International Working Dog Association

Beyond the Data: How Walk and Talk Assessments Can Benefit Puppies and Their Raisers
2024-09-09 16:00 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Join Jackie Clark from Pacific Assistance Dogs Society as she talks about puppy development and how to utilize walk and talks to help individualize the raising experience. Walk and Talks not only provide data for breeding decisions (when using the BCL and IWDR) but also can support puppies and raisers.

Register or Buy Tickets:

IWDA members, register via Zoom by accessing your Account Hub.
Non-members can purchase one-off tickets through Eventbrite

Improving Digital Processes and Datakeeping for Volunteers and Working Dog Programs
2024-08-21 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
Good data is key to measuring and improving any program, whether you’re working with volunteers, clients, staff or dogs, but it can be a challenge to get the right data at the right time. Come join this webinar with Dani Prebensen as she explores some data keeping practices, ideas, learnings and examples that you may be able to use to streamline or improve your data processes to get meaningful data-driven insights, promote process changes successfully within your organisation, and implement modern improvements to your programs that benefit your staff, volunteers and clients.
Dani works for the Guide Dog services department at Guide Dogs Queensland in a data and IT special projects role where she’s helped build and shape GDQ’s dog data systems, has developed a data-driven website to support dog volunteers and donors, and has helped build GDQ’s own learning and education programs that were later gifted and re-developed for the International Guide Dog Federation’s own learning website. She also works for the IWDR in marketing, website and data project management, and helped develop and design the IWDR’s Early Socialization Project.
Register or Buy Tickets:

IWDA members, register via Zoom by accessing your Account Hub.
Non-members can purchase one-off tickets through Eventbrite

Partners in crime - help puppy raisers turn fun policing upside down - with Matthias Lenz, Director of Puppy Raising at BC and Alberta Guide Dogs - 2024 Webinar series
2024-06-18 13:30 - 15:00 | Zoom
Join Matthias Lenz, Director of Puppy Raising at BC and Alberta Guide Dogs, as he explores the relationships between raisers and puppies.
Matthias Lenz is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP) and Family Dog Mediator. He is a Supporting Member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), where he has served two years as the Chair of the Working Animals Division and served as a member of the board for the IAABC Foundation.
An engaged and well-respected member of the international dog training community, he has written and published several articles in the peer-reviewed IAABC foundation journal, and has presented his work at international conferences and events, including the 2019 and 2022 Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and 2023 IGDF conferences.

Register or Buy Tickets:

IWDA members, register via Zoom by accessing your Account Hub.
Non-members can purchase one-off tickets through Eventbrite

3-Day BCL Workshop with Leader Dogs
2024-05-30 11:00 - 2024-06-01 16:30
Leader Dogs for the Blind is proud to host our next 2024 BCL Workshop, presented by IWDR’s Helen West & Rachel Goldammer. We’re excited to offer a the first BCL workshop since 2019 of this depth, with the opportunity to delve into troubleshooting the BCL, scoring for GDBarts, Puppy GDBarts and Walk & Talks, learn how to improve your handling during the assessment and how to use the data you gather to build a better working dog. The workshop also includes live walk and talks to help you get the most out of this jam-packed three day event.
Interested in attending? Go here to find out more and register: https://www.leaderdog.org/bcl-workshop/

Inbreeding in Working Dog Colonies - with Dr. Eldin Leighton - 2024 Webinar Series
2024-05-23 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
Effective breeding strategies for working dog breeding programs involve maintaining sufficient genetic diversity and minimizing the risk of inbreeding depression.
Come listen to Dr. Eldin Leighton as he answers the questions: How are pedigree COIs calculated? How to keep track of a colony’s inbreeding depression using IWDR? What are genetic COIs, are they currently useful in making breeding decisions? How important is it to keep an effective population size? and more!

About the Speaker
The International Working Dog Association has been an important focus of Dr. Leighton’s professional life, since he attended the 2001 Conference in San Antonio, Texas. In 2005, Dr. Leighton was appointed to the IWDBA Board of Directors, then was subsequently elected as the Board’s first President. Dr. Leighton’s experience in the dog breeding world was acquired first as the Research Geneticist working with the U.S. Army Bio-Sensor Research Division from 1973-1976, then as a consultant for The Seeing Eye from 1977 through 1994. After “retiring” in 2015, Dr. Leighton started a private company, Canine Genetic Services, LLC (CGS), and through this company, he and others now provide maintenance and development support of the International Working Dog Registry, and they provide breeding program management services under long-term contracts with organizations that breed and train working dogs. CGS is a fully-licensed enterprise willing to conduct business world-wide.
The International Working Dog Registry (IWDR) provides a world-class record-keeping service for all organizations worldwide that breed working dogs in large numbers. Dr. Leighton, along with a small, but very dedicated team of developers began IWDR construction as a part-time project in 2012. Full-time development continued in 2015 when Dr. Leighton officially retired as Breeding Program Manager for The Seeing Eye. During the last 10 years with The Seeing Eye, he held the Jane H. Booker Chair in Canine Genetics, where he was responsible for producing about 500 to 600 puppies each year.

Register or Buy Tickets:

IWDA members, register via Zoom by accessing your Account Hub.
Non-members can purchase one-off tickets through Eventbrite

All on Board: Optimizing Volunteer Training and Coaching to Maximize Early Socialization Success in Working Dogs - 2024 Webinar series
2024-04-24 10:00 - 11:30 | Zoom
Welcome to “All on Board: Optimize Volunteer Training for Early Socialization Success”!
Join us for an exciting online event focused on enhancing volunteer training for early socialization success. Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer coordinator or just starting out, this event is perfect for anyone looking to improve their skills in this area.
Our expert speaker will share valuable insights and practical tips to help you optimize your volunteer training programs. Learn how to create a positive and welcoming environment for volunteers, maximize their impact, and ensure early socialization success for the puppies in your breeding program.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, learn from industry leaders, and take your volunteer training to the next level. Mark your calendars and get ready to elevate your skills!
About the Speaker
Liz Rote is the Puppy Education and Assessment Specialist at Southeastern Guide Dogs where she has the honor of overseeing the early socialization and evaluation of puppies from birth through 12 weeks old. She began her career at Southeastern Guide Dogs in 2015 in the Genetics and Reproduction Department before she had the privilege to oversee the care, husbandry, and early socialization of older puppies on campus.
In her current role, Liz is able to use her combined experience at Southeastern Guide Dogs to ensure puppies receive exceptional early socialization. Liz is dedicated to partnering with team members and volunteers to help each puppy successfully complete their early socialization graduation goals before leaving campus with their Puppy Raiser.
Register or Buy Tickets:

IWDA members, register via Zoom by accessing your Account Hub.
Non-members can purchase one-off tickets through Eventbrite
