Considerations for Urban Dog Training

Original Air Date: 16th April 2024

Presenter Bio: Melissa has been peed on more in her line of work than she’d like to admit. She has been working with dogs in sports, manners, and behavior since 2005, and served as the co-training director of the New England Dog Training Club, the oldest AKC obedience club in the United States, from 2012 – 2023.

Melissa is a faculty advisor for Victoria Stilwell’s Dog Training Academy, and is a behavior consultant at the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk, Maine. She was invited to speak at the PACT conference at the University of Winchester (2023), Boston Museum of Science about scent dogs (2020), the New England Federation of Humane Societies (2021), Tufts University, MIT, The Pet Professional Guild, Raising Canine, and more. She published her first book, Considerations for the City Dog, in 2015, and is currently working with 5M Publishing, developing a book for dog trainers about all the things “they” don’t tell people who want to work with animals.

Lastly, Melissa is the host of  BewilderBeasts – a 100 episode podcast that dives into the intersections of animals and humans. Some stories include horses who use scent work to find missing hikers in Maine, bees in Croatia who detect landmines, and why stripping for polar bears can save the lives of Canadians.

Presentation Details:

Conventional wisdom takes into account that pet trainers and behavior consultants can control for distance, duration, and distractions to some degree, while working behavior cases. But, in an urban setting, those very foundations of how many of us were taught to approach training and behavior are luxuries. With the constant sounds often registering at decibels louder than a leaf blower, or keeping dogs leashed 100% of the time due to the environment and laws, behavior consultants, trainers, and veterinary behaviorists are limited in what can be done to help dogs in densely populated environments. This causes an immense amount of distress in our canine (and human) learners, which can lead to escalating behavioral fallout.

In this webinar, Melissa McCue-McGrath will reframe what we know about dog training and behavior through a restrictive, city-dog lens, so professionals in this space can help manage expectations appropriately. She will then provide tips to encourage attendees to think outside the box in urban environments, which will help dog owners in every environment.  

In this presentation, attendees will learn: 

•  How to see an urban environment from a dog-centric vantage point to better help clients and their dogs navigate life in often overwhelming situations.
• Why professionals may need to put behavior modification medication on the table much sooner compared to similar presentation of behavior in quieter environments.
• How to use a challenging environment to an excited, reactive or overwhelmed dog’s advantage.

Price: APBC members £12.50 ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

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