About Karen Vance, CPDT-KA, NADOI, AKC CGC and STAR Evaluator, CAP 2

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Continuing Education Completed by Instructor
Karen Vance, NADOI #731 (813)-232-5227 Tampa, FL

2-17-1987 Tonya Sanborn (St.Petersburg, FL)

3-01-1987 Dr.Ian Dunbar (Clearwater, FL)

11-7-1987 Dr.Ian Dunbar (Tampa, FL)

1-23-1988 AKC Judging Seminar (Dunedin, FL)

10-29-1988 Dr.Ian Dunbar (Orlando, FL)

11-3 & 4-1990 Dr.Ian Dunbar (Orlando, FL)

3-0-1992 AKC Judging Seminar (Largo, FL)

2-1993 Marge English, NADOI (Palmetto, FL)

7-1993 Terry Ryan, NADOI (Orlando, FL)

11-1994 1st Annual APDT (Assn. Of Pet Dog Trainers) Conference (4 days, many speakers, 3 sessions per day) Orlando, FL

2-26, 27, 28-1998 NADOI Conference (Maui, HI)

11-13 thru 17-1998 APDT Conference (Valley Forge, PA)

1st & 2nd of May, 1999, Operant conditioning workshop (Clicker) Workshop with Bob & Marian Bailey (Hot Springs, Arkansas)

May 7, 8, 9-1999 NADOI Conference (Portland, ME)

11-17th thru 21st 1999 APDT Conference (San Diego, CA)

4-28 thru 30th, 2000 NADOI Conference (Colorado Springs, CO)

5-20 and 21, 2000 Agility Seminar (John Loomis- Clarkesville, IN)

June 3 & 4, 2000 Trish King (Mebane, NC) on Teaching "Dangerous Dog" Classes

March 2,3 and 4, 2001 Alpha Bitch Conference (featuring Terry Ryan, Sue Sternberg, Donna Duford, and Pia Silvani) Richmond, VA

March, 2002, Karen received her National Certification as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer after application, approval, and taking and passing a rigorous written examination.

December 14, 2002 Nadine Schramm's Agility Instructor's Seminar (Tampa, FL)

Sept. 10-14, 2003 attended the APDT 10th annual conference in Orlando, FL as a charter member

November 2 and 3, 2004 Karen earned her CAP 1 and CAP 2 both with "distinction". This was a practical (skills) test assessed by Kay Laurence at Courteous Canine, Inc. in Lutz, FL

In November 2004 the AKC became more strict about Canine Good Citizen Evaluators' requirements. Karen reapplied, took the written examination, and by 2005 she became "AKC Approved" CGC Evaulator (number 3369).

Karen collected the required number of CEU's for recertification and was notified in June 2005 that her CPDT status has been extended through March 31, 2008.

August 13 and 14, 2005 Karen attended a workshop given by Dee Ganley ("Changing Fear To Joy") at Courteous Canine, Inc. in Lutz, FL

Karen went to the Portland, Oregon APDT 2007 Conference held October 24 through October 28. It offered five day's worth of world class speakers and the latest research into neurobiochemistry (as well as many other topics) relating to canine behavior. She made sure she had more than enough Credit Hours (CEUs) to recertify the CPDT designation in the spring of 2008 to last through 2011.

July 1, 2009: All CPDTs were notified that effective immediately, we were to use the designation "CPDT-KA" (For Cerified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed) rather than just "CPDT". The intent is IN THE FUTURE (the test and when, where and how it will be administered has not been determined yet) there will be a practical (skills) test added to the CPDT-KA if the instructor desires to take that portion of the test. Upon taking and passing the skills portion of the test, the instructor will then use the designation "CPDT-KSA" (for Cerified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge and SKILLS Assessed). No CPDT (also known as CPDT-KA) is able to take this test at this time and there are no CPDT-KSAs existing now. As Certified Professional Dog Trainers, many of us are trying our best to explain this new development to all persons involved with dogs and their training.

July 12, 2009, Karen went to Cleveland, Ohio for a very important workshop given by Dr. Karen Overall. We found it was fortunate that Karen studied her cell biology and biochemistry before attending (it's been many years since the days at USF) because the topic was "Pharmacholgical Treatment For Troubled Canines" and it was presented in great detail, including the mode of action of the phychotropic drugs covered in the workshop. We had a number of veterinarians (about 15%) in the audience. This is an area of great interest to us and the new developments Dr. Overall presented will help many dogs that have "issues" of many types, including aggression, phobias, OCD-type conditions, and more.

In January, 2010 Karen attended a presentation by Dr. Terry Spencer "An Overview Of Temperament Testing In Animal Shelters". It compared the most common temperament tests used and noted the pros and cons of each.

April 3 and 4, 2010, Karen attended Dr. Susan Friedman's seminar "Living and Learning with Animals: A Seminar in Behavior Change" at Couteous Canine in Lutz, FL.