� Adri Dizy , with her support dog June , accepts the APDT Foundation Diversity in Dog Training Scholarship from APDT
Foundation President Lynn Rives .
On day one I nervously sat at my assigned seat , awaiting to be called up to the stage to accept my scholarship . Ugh , cue heart racing ! When I immediately recognized two of my favourite trainers confidently strutting their way up onto the stage in bright pink platform shoes , leather pants , sparkles , and crop top blazers , my jaw dropped . They were Jiovany Alcaide and Taylor Barconey from Smart Bitch Dog Modern Training . These absolute queens spoke about imposter syndrome , something I didn ’ t realize all of us experience . They talked about authenticity and how powerful just being yourself can be . One hour in and I was already inspired . I am so honoured to have met and learned from two extremely powerful , brilliant , women of colour paving the way in the industry .
From Dreams to Reality
Canadian dog trainer attends APDT conference thanks to APDT Foundation Diversity in Dog Training scholarship
By Adri Dizy
My experience at the APTD Conference 2022 actually began a few weeks before leaving . Truthfully , I hadn ’ t even planned on attending the conference . I am a relatively new trainer — still a student , in fact . At the time , I wasn ’ t even certified with most of my work done on a volunteer basis . What business did I have attending a conference full of the industry ' s best experts ? This is what I did have : REALLY big dreams , a very open mind , a hunger for education and knowledge , and mostly , the desire to provide dog training services to underrepresented and marginalized communities .
The APDT Foundation graciously awarded me their Diversity in Dog Training scholarship to attend the 2022 conference in Daytona , Florida . This was an opportunity that I absolutely could not turn down . I am an autistic , non-binary , socially anxious basket case . Attending a conference sounded more like a nightmare than a dream come true , but I couldn ’ t have been more wrong . My Greyhound service dog June , best friend Elliot , and I packed our bags and hopped on the plane to make the trek from Alberta , Canada to Daytona Beach , Florida . From the moment I arrived I was welcomed with smiles , other attendees who offered me assistance when I needed it , and incredible open conversations where we exchanged experiences , information , advice , hardships , and the highlights of this career .
I chose to attend the Active Learning Sessions presented by Irith Bloom and Kristina Spaulding . These sessions gave me the opportunity to connect and network with other attendees using hands-on teaching methods . We talked about how giving dogs agency and choice in their day-to-day life directly affects their mental and emotional well-being . Irith and Kristina recommended ways to carefully and thoughtfully change the dog ’ s environment to create agency . The results are remarkable .
Over the three days of the conference , I tried to attend all of Grisha Stewart ’ s seminars . Grisha ’ s Behaviour Adjustment Training system ( BAT ) was the perfect follow up to Irith and Kristina ’ s session about agency . BAT is all about helping dogs feel confident by creating empowering scenarios in which dogs can experience safety and freedom . Something that really stood out to me about Grisha ’ s BAT system is that it is constantly evolving . From BAT 1.0 to the sneak peak of BAT 3.0 , I was astounded by the research and growth put into it . Science and research is constantly changing , for the better . Their dedication to continuously fine tune their skills inspires me to never stop learning .
Every single session I attended , I came out with twice as much knowledge as when I walked in , and I could brag about each and every speaker all day , but there were two speakers that really stood out to me . For starters , Lindsay Palmer ’ s presentation , “ Kicking the Dog : Endorsement of Masculinity and the beliefs in gender norms predict the endorsement of aversive dog training methods .” Dr . Palmer spoke about her research in the social factors and psychological mechanisms that impact the relationship between humans and animals . She explained the connections between traditional masculine gender roles and social dominance . I was intrigued to learn how hegemonic masculinity mediates the relationship between dominance theory and aversive training methods (* cough * Cesar Millan * cough *). More importantly , she spoke about how feminist identity increases reward-based training and empathy . Aside from this being a totally fascinating talk , Dr . Palmer gave Elliot her poster of studies , scales , diagrams , and research . Unfortunately for Elliot , I
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Winter 2022 23