Live Demonstration of IWDR's Test Mating Functionality presented by IBC's Dana Hunter
2025-02-06 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York)
Join us for an exciting live demonstration of International Working Dog Registry’s (IWDR) testing mating feature! Dana Hunter, the facilitator of Assistance Dogs International (ADI)’s International Breeding Cooperative (IBC), will guide participants through the mating process, providing expert insights along the way.
In this session, you’ll gain valuable skills and knowledge on how to use IWDR’s functions and data effectively. Watch in real time as we demonstrate how to check a colony’s inbreeding coefficient, evaluate a dog’s health, and assess the health and behavioral data of progeny.
Learn how to narrow down traits for improvement, focusing on critical areas such as improving estimated breeding values, conformation, reproductive health, and the program’s needs and considerations. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your understanding and expertise in canine breeding!
About the Speaker
Dana Hunter serves as the International Breeding Cooperative (IBC) facilitator for Assistance Dogs International (ADI), overseeing a breeding colony collectively with 75 ADI member organizations. The goal of the IBC is to enhance member access to a reliable and relevant puppy supply while significantly improving the quality of service dog breeds. Dana provides expert oversight of breeding practices, ensuring careful selection and mating of animals to optimize their health, welfare, and service capabilities.
Before her current role, Dana managed a breeding colony for one of North America’s leading guide dog organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and brings extensive expertise in animal science to her work, particularly in the advancement of purpose-bred and trained assistance dogs. Her contributions have established her as a recognized leader in the field.
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IWDA members, register via Zoom by accessing your Account Hub.
Non-members can purchase one-off tickets through Eventbrite

What's Happening at the International Working Dog Conference 2025?
2025-01-28 08:00 - 09:30
Join us as we explore some of the highlights of the upcoming International Working Dog Conference. Learn a bit about our presenters and some of the great topics to be covered and explore the venue and surrounds.

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

Board Blueprint Series-Identify and Build a Healthy Nonprofit Board
2024-11-20 16:00 - 17:30
Discover some essential factors for building an effective nonprofit board and access tools to help you determine the optimal board skill sets needed to achieve your strategic objectives and foster long-term sustainability. Whether you’re starting a new nonprofit or looking to enhance your existing board, you’ll gain practical tips for recruiting quality board members and structuring your board for maximum impact. Don’t miss this opportunity to optimize your nonprofit’s board and set the foundation for organizational success!

About the Speaker:

Laura Edwards is the Executive Director of Sunrise Service Dogs, bringing over a decade of invaluable experience in the assistance dog industry. She joined the organization in January 2022, leveraging her expertise in innovative program development, process cultivation, and resource optimization.
Edwards’ journey in the field began in 2012 when she founded Disco’s Dogs, Inc., a Colorado-based nonprofit dedicated to placing service dogs with children on the Autism spectrum. Her leadership as Executive Director demonstrated her commitment to enhancing lives through the human-canine bond.
In 2017, Edwards facilitated the merger of Disco’s Dogs with Freedom Service Dogs of Englewood, Colorado, where she assumed the role of Director of Dog Operations. In this capacity, she oversaw crucial departments including Animal Health, Reproduction and Genetics, Puppy Development, and Training programs.
Edwards’ strategic vision and problem-solving skills came to the forefront when she was tasked with addressing the organization’s declining placement rate which led to the creation of a purpose-bred program focusing on Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. This initiative significantly improved the placement rate from 9% to over 40%, benefiting individuals with various disabilities across the United States.
At Sunrise Service Dogs, Edwards continues to apply her extensive knowledge and passion for service dog training and placement. Her professional journey exemplifies a dedication to improving lives through the powerful connection between humans and specially trained canines.

Register or Buy Tickets:

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

Board Blueprint Series-Building a Healthy Relationship with Your Nonprofit Board
2024-10-16 16:00 - 17:30 | Zoom
Discover the keys to building a thriving partnership with your nonprofit board in this insightful presentation. Learn practical strategies for setting clear expectations, fostering a positive culture, and providing meaningful engagement opportunities. Gain valuable tips on maintaining open communication and showing genuine appreciation for your board members’ contributions. Whether you’re new to nonprofit leadership or looking to enhance your board relationships, this webinar offers essential tools to boost your organization’s effectiveness and impact. Don’t miss this opportunity to transform your board into a powerhouse of support for your mission!
About the Speaker:

Laura Edwards is the Executive Director of Sunrise Service Dogs, bringing over a decade of invaluable experience in the assistance dog industry. She joined the organization in January 2022, leveraging her expertise in innovative program development, process cultivation, and resource optimization.
Edwards’ journey in the field began in 2012 when she founded Disco’s Dogs, Inc., a Colorado-based nonprofit dedicated to placing service dogs with children on the Autism spectrum. Her leadership as Executive Director demonstrated her commitment to enhancing lives through the human-canine bond.
In 2017, Edwards facilitated the merger of Disco’s Dogs with Freedom Service Dogs of Englewood, Colorado, where she assumed the role of Director of Dog Operations. In this capacity, she oversaw crucial departments including Animal Health, Reproduction and Genetics, Puppy Development, and Training programs.
Edwards’ strategic vision and problem-solving skills came to the forefront when she was tasked with addressing the organization’s declining placement rate which led to the creation of a purpose-bred program focusing on Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. This initiative significantly improved the placement rate from 9% to over 40%, benefiting individuals with various disabilities across the United States.
At Sunrise Service Dogs, Edwards continues to apply her extensive knowledge and passion for service dog training and placement. Her professional journey exemplifies a dedication to improving lives through the powerful connection between humans and specially trained canines.

Register or Buy Tickets:

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

Beyond the Data: How Walk and Talk Assessments Can Benefit Puppies and Their Raisers
2024-09-09 16:00 - 17:30 | 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
