Workshop update: location, location, location

I’ve been trying to find the perfect location for the dog language and training workshop I’m doing. I wanted somewhere nice, where people could relax and focus, and the dogs wouldn’t be too distracted. (They’re going to be distracted, if only because there’s going to be other dogs as well as it being a new place.)

I wanted somewhere that would encourage us all to unwind, take a deep breath, and pay attention to our dogs.

I wanted somewhere that had a good walking area.

I wanted somewhere where we could have meet and greets with appropriate dogs, if possible.

I basically had a long list of wants. I didn’t figure I’d be able to get all of them, but I was looking!

I thought I’d found it in the Grande Plaza hotel in Palo Alto, and then, after six weeks of discussion, they finally told me I couldn’t have dogs in the conference rooms. AGH. But maybe that was a good thing, because I found something better.

A house.

A lovely house with a great, big, open floor plan that’s family room, dining room, and kitchen all in one. A house that has places for people to sit and write and still keep dogs separated. A room that has plenty of, well, room — especially once I push the couch aside. There’s a TV for me to hook my computer up to and voila, instant power point presentation. There’s a fridge where we can put bottles of water, and a bathroom that isn’t down the hall and up the stairs and down another hall…

There’s a beautiful view of serene farmland and the ocean.

And there’s a fully fenced yard, if meet and greets are appropriate! No people in rooms nearby to annoy, either, if the dogs take a little bit to settle down (and they will).

The owner is fine with me doing the workshop there, and now there’s a bedroom for a few crates if some of the dogs need rest.

The workshop is going to be a small affair, with just 10-15 people and 8-10 dogs, so everyone will get plenty of one-on-one time. It’ll run from 10-5:30 for $500 (for a dog and two of its humans) or $150 (for one human without a dog), which is a far cry from my previous prices, at $200/hour.

I’ll also have Jay, a dog trainer in his own right that I originally trained. He’ll be wandering the room while I present, helping people as they need it, and taking over some of the training that I won’t be able to do, myself. I have another set of hands coming, Allie, who knows dog language better than anyone except Jay and I, so she’ll be jumping in where needed. Three people to handle 10-15? Oh yeah, private help awaits every client who joins us!

I haven’t been this excited about dog stuff in years. But this is my passion: sharing with others how to understand dogs. Dog are incredible creatures with their own language system, and my success as a trainer was because I “listened” to them. I wasn’t better than other trainers. I didn’t have fancier techniques. I just listened and then responded. I want to teach people how to do that.

Of course, we’ll also teach people how to act on what their dog says, so that their dogs end up being awesome companions instead of socially awkward, sometimes dangerous, housemates. But once you can understand when your dog says, “this situation freaks me out,” you can do something about it before it escalates to a problem. Your dog learns they can trust you, they gain confidence in areas where they had a lack of confidence, and next thing you know they’re chilling with you at a party and not at all flustered when a child trips and falls over them, while other dogs are anxious messes and lash out when surprised by the same falling child.

You guys, I can barely contain my excitement, here!

And how lovely will it be on a late April day to be among greenery and the ocean in Pescadero, learning about our staunchest supporters and enjoying the inside, easily learning how to teach various behaviors, before going outside and walking along the ocean while you learn how to have a nice, loose leash, pack walk? It’ll be perfect.

Jenna