Using Enrichment to Solve Problems LIVE!
WITH Emily Strong and Allie Bender
A KPA LIVE!™ Class featuring real-time training and coaching WITH emily and allie
SIMPLE, THOUGHTFUL SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE LIFE WITH OUR DOGS
Join Emily and Allie to learn innovative enrichment strategies that solve problems and enhance well-being.Over the past few years, enrichment has become a buzzword in the animal-training and pet-parent spheres. While there are many ways to define enrichment, Emily Strong and Allie Bender opt for the practical approach; to them, enrichment means meeting all of an animal’s physical, behavioral, and emotional needs in order to empower the animal to perform species-typical behaviors in healthy, safe, and appropriate ways. Essentially, enrichment means empowering the animal to be the “doggyest” dog, “cattiest” cat, or “horseyest” horse they can be.
What does that definition of enrichment have to do with solving problems? Unmet needs can cause and/or exacerbate common behavior problems. Think of it this way: we can’t behave or perform at our peak levels if our needs are not being met!
Enrichment as a tool goes beyond what we typically think of as “behavior problems.” A robust enrichment helps you solve behavioral issues and reach the goals you have for life with your dog or other animals more easily. Often, the gap between the current reality and the ideal can be bridged through enrichment.
In this 4-week class, Allie and Emily will teach you to implement an effective and sustainable enrichment strategy with your pet. No more wondering, “Am I doing enough for my pet?” while also feeling exhausted by how much you’re doing! An enrichment framework will help you work smarter, not harder when it comes to reaching the goals you have with your pet. Learn to unlock solutions to various behavioral issues, such as destructive chewing, and create changes that enhance your dog's and other household members' daily lives and well-being.
Each unit of the class provides you with a deeper understanding of enrichment and refines how you implement it. Emily and Allie will teach you their enrichment framework, strategies, set-ups, and exercises that address your dog’s needs. They will also offer clear and simple ways to track progress, implement adjustments, and make the most of the time that you have to give to your dog (or cat, dog, bear, bird, etc.). Refer to the unit descriptions below for more details!
Emily and Allie coach students through their enrichment framework via a week-by-week curriculum and weekly real-time classes conducted over Zoom as well as a class discussion forum.
No worries if you cannot attend at the scheduled time; classes will be recorded.
All LIVE classes include the weekly Zoom classes with demonstrations and Q&A, the student discussion and video-sharing forum, feedback from the instructor(s), and a rich curriculum of recorded lectures, video demonstrations, and assigned exercises for you to practice with your dog. Excel students also receive personalized 1:1 coaching in the Zoom classes, as well as individualized feedback on their video submissions and questions.
Zoom classes are on the following Wednesdays at 2 PM PT/5 PM ET: April 17; April 24; May 1; and May 8.
Enrichment and animal welfare are Emily and Allie’s specialties. As the authors of the popular books, Canine Enrichment for the Real World: Making It Part of Your Dog’s Daily Life and the supporting Canine Enrichment for the Real World Workbook, and hosts of the Enrichment for the Real World podcast and cross-species behavior consultants, they have helped countless animal professionals and pet guardians meet their needs. This curriculum brings their extensive expertise to you in a new class specifically created for the KPA LIVE format. Join Emily and Allie and make each moment count for your dog or other animal's welfare.
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!
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
- Unit 1 Lessons
- Live Class 1: April 17th, 2 PM PT/5 PM ET
- Unit 2 Lessons
- Live Class 2: April 24th, 2 PM PT/5 PM ET
- Unit 3 Lessons
- Live Class 3: May 1st, 2 PM PT/5 PM ET
- Unit 4 Lessons
- Live Class 4: May 8th, 2 PM PT/5 PM ET
LEARN WITH Allie Bender & Emily Strong
Allie Bender, CDBC, CPDT-KA, SBA & Emily Strong are co-owners of Pet Harmony Animal Behavior & Training, the co-authors of Canine Enrichment for the Real World, and the co-hosts of the Enrichment for the Real World podcast.
Through Pet Harmony, Allie and Emily help pets and their people nurture a happy, healthy, and harmonious lifestyle. They do this by overseeing a team of behavior consultants providing premier in-person and online private sessions for pets exhibiting behavior problems, from nuisance issues to serious maladaptive behaviors like aggression, anxiety, and fear. They also mentor other pet professionals from all over the world to improve the quality of life for pets, clients, and the professionals themselves through their PETPro Mentorship Program.
Allie and Emily are national speakers, published authors, and animal welfare advocates. They have made radio, podcast, commercial, and TV appearances. Allie has been working in animal welfare since 2006 and started training professionally in 2012. Emily has been working in animal welfare since 1990 and became a behavior consultant in 2008. Allie has a BSc in Animal Science from Iowa State University and is certified through the Council for Certification of Professionals Dog Trainers and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.
Here's What You'll Be Learning UNIT by UNIT
1
taking stock and getting started
Skills:
- Behavior observation
- Behavior interpretation
In Unit 1, Emily and Allie provide an overview of enrichment that gets everyone on the same page. What is enrichment? How can it be used to solve problems? What is the Pet Harmony Enrichment Framework, and how will you be using it in this class and in everyday applications to solve problems and create new behaviors? Allie and Emily will wade a little into the weeds of enrichment with you to discuss some of the common behavior and behavioral enrichment terms and topics, including “more like nature,” behavioral diversity, and the role that enrichment plays in providing an animal the necessary skills to navigate the environment. Finally, Emily and Allie will provide step-by-step actions to complete Steps 1-3 of the Enrichment Framework with your pet.
Between the time that you enroll and the first live Zoom session, watch the Unit 1 curriculum recording and then head to the discussion board. Post your videos and see Excel students’ videos of their baselines and first-week behavior changes as well as the feedback and coaching Emily and Allie offer Excel students. Engage students can follow along with the Excel student threads and post their own work to discuss and plan with one another.
The first live Zoom class will begin with Excel students discussing the week’s progress. Emily and Allie will then dive into enrichment strategies and implementation to bridge into the Unit 2 material. Excel students will receive real-time feedback and get the ball rolling on a plan for the following week. Engage students should bring their questions as well; this is their opportunity to ask the instructors any questions about the material and receive expert guidance on continuing this work with their animals!
2
develop and implement your plan
Skills:
- Prioritization
- Meeting your pet’s needs
- Data collection
- Clear communication
Now that you have taken stock of where you and your pet are starting out, it’s time to put that information to use! Unit 2 is a deep dive into Steps 4-7 of the Pet Harmony Enrichment Framework. You will explore narrowing down and prioritizing action items to create an effective and sustainable plan. Once you have your plan, it’s time to implement it! Remember, it is important to assess if what we are doing is actually producing the desired results. The most objective way to do that is to collect data. You will learn how to determine which metrics matter and to collect data in the least painful way possible. Your time is important; this Unit is all about prioritizing what works for you and the animal in front of you.
In the groups.io forum, Excel students will exchange ideas and receive coaching from Emily and Allie on their enrichment progress video submissions for the week. Engage students are always encouraged to share their progress. All students will prepare questions for the Zoom class.
In the second virtual LIVE class, Excel students will begin by discussing their progress with the enrichment framework. Then Allie and Emily will work through concepts and skills that bridge to Unit 3. Emily and Allie will coach each Excel team individually and will help troubleshoot the work the teams have done for the week. Excel and Engage students should bring training questions to the class for Emily and Allie to address live during the Zoom call.
3
Interpreting & adjusting your results
Skills:
- Data interpretation
- Troubleshooting
- Epistemology
Congratulations—you’ve implemented your plan! Now it’s time to figure out how effective the plan was. In Unit 3, you will learn how to make sense of it all. How do you interpret these results to decide what to do more of, less of, tweak, or scrap altogether? Your animal’s time is important, so you will learn to evolve your enrichment strategy to meet the needs of the animal in front of you, right now!
Learn how to troubleshoot the things that could be improved upon, including how your mindset might be getting in your own way. After that, you will learn how going back through the Enrichment Framework with your new starting point will determine the next version of the plan you’ll be implementing. Then you will start to implement it!
Post video links of your training progress and cheer on your classmates with comments on the class forum! Emily and Allie will offer feedback on Excel students’ videos so that everyone can learn.
In the LIVE Zoom class, Excel students will demonstrate their successes and receive further coaching from Allie and Emily on the Unit 3 material as well as real-time coaching on their enrichment implementation. Emily and Allie will also answer any questions from Excel and Engage students.
4
long-term planning and sustainability
Skills:
- Meeting your own needs while meeting your pet’s needs
- Long-term planning
- Creating contingency plans
Now that you have some experience creating an effective enrichment strategy, it’s time to discuss what long-term planning, optimization, and sustainability look like. Maybe it looks like planning for future predicted behavior changes, like those associated with aging or moving into a new home. It can also look like planning for future schedule disruptions: weather changes, illnesses, and vacations. There is nothing better than not having to think about your pet’s enrichment strategy on a day when you’re not feeling well–because you already created a contingency plan for this occasion!
In the final Zoom class meeting, Excel students will demonstrate progress with their current enrichment strategies and receive real-time coaching on further evolving their strategies for long and short-term goals. This will also be the last opportunity for Engage and Excel students to ask questions, receive coaching, and share experiences. You won’t want to miss it!
Remember, you retain access to the course content, including the class recordings, for one year after your enrollment date so that you and your dog can keep learning together well after this final LIVE class.
