Divine K-9 Seminars & Workshops 

Divine K-9 Dog Trainer Instructional Camp
We are excited to announce that Sarah Kalnajs will be returning in 2011, with her good friend and fellow (Australian) behaviorist, Peta Clarke, for a 3-day dog trainer instructional camp.

Dates: Friday May 13 - Sunday May 15, 2011
Time: 9am to 5pm each day (lunch included)
Location: Paws N' Effect Canine Training Center - 36 Corporate Ridge Hamden, CT 06514
Tuition: TBD

CEUs pending. The focus will be on case analysis, risk assessments, sharpening your mechanics and handling skills, and how to be a student of the dog's responses. More details to follow!

About Sarah: Sarah Kalnajs is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants) and Certified Pet Dog Trainer (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) with more than ten years’ experience working in canine behavior, training and research. She is the owner of Blue Dog Training and Behavior in Madison, Wisconsin.

Sarah is an honors graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison and has completed post-graduate work both at Edgewood College and at the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Research Lab at the University of Hawaii. She is one of the first international students to complete the Canine Behavior Program conducted through the Etiologist Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Roger Abrantes in Denmark.

Sarah serves as a consultant to a number of humane societies in Southern Wisconsin, training staff and implementing evaluation protocols and training and behavior programs. She is well-known for her evaluation protocol (the Blue Dog Behavior Evaluation) as well as the Dog-Safe Waist Restraint System used by shelters and dog owners who need to evaluate or work with reactive, fearful or aggressive dogs. In addition to her work with dogs, Kalnajs has participated extensively in dolphin and humpback whale research.

Sarah is president of Wisconsin American Eskimo Rescue and political liaison for the Wisconsin Dog Rescue Coalition. Kalnajs is a professional member of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA), Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), and the International Institute for Applied Companion Animal Behavior (IAACAB).

Sarah produces the popular and highly-acclaimed DVD series, Language of Dogs and Am I Safe. She is one of the editors of the peer-reviewed Dog Trainers Journal, and is a member of the advisory board and faculty of Cynology College specializing in shelter and rescue behavior, evaluation and modification in shelter settings. She has been interviewed by radio, television and print media and has written articles for the APDT’s Chronicle of the Dog, Madison magazine and other publications. Sarah is also a presenter for the popular dog-related teleconference site, Raising Canine.

Sarah's website is: www.bluedogtraining.com.


About Peta: Peta Clarke is a Nationally Accredited Trainer with almost fifteen years experience working as a professional animal trainer in a variety of areas both in Australia and America.

While Peta’s first love is working with dogs, her experiences in the field of animal training range from elephants to goldfish. As a trainer and presenter of animal shows in zoos on several continents, she has had the opportunity to work with many exotic animals, but centres her work in this area on working with free flighted birds and marine mammals. Whether it is a seal or a seagull, Peta has found that every interaction taught her more about being good dog trainer. She believes it was a real turning point in her understanding of the power of reinforcement training. “I thought I was using positive reinforcement well when I would work with dogs, but after I started training birds - animals that can just fly away if they are not interested in your ‘game’ and later seals - animals that could kill you if you didn’t have their total trust, I realized that if I wanted to truly be the best trainer I could be, it was time to pull my socks up”.

As well as a career as an exotic animal trainer, Peta also works extensively for Animal House Animal Talent Agency based in Sydney, Australia, training and working animals for the International Film Industry. Her credits include “Babe”, “ Superman Returns”, “Wolverine” and many other local films and literally hundreds of television commercials. Some of her favorite memories working animals on set have come from working the cottonelle Labrador puppies for ad campaigns from around the world. Hard work, she says, but always amazing how quickly an 8-week-old puppy can learn!

In addition to these two roles, Peta also runs her own animal training and consultancy business, Animal Training Solutions, based out of Australia. Peta spends time consulting on both pet dog and parrot behaviour and training issues, advising wildlife parks and zoos on improved training practices and show development. She also is a sought after speaker in Australia, regularly teaching Certificate level animal training and behaviour courses for aspiring animal trainers and an invited lecturer for many dog obedience clubs and related assoications. She has also served as Vice President for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia for 3 years. She shares her home with Harris and Pearl, her two boxer dogs and Jacob Brown, a Long Billed Corella.

Peta's website is: www.animaltrainingsolutions.com.au.