Sarah Fisher
Sarah Fisher is a canine and equine behaviour advisor and educator. She has worked with animals for almost thirty years and is the founder of Animal Centred Education.
Sarah teaches Animal Centred Education (ACE) courses for trainers, groomers, vets, veterinary nurses, physiotherapists and animal behaviour counsellors who wish to broaden their expertise by learning detailed ACE Observations combined with ACE Free Work, gentle bodywork, techniques inspired by animals and some modified methods shared by professionals working in the fields of animal welfare, education and behaviour.
ACE Free Work has evolved over many years; it offers canine caregivers and guardians a unique opportunity to stand back, watch more, and ‘do’ less. It enables dogs to become the pilot of their own learning experiences, with support from their caregiver or guardian. Free Work is proving to be life changing for dogs of all ages and backgrounds; it has helped countless dogs worldwide learn how to reorganise their bodies more efficiently which has had a profound effect on the way the dogs respond to their external environment.
Sarah is experienced with a wide range of breed types and teaches staff workshops for many of the UK’s animal welfare organisations, including Battersea. She has also worked in Europe teaching staff workshops for shelters and has taught workshops and clinics for dog trainers and behaviourists in Holland, Greece, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, South Africa, Ireland, Cyprus, Romania and Poland. She also teaches online courses and webinars for behaviour and training advisors.
Sarah gives presentations on a variety of topics at dog training and behaviour seminars in the UK and abroad and delivers seminars for a wide range of organisations including those involved in scent detection dogs, assistance dogs, and Police dogs.
Morning Seminar – Animal Centred Education
Animal Centred Education (ACE) is an integrated and multi-modal approach to animal wellbeing and education.
ACE Observations combined with ACE Free Work help caregivers and guardians focus on the health and wellbeing of the dog’s internal environment. As we deepen our understanding, we can shift our perspective when it comes to education and think in terms of income for the dog, as opposed to outcome. The more balanced and peaceful the dog’s internal environment becomes, the less disruptive the external environment will be – even for dogs who have had a poor start in life or those who are sensitive to sensory information.
As well as giving us tools to improve our observations skills, ACE Free Work can help improve the posture of our canine companions without the need to use our hands. If we habitually lead our dogs from our left side for example, we can inadvertently reinforce natural postural tendencies creating uneven load on the skeleton and soft tissue.
ACE Free Work enables a dog to process new experiences and develop more efficient postural and behavioural habits. It helps dog to become more considered and less reflexive in their responses. It helps to meet a dog’s need to be curious, move, explore, and engage the sensory systems. It can also be of benefit to identify emotional and physical discomfort, and as part of a therapeutic approach to modifying pain.
This presentation will include:
An introduction to Animal Centred Education and ACE Free Work
ACE Observations
Deficient and excess movement and behaviour patterns
Creating your first Free Work layouts
Building the Free Work layers
Afternoon Workshop 2 – ACE Free Work Practical 1
Good observations help us recognise patterns when it comes to a dog’s movement, posture and behaviour, and their nervous system responses. They enable us to identify whether what we are asking a dog to do is truly rewarding. Rewarding education and reward based training are two different things.
All the skills taught within the framework of Free Work, and discoveries made in Free Work, can be taken out into the big wide world and are of benefit for working dogs.
This session will include:
Observing movement and data gathering patterns in the frame work of ACE Free Work
Discovering potential gaps in a dog’s learning history, and the smaller threads linked to the more obvious behaviour and movement patterns we might observe in other aspects of a dog’s life
Improving balance and posture by shaping the Free Work layout
Inviting engagement to strengthen connections and loose lead walking
4 handler places available
Afternoon Workshop 2rpt -ACE Free Work Practical 2
Recognising a dog’s individual learning style and preferences, their selection of decompressors, and their finish clues are an important part of ACE Free Work. Increased observations and insights gleaned through Free Work enables you to identify more quickly when a dog is starting to struggle or something is beginning to change.
Inclusion of toys in a Free Work setting can be a valuable learning experience for both the dog and the caregiver. Caregivers of companion and working dogs have been able to identify when their companion needs access to a toy as a decompressor, and recognise when engagement with a toy is a relief seeking behaviour as opposed to a rewarding engagement.
Building the learning layers in a Free Work setting has helped countless dogs engage with other sensory experiences, build confidence, develop more efficient habits, and become less dependent on access to meaningful toys.
This session will include:
Building the Free Work layers
Re-thinking trigger stacking
Rethinking games and the power of play
The influence of the movement, habits and behaviour of the caregiver
Introducing the Drop Game
4 handler places available