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Venues

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Venues

England: Most sessions are based at Colwich and Little Haywood Village Hall, near Rugeley, Staffs. The hall is light and airy with excellent facilities for owners and dogs. For mid-week attendance we may offer alternative facilities. Venues are on the doorstep of the forest of Cannock Chase, providing endless walking, and interesting physical and mental exercise for dogs, and information about which venue we are using will be supplied well in advance. Some practical sessions take place on Cannock Chase, which provides a range of beautiful spots to visit, and a variety of woodland and heath land. There is also an abundance of deer and although dogs are allowed off lead in many areas they should be kept under control at all times, particularly during the fawning and rutting times of May / June and October / November. Distant gunshot can occasionally be heard at the Colwich and Little Haywood Village Hall, but is rarely noticeable. Cannock Chase is within walking distance of each venue and is close enough to visit even at lunchtime!

Other suitable venues are in the area for those occasional times when our usual hall is unavailable.

Students may like to bring their own lunch, and there are local pubs providing meals, other snacks are available locally and supermarkets are within a relatively short drive. Light refreshments are available at each venue, and breaks are frequent.

Overseas venues vary according to the host. Students are invited to contact the host in their chosen country to find out further information.

Continuing Support

An exceptional and unrivalled level of support is available for students attending the IDBTS. Individual help is available throughout the IDBTS, not only for course work but also for students’ dogs. In England, past students are hand-picked to attend sessions, working within groups with the benefit of their practical knowledge. Those having completed the NOCN accreditation also offer their support with coursework and are available to contact throughout the course.

Students are also encouraged to form support groups if they would like to. Potential benefits include friendship, emotional support, experiential knowledge, identity, meaningful roles, and a sense of belonging. A discount is available for attending shorter courses during the year.

Further support does not come to a halt once the course has been completed. Students are encouraged to update their knowledge regularly and opportunities for continuing professional development are provided. We are working on a dedicated on-line forum for past and present students, where experienced long-term members can share knowledge of assignments or experience with practical issues. Former students are also offered a discount to encourage attendance of short courses. In addition a subsidised IDBTS conference is held annually, dedicated to past and present students, which encourages further networking nationally and internationally. In some countries short two – four day updates are held to help update knowledge.

Students are encouraged to bring case studies for discussion and apply their knowledge in real behaviour counselling sessions to further individual development.

The Local Area: Staffordshire

For those who are bringing partners expecting to explore the area, Staffordshire contains a huge variety of attractions to suit all tastes, including Alton Towers, numerous castles, museums, and gardens and varied walking.

Also within a few minutes’ walk and drive is Shugborough Hall and Estate, and until his death in 2005 was the home of royal photographer Patrick Lichfield. The Staffs & Worcester canal meets the Trent and Mersey in Great Haywood providing some beautiful walks.

Accommodation

Students will need to arrange their own accommodation, a suggested list of which will be provided upon acceptance onto the course. Several local guesthouses allow dogs. Previous students have made recommendations about some of the accommodation available, and several have shared self-catering accommodation in order to keep costs down.

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This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 05 January, 2010.