I spent last weekend at Clicker Expo in Long Beach. It was the first Clicker Expo I have attended and I had a great time. There was a lot of great things about it, like seeing great speakers and meeting people that I have only corresponded with on Facebook or via email. The other thing that I really liked was the general promotion of positive reinforcement, not only to animals in training but to people as well. For instance, in your registration packet you were given a bunch of raffle tickets then you were asked to distribute those to people when you saw someone do something, anything you liked. It could be giving their dog water, helping someone with something, or just anything in general. Both your name and the recipients name were put on the ticket and they were turned in and people were given prizes.
I thought it was such a great idea and it made me feel good to be able to reward people for nice things. As I sat around a table with a couple of friends (Stacy Braslau Schneck and Daphne Robert Hamilton) and a bunch of strangers, we started brainstorming ideas. I decided to create Dog Shows are Fun (www.dogshowsarefun.com). The idea is that I will bring a collar charm which is an inexpensive but cute trinket to give to people along with a card explaining why when I see people at dog shows doing something I like. I really just wanted to promote the use of positive reinforcement to dogs at shows and in training but Stacy pointed out that she likes that it will encourage me to look for good things at dog shows rather than focusing on the nice so nice things I observe.
Feel free to check out the website and join in the fun!
