The Play Way: playing without toys

Friday, Oct. 6

4:00PM - 6:00PM

Experience Level: All

Play is your best stress reliever! Have you ever thought about what play would look like if you didn’t have a toy to play with? Have you ever thought about playing with your food instead of handing it over? Play, especially play that doesn’t involve toys, is often something we don’t explore with our dogs, but it’s really a useful skill for making your dog feel better!

Developing a good personal play relationship with your dog will allow you to play anywhere and reduce your dog’s stress levels (and maybe yours!). Additionally, playing with food raises its value and introduces dogs unfamiliar with play to the the kinds of body language play has. Come play with us!

Presenter Bio

Amy Cook, PhD

Dr. Amy Cook (she/her) has her PhD in Psychology from UC Berkeley, where her research focused on the dog-human relationship and its effect on the problem solving strategies dogs employ. She is an International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, a longstanding professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), and was one of the first trainers nationally to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through independent evaluation (CPDT-KA). Dr. Cook is the founder and creator of the Play Way here at the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, and also teaches her active management system for reactivity, and her sound sensitivity protocol, all aimed at the reduction of stress in dogs. She has been training dogs for over 30 years, and has specialized in the rehabilitation of shy and fearful dogs for over 20 years.