Thinking Inside the Box

Course Aim - To teach the theory and practice of box feeding, to enable owners to help their dogs live their biggest and best lives. Box feeding is teaching my dog to put their head in a box and wait until I drop food in. While they wait distractions occur and they show they know the game by keeping their head in the box even through those distractions.

There are many lenses to look through when training a dog. From ethology to functional assessments, from classical conditioning to operant, from the layered stress model to LIMA. All of these things are happening all the time and they all have value.

This course is heavy on the operant and classical lens and vocabulary. It is a way that helped me understand what I was seeing and create a plan to improve my dogs’ lives. I hope my presentation might speak to others in the same way.

I think this strategy is very powerful, and like Flexi leashes, with great power comes great responsibility. This course will also address the pitfalls that can come from this method.

This class has 5 levels to work through.

Susan Cleveland

Susan is a dog trainer based in Elk River, Minnesota.  She is a classically trained and experienced teacher, a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer (CCFT), and all-around sport dog enthusiast. She has trained dogs in flyball, agility, rally, nosework, barn hunt, air scent, and protection sports.  A lifelong learner and eclectic thinker, Susan incorporates ideas, approaches, and techniques from across dog (and sometimes human) activities and behaviors. In addition to being a dog trainer, Susan is an inventor and crafter, designing and creating a range of dog-related items.  Her family includes her husband, David and 9 year old Border Whippet, Whimsy.