Brain Camp! with Barking Brains & Agility University
Join us for this unique international collaboration between Barking Brains and Agility University, exploring the intersection of sports, behavior, and neuroscience.
Event Details
Hosted At: For Your K9 – 706 N. Industrial Drive Elmhurst, IL
Friday, July 19th to Sunday, July 21st
with Dr. Kathy Murphy, Tracy Sklenar, Bobbie Bhambree, Elliot Connor
Why Attend Brain Camp?
By having a deeper understanding of what’s happening in the brain and why, you will be able to create the optimal learning and performance environment for your dog, getting you closer to your team goals and enhancing your partnership. Yes! We will have new games and exercises to build up your dog’s sport skills, as well as Dr. Murphy’s incomparable dives into the neuroscience that supports our training.
Learning Options
Puppy Brains
Friday, July 19th – 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
For puppies approximately 12 weeks to 15 months old, divided into age-appropriate groups.
The brain develops at a phenomenal rate during puppyhood and adolescence. During this phase, the foundations are laid for life learning ability, health, behavior, resilience, and ultimately, later life performance. This day includes lectures, panels, and practical working sessions with opportunities to work with each instructor.
- Topics Covered:
- Confidence Building
- Different Types of Learning and Memory
- Resilience Conditioning
- Creating Training Plans
- Structuring Training Sessions
- Canine Adolescence
- Tailored Tools, Tips, and Games for Any Sport
- Pricing:
- Working Spot: $250/team
- Auditing Spot: $75 ($50 for For Your K9 students and instructors)
Sporty Brains
Saturday, July 20 – Sunday, July 21, 2024
9am – 5pm
Optimal performance depends on learning, memory, physical fitness, control of arousal, focus and engagement. Understanding what’s happening in the brain, and therefore how to optimize these abilities, while supporting the dog’s wellbeing, is the key to success.
In this unique camp you will be able to take what you learn about achieving optimum performance for your individual dog, and go from theory to practical application over the course of the weekend. We will provide a fresh context for you to be able to learn training games to help address arousal issues, build focus and engagement and build that all important resilience to environmental sensitivities.
Sporty Brains 2024 is perfect for dog & handler teams who are new to Brain Camp, or alums who have a new canine teammate!
Choose your track:
- Competition Track (for dogs over 13 months training/competing in agility, flyball, rally, obedience)
- Scentwork Track (for dogs over 13 months training/competing in any of the scent/search sports)
Sporty Brains Camp will have multiple lecture/panel and practical working sessions each day!
The practical sessions will be covering how to apply our understanding of the neuroscience to the sport-specific skills required for agility, flyball, and scentwork! Topics will include:
-
Creating training plans
-
Confidence building
-
Arousal management and optimization
-
Attentional processing
-
Reinforcement strategies
-
Frustration reduction
-
How to handle errors
-
Neuroplasticity
-
Learning & memory (for dogs AND humans!)
-
Resilience conditioning
-
And more!
Working Spot: $495/team **
Auditing: $125 for both days, $75 for one day ($50 for one day, $75 for both days for For Your K9 students and instructors)
Benefits of Attending
EXPERT INSTRUCTION
Learn from leading professionals in the fields of neuroscience, veterinary medicine, and dog sports training.
HANDS ON EXPERIENCE
With a working spot, you will participate in practical working sessions designed to reinforce theoretical knowledge.
CUSTOMIZABLE TRAINING
Gain tools, tips, and games tailored for any sport to enhance your dog’s performance.
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
Connect with fellow dog enthusiasts and professionals, sharing experiences and insights.
The Brain Camp Crew
Brain Camp is brought to you by Dr. Kathy Murphy, veterinarian, neuroscientist and dog sports enthusiast; Tracy Sklenar, international agility coach and competitor; Bobbie Bhambree, Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and long time agility competitor; and Elliot Connor certified Scent Specific Mantrailing and scent detection instructor, and scentwork competitor and judge.