they respond to potential dog attacks swiftly, fluently, and effectively. In this unit, you will study a series of challenging scenarios and learn specialized techniques to deploy in response.
In the virtual classroom, Excel students will demonstrate their skill progression, receive coaching from Michael, share their experiences, and ask questions. Michael will also look ahead to the skills taught in the next unit and answer questions from Engage students.
There will be a two-week break between units #3 and #4 to observe the Thanksgiving holiday and to allow additional time for student practice
4
Safety is my middle name
List of Skills:
- Putting it all together -safety in the real world.
In Unit #4, you will bring your new safety skills together! You will build fluency in generalizing all of the unit lessons, matching scenarios with the tools and techniques you have learned and exploring how to combine those tools and techniques to maximize safety in other aggression scenarios, whether you are faced with a 5-pound Yorkie or a 150-pound Mastiff.
In the virtual classroom, Excel students will showcase their progress in a "real-world environment" while receiving coaching from Michael. They will also have the opportunity to share their experiences and ask final questions. Michael will address questions from Engage students and dive into a range of past-case scenarios, from low-level bite risks to dogs with established bite histories!
