Instructors Course (Gnashurr)

Wednesday 9th July 2025 ending Sunday 13th July 2025
 
Do you work with 'reactive' dogs and wondered about how best to support them and their caregivers in a practical way whilst also being efficient with your time?
If so, this in-person course is for you!

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What are our reactive dog sessions? 
Group sessions we run for dogs who show 'reactive' behaviours to other dogs and/or people, our Gnashurr sessions.

Caregivers bring their dogs to these sessions to teach more desired behaviours in the presence of dogs and/or people. These sessions were started initially by Paddy Driscoll who very aptly described them as an opportunity to practice training in an environment which is 'like the real world but less random'.  

Gnashurr sessions have now been running for many years, with positive feedback from caregivers who attend, often as they have fun doing training, meeting others and see visible behaviour change with their dog within sessions too. These sessions are an integral part of our practical support for caregivers, and are often over-subscribed. Due to their popularity, (and demand from caregivers for expansion!) we've put together this Instructors course to teach you how and why we run the sessions the way we do. There is some theory but most importantly, practical too. 

What will be covered in the course?
We will take you through how we run our Gnashurr sessions. This includes pre-session planning, the structure of a Gnashurr session from the start and throughout, trouble shooting and far more.  The reasons and motivations for the ‘reactive’ behaviours vary with the individual dogs, and we will touch on this, although the main focus of the course is on how to run a Gnashurr session successfully, and the background skills needed for this. This includes, risk and welfare assessment, considerations of equipment and venue, caregiver goal setting, techniques to change and maintain behaviour change, coaching skills etc.  

As part of the 5 day course you will attend actual Gnashurr sessions too. We'd like you to have a more active role in running the Gnashurr sessions (with our support), as the course progresses.  

Who is the course for? 
For dog training and/or behaviour professionals who want to run group reactive dog sessions confidently.
This course aims to build on existing theoretical and/or practical knowledge and understanding of training and behaviour, applying this to reactive dog classes specifically.

If you are unsure if this course is suitable for you, please contact us so we can discuss further: admin@petbc.co.uk  

Course dates:
Start 10am Wednesday 9th July 2025 ending by 4pm Sunday 13th July 2025  

Location:  
Please note the course will take place at two venues, which are approximately a 15 minutes drive apart.
Phoenix Community Hall, Station Road, Collingham, Nottinghamshire, NG23 7RA, UK and
South Hykeham Village Hall, Boundary Lane, Lincoln, LN6 9NQ, UK
There is car parking at both locations. Please note that car parking at Collingham is behind the hall, in front of the Co-op food store.  

Availability:
Due to the practical nature of this course, there are very limited spaces.  

Course cost: 
£1295 early bird price (available until 5th December 2024)
£1495 standard price  
Instalment payment options available.

What is included for the fee?
Full attendance at the 5 day course which will be a mixture of theory and practical sessions.
Practical sessions includes observation and involvement in running Gnashurr sessions, case studies, discussion etc.   Refreshments e.g. tea, coffee will be provided but please note that lunch will not be provided. There are places locally to buy lunch though. 

Who is teaching on the course: 
The course instructors have a wealth of experience both theoretically as well as practically working with a wide range of animals and problem behaviours.
For more information about any of the instructors, please click on their names: Lynn Hewison, Hannah Wright, Paddy Driscoll, Chirag Patel, Miri Prior or Himara Van Haevermaet (Veterinary Behaviourists from Pet Behaviour Company).

What will I get following the course?
As well as the skills and confidence to run Gnashurr style sessions within your services, you will receive a copy of the course notes via our online learning platform and a certificate of attendance for the course. The course alone is over 30 hours of CPD!

Will I be able to start teaching reactive dog classes after attending this course?  
This course should give you the structure and confidence to run these sessions, whether as a new service or through making small changes to your existing provision. This course alone does not qualify you to be a dog trainer, it is only looking at how to run reactive dog classes. Think of this course as CPD (continuing professional development).  

I already work with reactive dogs, what benefits will I get by attending?  
Many people who work with reactive dogs do so in 1-2-1 sessions which can be time consuming from an efficiency perspective. This course can complement these sessions whilst also providing you with a structure and framework to run group sessions for reactive dogs, making effective and efficient use of your time. The sessions may give you some new ideas for classes or act as a refresher for your teaching skills.
 
What will I be required to do? 
You can participate as much or as little as you would like and this includes opting in and out of activities.  

Team work: This course involves working with others attendees on the course both verbally and practically. You are required to practice arranging an environment that allows all team members to feel safe, comfortable and participate within the team.  

Gnashurr sessions: These sessions are run predominantly outside, so you will need to be comfortable being outside for several hours at a time.

Presenting: This course does involve talking and sharing work amongst peers.  

Assisting caregivers: During this course we have 'reactive' dogs and caregivers attending at pre-arranged times, you will be asked to engage with and assist these clients during their visits, after having assessed pre-attendance information. A course instructor will also be with each group during practical sessions.

Working with dogs: You will be asked to work with dogs and their caregivers during this workshop. This may be by coaching or demonstrating depending on the requirements of the particular dogs you are working with.  


Can I bring my dog with me on the course?
So you can get the most out of the course and focus on your learning, we strongly suggest your dog/other animals stay home for the duration of the course.  Given the nature of the dogs attending Gnashurr, we cannot have other dogs/animals around the venue when Gnashurr sessions are running.  

Can I use any of Pet Behaviour Company’s marketing materials following completion of the course?
The name ‘Gnashurr’ and related marketing materials cannot be used following completion of the CPD course only.  
If you would like to use our name, marketing materials and have more input with rolling out your Gnashurr sessions, including access to and permission to use our branding as well as support from Pet Behaviour Company, then there may be opportunity for a Gnashurr Franchise agreement (additional fee) with Pet Behaviour Company following completion of the course and an assessment. Please note that the name ‘Gnashurr’ and related marketing materials cannot be used following completion of the CPD course only. Permission and access to these is only through a Gnashurr Franchise Agreement. If you’d like any more information on this, please email us at admin@petbc.co.uk

What if I can't make the course after purchasing a place? 
Bookings are non-refundable but if you are unable to attend yourself then you are free to sell your place as long as you inform us of the change of attendee details.

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