Canine Education & Training
Proudly Presents
‘Kris Kotsopoulos’
‘Kris Kotsopoulos’
“The Dynamics of a Focused and Harmonious
Obedience Performance”
PERTH - WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
April 6th and 7th 2013
OBEDIENCE IN DRIVE
April 6th and 7th 2013
OBEDIENCE IN DRIVE
Kris Kotsopoulos has been
involved in Breeding and Training Dogs since 1981. He has worked with
first-time dog owners to the most demanding Law Enforcement Canines and World
Championship Competitors. Kris and his wife Tonia are breeders of Dobermanns
and German Shepherds under the kennel name “Von Forell”. His dogs and training
philosophies have been inherited into many training systems by competitors and
Law Enforcement Agencies Worldwide.
Kris’s “Obedience in Drive” Workshop is designed to
give you a clear directive of how dogs learn, what drives them, how to improve
learning due to purposeful directives to shape behavior for an Dynamic,
Focused and Harmonious obedience performance. This is an opportunity to learn the latest cutting edge training
systems to deliver a spirited animals on cue.
Having devoted the last 32 years of his life
to the research, development and education of the working dog, paired with
extensive work in the area of animal welfare, Kris has now expanded his
professional horizons by sharing his knowledge with the community as a consultant
for a range of government agencies, breed clubs and animal welfare groups.
Over the past three decades, Kris has traveled the globe in order to learn from the world’s best International
trainers, breeders and animal behaviorists As a result of his enthusiasm and
dedication for greater knowledge, Kris has acquired an in-depth understanding
of raising, developing and training dogs for a variety of purposes.
Through the skills and successes he has achieved, Kris has gained a
sound understanding of what motivates animals to behave the way they do, and
just as importantly, how to apply this knowledge to achieve specialised goals.
Kris currently shares this knowledge by operating both National and
International training programs, seminars and workshops, each individually
tailored to meet the needs of the general community, other trainers and
government agencies globally.
Kris has implemented a variety of learning systems ranging from basic
family obedience, to the most demanding competition, police, prison and
professional security animals. He is truly committed to breaking down barriers
that exist for dogs and dog welfare in our community and believes that
consultation with Breed Clubs, Animal Management Officers and Animal welfare
groups will help extend this commitment of learning outcomes and his ultimate
goal.
“Purposeful,
meaningful relationships between handlers and their dogs to create
Extraordinary Dogs and Extraordinary Handlers.”
Kris’s commitment to the dog world is further highlighted via his
three companies:
Von Forell Kennels
An international provider of working dogs Dobermann & German
Shepherds, Training Equipment, Premium Dry Dog Food and cutting edge training
technologies. The company’s primary focus is the breeding of highly driven animals
that are genetically orientated to be working service dogs. www.vonforell.com
Detector Dogs Australia
A specialized consulting service that focuses on providing explosive and
narcotic detection dogs specifically trained to meet the individual needs of
government, business, private enterprises and the education sector. Detector
Dogs Australia has been appointed to provide Explosive Detection services for
the Port of Melbourne since 2008. www.detectordogs.com.au
K9 Security Service
A specialised security and
consulting service that focuses on providing security dogs trained to meet the
specific needs of government, business, private enterprise and educational
sector assets. www.k9security.com.au
How To Achieve Precision Tracking
With Your Dog
Kris is the author of this internationally acclaimed manual for teaching
dogs the specialised skills of Competitive Tracking, Police Canine Development,
and Search and Rescue. www.precisiontrackingdogs.com
Kris is also a Co-founder of the National
Dogs Trainers Federation - a representative and educational organisation for the dog
training industry, which has now become the national representative body in
Australia for dog trainers from all fields. The NDTF offers
Australia’s only Government accredited, nationally recognized dog trainer
certification course, and by using Kris’s strong links and networks with other
animal organisations, both nationally and internationally, Kris is able to
assist with the development of formal policies, contribute to ongoing research
in the area of canine training and behavior and further build on the
necessary educational programs required to assert positive influence and bring
about permanent change.
Kris’s experience, preparedness to work hard and to stay goal focused,
combined with his team spirit, makes him the ideal member of your team.
Some
of The Topics Covered In The Seminar:
Western Australia April 6th & 7th 2013.
In this 2 day intensive Obedience Performance
Dog Training Seminar Kris will coach and work with you personally. LIMITED TO 15 DOGS ONLY
- Appropriate
Relationship between a Dog & Handler
- Criteria of the
Leader
- Positive
Reinforcement and how it relates to drive
- Clicker
Training DO's and DON'TS
- Nurturing
and development of your puppy 0 – 7 weeks for the breeder
- Puppy Development for
success from Sevens Weeks to 12 months
- Introduction of Negative
Reinforcement
- The
Necessary Drives and Their Utilization and Development for Obedience
- Focus, Recall, 3
Positions, Hold, Out, Barking
- Importance
of the Daily Walk (Pack Management, Socialization, Habituation, Physical
Conditioning, Relaxation, Feedback of Dog’s Mental, Physical, &
Hormonal State) Set-Up, Observation, Analysis, Planning,
Execution, & Reflecting
- The
Proper association of a Competition Dog to His Training Field
- The Components that Form All the Exercises In Obedience
- Strengthening
the Components, the Locking of Positions
- Developing
Each Exercise by Linking the Basic Components
- Balance
of Expression, Speed, Attention, & Precision
- Balancing
Motivation & Concentration
- Obedience
- Basics to a High Level of Control
- Problem Solving in
Training
- Importance
of Preparation, Organization, Structure, & Discipline in Training
- The Development of
a Daily Schedule to Weekly Plan to Monthly Tactic, To Yearly Strategy and
more!!!
COURSE DETAILS
WHEN: 6th and 7th
April 2013
START: 9am to 5pm Sat & Sun
WHERE: Western Australia. The
German Shepherd Dog Association Grounds, Passmore
Street, Southern River, WA,
6110.
WHAT
TO BRING: Notebook, pen, seasonal training
clothes, dogs & an open mind.
Cost: $440
per person - “Previous Von Forell Participants 15%
Discount ” $370
Canines can be boarded for $25 per day
at: Madrodish
Kennel, Southern River (2 Minutes from Seminar) Bookings essential–Rodney
0414 864224 West Coast
Pet Care Centre, 49 Adams Road Mariginiup (Wanneroo) Mariginiup (Wanneroo) Email: manager@west-coast.com.au
Kim Rance.
Lodging
available locally and are endless for Perth, however if boarding a dog with
Madrodish, we recommend lodging south of the river.
Expressions
of interest, bookings or questions to be made by contacting Seth Pywell via
email at Seth seth_pywell@hotmail.com
or Kris info@vonforell.com
Kris Kotsopoulos phone 0418 348 804 or Seth Pywell phone 0477 061 220
Payment options will be sent by reply email on confirmation of booking info@vonforell.com
Looking
forward to meeting you all for this exciting event
To Book Your Participation, Please Call Now For Your Application Form!
Telephone from Australia 03
5786 5388
Fax from Australia 03
5786 5277
International Calls +61
3 5786 53 88
International Faxes +61
3 5786 52 77
Postal PO
Box 419 Greensborough 3088 Melbourne Australia
Internet
Personal
Advice:
By telephone, e-mail or at our facilities, our specialists will answer
any questions what ever they may be, and guide you in your choice of products
and services.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © - Kris Kotsopoulos Von Forell International
No part of this document may be reproduced in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the author.
“Purposeful,
meaningful relationships between handlers and their dogs to create
Extraordinary Dogs and Extraordinary Handlers.”
An international provider of working dogs Dobermann & German Shepherds, Training Equipment, Premium Dry Dog Food and cutting edge training technologies. The company’s primary focus is the breeding of highly driven animals that are genetically orientated to be working service dogs. www.vonforell.com
COURSE DETAILS
WHEN: 6th and 7th
April 2013
START: 9am to 5pm Sat & Sun
START: 9am to 5pm Sat & Sun
WHERE: Western Australia. The
German Shepherd Dog Association Grounds, Passmore
Street, Southern River, WA, 6110.
Street, Southern River, WA, 6110.
WHAT
TO BRING: Notebook, pen, seasonal training
clothes, dogs & an open mind.
Cost: $440
per person - “Previous Von Forell Participants 15%
Discount ” $370
Dobermann, Rottweiler, German Shepherd & Kennel Club
Member - $370
Additional:
This event is fully
catered for - Please advise of any special dietary
requirements.
Canines can be boarded for $25 per day at: Madrodish Kennel, Southern River (2 Minutes from Seminar) Bookings essential–Rodney 0414 864224 West Coast Pet Care Centre, 49 Adams Road Mariginiup (Wanneroo) Mariginiup (Wanneroo) Email: manager@west-coast.com.au Kim Rance.
Canines can be boarded for $25 per day at: Madrodish Kennel, Southern River (2 Minutes from Seminar) Bookings essential–Rodney 0414 864224 West Coast Pet Care Centre, 49 Adams Road Mariginiup (Wanneroo) Mariginiup (Wanneroo) Email: manager@west-coast.com.au Kim Rance.
Lodging available locally and are endless for Perth, however if boarding a dog with Madrodish, we recommend lodging south of the river.
Expressions of interest, bookings or questions to be made by contacting Seth Pywell via email at Seth seth_pywell@hotmail.com or Kris info@vonforell.com
Kris Kotsopoulos phone 0418 348 804 or Seth Pywell phone 0477 061 220
Payment options will be sent by reply email on confirmation of booking info@vonforell.com
Looking forward to meeting you all for this exciting event
It is with pleasure that I report on Kris Kotsopoulos, Von Forell Workshop Western Australia 2012.
ReplyDeleteCanine Education and Training was proud to host such an exciting and educational weekend.
Dog training enthusiasts came together from a number of training and breed clubs.
The workshop included everything from theory, pictures, videos and live demonstrations with over 18 dogs.
There where 30+ attendees including National Schutzhund champion, behaviorists, chief training instructors, breeders, trainers, pet owners and dog lovers.
The fact that EVERYONE got a lot out of the workshop is testament to Kris' ability to clearly deliver such world class information.
During the practical demonstrations Kris coached up to 7 decoys. By the end of the weekend they had all improved and grown in their ability to read behavior, reward behavior and understand key motivators behind all the behavior.
I would like to thank Kris for spending time with me and offering such great insight and advice.
You truly are my coach
Kind regards
Seth Pywell
Canine Education & Training
A quick note to say a huge thank you for your hard work and sharing of knowledge over the weekend… You came well recommended so I had high expectations, however I was not prepared for, nor did I expect what we received!
ReplyDeleteWords escape me and this is a rare occasion J The information gained is still filtering through, and will do for some time to come I suspect… My understanding of dogs, of handling dogs, and of Drive Work has increased tenfold.
I am so pleased for Charlie, my canine companion, as not only did he too have an amazing weekend, he now has a handler with a bit more nous, who is better equipped to develop him to his full potential and give him what he needs!
Charlie is the most amazing dog, and nothing he achieves surprises me… until this weekend. You were able to get so much from him – he had it to give, he hadn't been asked before. You asked, and he stepped up… and he will keep stepping up. He has shown himself, under your guidance, to have the strength of character required to ‘do the job’…
His training has been progressing wonderfully well under our current trainers… he has now proven himself to have what is required to progress to the next level – all because you showed his Handler what is appropriate, what is required and how to achieve it.
Thank you Kris – I still haven’t lost the smile, and nor has Charlie!! I hope its not too long before you can make it back here to Perth and I hope we can make it to Sydney in (April) 2013 J
Take care
Lynne Blake - Western Australia
One weekend with Kris is not enough, so much to learn in so little time. Kris has a wealth of information that really needs to be absorbed over time and fully understood to allow all handlers and decoys a chance to put into practice all they learn.
ReplyDeleteI recommend Kris’s seminars to anyone wanting to work a high drive dog in any sport or anyone just wishing to understand dogs better. No matter how many seminars you have been to, whether from Kris or another trainer, you will always take away some vital piece of information that will increase your knowledge and make you a better, more informed trainer.
I can’t wait for Kris’s next seminar in WA, I will definitely be there. Thank you for all the information you shared and for supporting other dog trainers and enthusiasts to increase their knowledge and love of high drive dogs.
Thanks for a great weekend, really enjoyed it and Morf wanted to continue the fun today (though my knee didn't!!). Plus we might have a German Shepherd convert in Stacey, might not be more Border Collies in her home now.
Kim Rance - Western Australia
The girls from Geelong Animal Rescue would like to thank you for the workshop that you provided. We came to you willing to learn as much as we could, and we left very happy.
ReplyDeleteAfter spending just one day with you, we have come away with knowledge that would have taken years to develop on our own. We were all amazed at how knowledgable Kris is, and how willing to be open and honest he is.
A great mix of theory, practical, and hands on led to a very enjoyable day.
Kris has opened our eyes to how we would like to run our organisation, and has provided us with the tools that will support our decisions. He gave real life examples, and offered realsitic suggestions for some of our hard questions.
We defiantely came away with a much better understanding of a dogs behaviour and temperament.
The facilities and trainer were top quality and the time flew by. The support and ongoing assistance offered to us has not been offered to our group before, so it was a refreshing change for a fledgling organisation.
We will be back for more...this could become addictive.
Thank you again,
Cass Langdon
Geelong Animal Rescue GAR Ltd
Director
0433667879
I am a member of the German Shepherd Dog Club of Victoria and joined the club 9 months ago when I bought my first German Shepherd puppy, who is currently almost 12 months old. He has had a lot of success in the show ring, is a very good obedience dog with a lot of drive and energy.
ReplyDeleteHe is very focused and can do extremely well in all activities he is given. Being the young, strong puppy he is, I was continually searching for a way to channel his energy and his love for balls and bring them to use for working, obedience and shows. I didn’t have enough clear knowledge and experience to be able to do it correctly.
We were made aware that there will be a GSDCV Show Instructors Workshop. The focus of this workshop was to build prey drive and use toys correctly as a stimulus or reward to gain the best results in show and obedience training. The Guest speaker was Kris Kotsopoulos from Von Forell Kennels. I had heard of Kris but had never met him or been to any of his seminars, so I was looking forward to hearing what he had to say on this topic.
He began by talking about using a Positive Feedback loop and combining Classical (Prey drive fulfilment) and Operant (Logical action/teaching the task) Conditioning to create a balance in order to teach your dog and get the best results possible. It made sense and by that point I was completely focused and wanted to hear more.
Throughout the whole seminar Kris’ concepts and information were clear and straight to the point. Balance was a very important focus, which made a lot of sense. He spoke about positive learning and to me he was painting a general picture of enhancing and fulfilling a dog’s natural prey drive through games with balls/tugs, and then separately, at a different time, train your dog in obedience or show in a more focused quiet environment. Once these two needs are mastered, you can then combine them, so you have a dog that understands your commands and is driven by a strong prey focus, and who performs the command, not by force or fear but by want and desire to receive his toy reward and fulfil that need.
Kris also showed no indication of teaching through aggression and over correcting your dog, which would give you an unbalanced, less responsive, and even fearful dog. His whole seminar fit perfectly in my understanding of fulfilling your dog’s needs, first through Exercise (prey drive with balls and tugs), then discipline ( obedience/show training) and then affection . This in turn gives you a happy, healthy, well balanced, fulfilled and focused dog. Most importantly, Kris’ concepts aimed to massively improve your relationship and respect and also increase your dog’s cooperation and its environmental perception.
On a final note, I enjoyed the seminar immensely and the involvement of our own dog’s in such a small space of time. This left me wanting more knowledge and skills to enhance and satisfy my dog’s needs and then in turn create a deeper respectful relationship with my amazing companion. I look forward to more practical sessions at Von Forell Kennels!
Ursula Saba - German Shepherd Dog Club Member - Victoria
I found Kris' November seminar in Perth to be very incite full, and his style of presenting easy to follow and engaging. He managed to get such a large amount of information across in a very short period of time. Watching him work the dogs was also particularly educational and inspirational for me."
ReplyDeleteKind regards
Vida (Western Australia)
Hi Kris,
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank you for the opportunity to be able to attend your workshop in Sydney Australia. I was very happy with what I came out of the seminar with, your easy going approach to the world of dog training and your open mind towards it really created a great learning atmosphere. It made me feel comfortable as a learner that you would and were answering my questions and made it clear that no question is a silly one unless unasked. This made me as a student still very new to the world of dog training comfortable and it made learning easier due to this relaxed approach.
I was happy with the way you were happy to pass on your knowledge in the seminar and not just give us the basics, I felt as if it was more in depth and that you revised so that people gained knowledge not just words. The beginning of the seminar on the first day was a little overwhelming, but when you went through it on the second day it all began to fall into place and my understanding of the many concepts that were being discussed grew.
I am also impressed with the way in which you were happy to work with everyone's dogs no matter what level the dog or handler was at and changed your approach to suit the individual needs of the dog and their handler to suit. Your professional approach to handling others dogs was great, I would feel comfortable with you handling and working any of my dogs because of that.
I am interested in the next seminar which will be run in Sydney 27th & 28th of April 2013 and was curious as to what topics you were planning on covering and will it be a further continuation on of the other seminar?
Thank you
Lainey Kemp NSW Australia
Hey Kris,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to thank you again for your book How to Achieve Precision Tracking. My dog and I just received a 98 in our first ever tracking trial - an FH1 at that! I must admit I was nervous because many of the big names in IPO were there watching. Once Ivy hit that first article, I knew she had it covered. The judge, Mike West (SVF) said she was a joy to watch. The other judge, Karoly Meszaros, told my trainer he should get me to help him with tracking! (I did lend him your book.) As we finished checking out, Ivy went over to the track layer and nudged him. We weren't sure whether she was saying, "nice track" or " I found you" but she got her point across and we all laughed.
Just as we teach every other exercise one piece at a time, you have broken tracking down into the basic pieces. The tests you provide for proofing the behavior show whether the dog truly understands exactly what he is tracking (my guess is many aren't sure whether it is decayed ground scent, human scent infused articles, or hot dogs.) They are also good confidence builders for handler and dog. We do "find the human scent" test just as a game sometimes.
I told you when I first read your book that the greatest resistance would be that it was too simple. There was a guy at the trial who had been a big fan of your book last fall. When he congratulated me, I told him we owed a lot to "our Aussie friend." He looked sad and said his trainer had told him all that was silly and would cause a high nose. He had gone back to scuffing and cutting hot dogs. Meanwhile his dog's tracking had gotten worse.I thought this was ironic because his trainer was just telling my trainer the day before that he had sent his giant schnauzer to Julio because he wouldn't track well. It so happens that Julio was the track layer at this particular trial. I told my friend to dig out his book and give it to his trainer and Julio and say that Ivy sent it.
Jay Tullis - USA
11th April 2013
ReplyDeleteA huge thank you for the fantastic 2 day seminar which was held at the German Shepherd Dog Association grounds in Perth on the 6th & 7th April 2013.
There was an attendance of around 50 enthusiasts and these included members from the German Shepherd, Rottweiler & Doberman clubs, plus of course others. The focus of the seminar was developing prey drive using a variety of stimulus and reward to gain superb results.
I have been involved as an obedience instructor for a number of years and by attending your seminar with an open mind, ready to learn, I came away from the seminar with a much better understanding of how to get the best from the animals under training. I am sure I can incorporate, into our training program, many of the training methods that you covered during the week-end. Kris, you have a very positive manner when talking to the group and your comments were always informative, concise and went straight to the point. The knowledge that you passed on to us will be of great benefit whether it is used in the show or obedience field.
There was no suggestion of using aggression or tagging while training and the emphasis was always about positive learning which in turn will allow your dog to perform to its best ability by wanting to do what you require to receive his reward.
Thank you again for a very positive week-end and I look forward to the next time you are over here in the West. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending your seminars to anyone who wants to improve the drive of their dog and who wants to get the best out of their dog.
Ian Marr, Life Member and President, German Shepherd Dog Association of WA
Hi Kris
ReplyDeleteAfter attending a 2 day decoy seminar with yourself I though it only right to take the time to right a testimonial to your ability to share your life’s passion with others.
Firstly I would like to take the time to thank you personally for sharing your knowledge in the way you do in such a powerful extraordinary way yet with such calmness and that is what made the 2 days. I have like many dog owners spent a fortune in time and money trying to broaden our knowledge and increase our understanding of our interaction with our dogs and how to bring out the best in them, yet you made it so simple, Reflexivity. The ability you have to read a dog is outstanding and something that has obviously taken you years to master at such a level. You had everyone in the room captivated when you presented the theory side which amongst dog enthusiast is not always an easy thing to do. You can tell you love what you do and is has been a lifelong passion just by the way you speak.
The one point I would like to make to anyone that reads this testimonial is I had never heard of Kris until 2 days before this seminar and yet by the end of 2 days I felt I had known Kris for a long time and he has that no bullshit approach to training that I greatly appreciate. I would not hesitate recommending anyone who has an open mind and is willing to learn to invest in yourself and your dogs future by attending one of Von Forell’s training seminars.
For those who still need convincing please contact myself.
Neville Bennett
Darksupreme Rottweilers
www.dsrotts.com