about Deb Jones
Deborah Jones, Ph.D., is a psychologist who specializes in learning theory and social behavior. She has taught a variety of psychology courses at Kent State University for the past 20 years. Deb has been training dogs for performance events for the past 25 years and was an early innovator in the use of clicker training techniques in dog training. She has owned and worked with a variety of breeds and has earned top level titles in agility (MACH), rally (RAE), and obedience (UD) competitions. Her focus is on developing training methods that are enjoyable and effective for both the dog and the trainer. Her mission is to help others develop strong positive relationships with their dogs. Her favorite saying is “it’s all tricks!”
In 2004 Deb developed the FOCUS training system, along with agility trainer and World Team member Judy Keller. FOCUS stands for Fun, Obedience & Consistency lead to Unbelievable Success. They first applied FOCUS training to agility dogs but quickly realized its usefulness for all dog sports. Together, they wrote “The Focused Puppy,” which lays out a strong and systematic foundation for all future training. Deb has written a series of 4 books with Denise Fenzi titled “Dog Sport Skills.” She also recently completed a book on Cooperative Care.
Deb has taught a variety of dog training classes, workshops, and seminars. She loves teaching in an online format!
Deb’s website is www.k9infocus.com.
2020 camp sessions
Day 1: Friday
11:00AM – 12:30PM
Shaping Retrieves Lab
Experience Level: All
This lab will focus on the process of shaping to introduce and improve your dog’s formal retrieve. Deb will be splitting the retrieve behavior into tiny parts to isolate any problem areas. Dogs at all levels of the retrieve, including the very beginning steps, are welcome. Dogs in working spots should be highly food motivated. Bring an appropriately sized retrieve object for your dog to work with in this lab.
Day 1: Friday
4:00PM – 6:00PM
Zen Games Lab
Experience Level: All
The purpose of zen games is to teach our dogs that self-control can be fun! In this session we will set up a series of games with increasing levels of difficulty. Once we review our foundation work with markers we will work through a series of three games with three levels of challenge (Novice, Advanced, & Masters). Dogs at all levels of experience are welcome to participate!
Day 2: Saturday
11:00AM – 12:40PM
Handler Choice Lab
Experience Level: All
Each team will have 10 minutes of one-on-one time to work on whichever skills they choose.
Day 2: Saturday
4:00PM – 6:00PM
Focus Games Lab
Experience Level: All
Focus! Everyone wants it, but how do you get it? This lecture and lab will lead you through the general concept of focus and the importance of specific games as the basis for teamwork. The games are designed to help you and your dog develop a fun and enjoyable working relationship. The different categories of games will encourage you to explore interactions with and without food, with and without toys, using and changing energy levels and intensity, and with social physical play. Working teams will have a chance to practice selected games and get feedback for ways to customize them for the best result.
Day 3: Sunday
9:00AM – 10:40AM
Cue Clean Up Lab
Experience Level: All
Cues can be complex and confusing things. As our main form of communication with our dogs it’s important that we have clear and clean verbal and physical cues for behaviors. This is not always easy. What you think is perfectly clear may not be to your dog. As a trainer, understanding when and how to add cues, how to change or alter cues, and what to do when cues aren’t working as you intended, is very important. Deb will offer solid information on how to clean up your cues! Working teams will assess their dog’s true understanding of cues and can then work on adding or changing them as desired.
Day 3: Sunday
1:40PM – 3:30PM
Shape Shifters Lab
Experience Level: All
Shaping is an incredibly valuable and versatile training technique. It can also be confusing and challenging for both trainer and dog. In this session Deb will present her favorite approaches to shaping that sets the team up for early and frequent success. We will talk about the best way to start a shaping session, the ideal length of a session, how to encourage your dog to be active in a session, how to encourage your dog to be creative, and how to use shaping combined with other techniques such as luring and targeting. We will cover free shaping as well as more structured and directed shaping approaches. Trainers will practice and improve their observational skills, timing, and rate of reinforcement. All dogs are welcome in this session, from one who has never shaped before to one who is finishing up a complex behavior. Bring plenty of small soft treats. If you’d like to shape your dog to interact with a prop feel free to bring it along!