Success Under All Conditions
LIVE with Ken Ramirez
A KPA LIVE!™ Class featuring real-time training and coaching WITH ken
Rock-solid behavior for when it truly matters, or for every day!
Join Ken and achieve fluent, reliable performance anywhere, anytime, every time.Achieving fluent and reliable performance in ever-changing environments is often an elusive goal. It’s one of the walls that trainers bump up against most frequently. Performance seems to break down unpredictably, and behaviors often fail to transfer from place to place. In some contexts, the underperformance is disappointing; in others, the stakes are much higher.
Whether it’s life-saving search-and-rescue work, performance on the agility course, service-animal behaviors that may define a person’s quality of life, or simply a recall that needs to work wherever you or your clients happen to be, a 70% probability of success is simply not good enough.
This four-unit LIVE class is for trainers working in any environment where behaviors must be achieved across contexts, under any conditions, and against unpredictable distractions. Whether you are proofing behaviors for professional work or teaching clients how to get their dogs back in the car while juggling kids at the park, Ken will teach you to build rock-solid behaviors that stand the test of time, place, and competing reinforcers. Excel students will learn to take several behaviors that have already been built to some fluency and, through one-on-one coaching from Ken, develop them to impenetrability. In the process, Excel and Engage students will learn how Ken coaches learners to reliability across various behaviors so that you can implement Ken’s methods with clients or future dogs.
You will learn:
- Ken’s method for introducing and attenuating distractions in order to keep dogs progressing while minimizing setbacks
- How Ken coaches students/clients to successful, reliable behavior
- How to track your reliability training and the importance of record-keeping
- How to navigate common hang-ups and avoid common pitfalls in reliability training
- Techniques for real-time distraction management
- Behavior maintenance strategies that help you continue to build any behavior long after class has ended
Excel students will practice with their dogs, get one-on-one coaching from Ken on all the above, and train self-selected behaviors to new heights of reliability.
Where and When!
- Content will be unlocked on November 4, 2024.
- Teaching support and the discussion board begin on November 18, 2024.
- Zoom classes will be held on Mondays: November 25, 2024, December 2, 2024, December 9, 2024, and December 16, 2024. Classes will start at 2:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET and are two hours long.
Can’t make the live classes? No worries! The Zoom classes are recorded and made available shortly after each class concludes; you can access all of the recorded material for an entire year!
Please note: Excel students should already have at least two behaviors under good stimulus control, behaviors that you want your dog to continue to do in the face of distractions. These behaviors may include loose-leash walking, heeling, relaxing on a mat, recall, etc. A significant portion of this class will require Excel students to have a “helper” (someone your dog knows well) who can present, remove, and attenuate the level of distraction.
LEARN, PRACTICE, SHARE
LEARN
Five 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!A week-by-week curriculum guides your learning every step of the way. Each week, join your classmates for one of four LIVE classes for real-time training and personalized interactive coaching, plus Q&A with your instructor. You will see other students practice the behaviors, hear your instructor’s feedback, make adjustments, and improve their training. Each of these Zoom-based classes is two hours long. All students get access to the full week-by-week curriculum and class forum. In each Zoom class:
- Engage students watch training and your instructor’s coaching and can ask questions through Zoom chat.
- Excel students get personalized real-time coaching and feedback on their training during the Zoom class PLUS on-screen Q&A.
Miss a class? No problem. LIVE classes are also recorded.
Let's Begin This Fabulous Journey, Together
- Begin Unit 1 Lessons!
- Discussion Board Opens: November 18, 2024
- Live Zoom Class 1: November 25, 2024
- Unit 2 Lessons
- Live Zoom Class 2: December 2, 2024
- Unit 3 Lessons
- Live Zoom Class 3: December 9, 2024
- Unit 4 Lessons
- Live Zoom Class 4: December 16, 2024

LEARN WITH ken ramirez
Ken Ramirez is Executive Vice President and Chief Training Officer at Karen Pryor Clicker Training (KPCT). He oversees educational programming and teaches courses online at Karen Pryor Academy, in-person at ClickerExpo conferences, and at KPCT's National Training Center. Ken developed his protocol to successfully teach dogs to avoid snakes using 100% positive reinforcement training through research projects and live field application of the protocol across the world.
A trainer and consultant for nearly 50 years, Ken is highly active in animal conservation worldwide. Prior to joining KPCT, he served as Executive Vice President, Animal Care and Training, at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. Ken is the author of a seminal book on animal training. A selection of his lectures is available on streaming video.
Here's What You'll Be Learning UNIT by UNIT
Prerequisites:
General:
- Trainers should have a solid understanding of positive reinforcement training.
- Knowing how to use a clicker or other marker is helpful but not required.
Excel students will need:
- A basic repertoire of behaviors under solid stimulus control that can be cued to regain your dog’s focus in the face of distractions. Example behaviors include name recognition, eye contact, hand target, “leave it,” etc.
- Several additional behaviors, already under good stimulus control, that you want your dog to perform with greater reliability in the face of distractions. These behaviors might include loose-leash walking, heeling, relaxing on a mat, recall, etc.
- An assistant—someone your dog knows well. The assistant helps you present distractions and adjust the intensity throughout the class.
- A camera (phone, camcorder, or similar) and a tripod or other equipment to record your training sessions.
1
Foundation For getting started!
In Unit 1, Ken introduces his process for desensitization and generalization and then walks you through getting started with your own training.
Topics covered:
- A working definition of desensitization
- Using body orientation as an introduction to desensitization
- Changing but familiar locations as the next logical step
- Introducing low-level distractions that do not cause a problem
- Defining what it means to stay below threshold
2
Distractions you can control!
In Unit 2, Ken continues to expand and increase the level of distractions you use.
Topics Covered:
- What are distractions that you can control?
- How to maximize control of distractions
- How to list your dog’s distractions in order from least to most problematic
- When and how to use distractions as reinforcers
- How counter-conditioning can help, and when it is a separate procedure
3
Maintaining Momentum
In Unit 3, Ken teaches you the next skills and steps that build on your success.
Topics Covered:
- Record-keeping and how and why you should keep a desensitization log
- Understanding how you are working toward teaching your dog the concept of novelty
- A look at what you hope your dog will perceive and learn through this process
- Helpful hints for working with your assistant and common challenges that may arise
4
wrapping up
Unit 4 builds on the concepts introduced in previous units and addresses pitfalls and hiccups. Ken shares additional information that he has found invaluable for trainers looking to take their dogs' reliability to new heights.
Topics Covered:
- Common questions
- Common challenges and frequent mistakes
- Ongoing training and maintenance
- The data on the “Success Under All Conditions” approach