11/21/2025
Let’s Get Real, communicating with clients can be a challenge.
You know how to work with the dog, but not always the person in front of you. Miscommunication of not “really” listening to a client can mean noncompliance and even seeking another trainer. Ultimately success in working with dogs depends on the cooperation, understanding and follow-through of the people who bring their dogs to be trained.
Join dog pro Diane Garrod for a conversation with Dr. Rise VanFleet, PhD on how to work with the different client personalities we run into daily. Dr. VanFleet’s book “The Human Half of Dog Training: Collaborating with Clients to Get Results” draws on her years of experience working with people as a child and family psychologist to teach dog trainers how to take a collaborative approach when working with clients.
WATCH A SHORT VIDEO FOR A PREVIEW OF THIS CHAT HERE:
https://share.descript.com/view/X8FMAKQeAPu
Sign up for this chat here with your donation:
https://givebutter.com/4ej0Hv
Rise's current book nearing completion, tentatively titled " THE 5 E's OF LOVING AND LIVING WITH ANIMALS: Honoring Who They Are with Our Expectations, Empathy, Exploration, Empowerment, and Enthusiasm is designed to educate potential clients to see their dogs more clearly and to see the value of working collaboratively with trainers and behaviorists for better relationships.
Rise VanFLeet, PhD, RPT-S, CDBC, is a licensed psychologist, registered play therapist-supervisor and certified dog behavior consultant with nearly forty plus years of clinical and leadership experience working with children and families. She is the award-winning author of 12 books and dozens of articles, many of which relate to animal ethology and behavior. She resides in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania and is the president and founder of both the Family Enhancement and Play Therapy Center and the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy®. We’ll look at human resistance, cognitive distortions in trainers and clients, as well as adapting skills you already have to human clients.
To understand your clients from where they are in their life requires relationship building, empathetic listening and follow-through.
Here are the details:
LET’S GET REAL TALK IS LIVE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25 at 10 a.m. PST, 11 a.m. Mountain, 12 p.m. Central, and 1 p.m. Eastern – you will not want to miss this, we hope to see you there! How to work with clients to get better results for their dogs, Tuesday, November 11, 1 pm ET/10 am PT * The discussion portion will be recorded, and you can watch the recording at your convenience. $25 —all proceeds support the Phenix Advocacy Center.
Link to sign up: https://givebutter.com/4ej0Hv
We'll spend about 40 minutes in conversation, then open it up for your questions. This is a space where your feelings make sense and your losses count. You do not have to be a PAC member to attend.
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Once you have made your $25 donation, we will email you the Zoom link for this event.
Thank you for supporting the PAC! We are advocates for R+ canine professionals.
Disclaimer: This PAC-sponsored event is for educational purposes only. If you are in need of professional help from a qualified mental health professional, please visit the resource section of our PAC website: www.phenixadvocacycenter.org/resources
Sincerely,
Diane Garrod for the PAC
Phenix Advocacy Center for Canine Professionals
