Program – APDT 2025

Thursday 2 October 2025

Pre-Conference Day

8:30 am

Registration Open

Morning workshops (concurrent sessions)

8:30 am – 10:00 am

Game Changer: Training Games and Behaviour Change

Laura Ryder

Do you see what I see? Challenging Our Observation Skills and Interpretations of animal behaviour

Peta Clark

10:00 am – 10:30 am

Morning Tea

Concurrent sessions continued

10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Game Changer: Training Games and Behaviour Change

Laura Ryder

Do you see what I see? Challenging Our Observation Skills and Interpretations of animal behaviour

Peta Clark

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Lunch at own expense

Afternoon workshops (concurrent sessions)

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Foundations for Life Rethinking Puppy Socialisation

Chirag Patel

In sickness and in health – how disease affects the behaviour of the dog

Dr Amber Batson

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Afternoon Tea

Concurrent sessions continued

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Lost in Translation: Speaking Client and trainer

Chirag Patel

In sickness and in health – how disease affects the behaviour of the dog

Dr Amber Batson

4:30 pm

Registration open for all attendees

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Ice Breaker Function
Drinks and canapés at the venue

Friday 3 October 2025

Conference Day 1

7:30 am – 6:30 pm

Registration Open

7:45 am – 8:15 am

APDT Shorts x 2

7:45am – Speaker announcement soon!

8:00am – Speaker announcement soon!

8:20 am – 8:30 am

Conference Opening

Dr Louise Ginman
President, APDT

8:30 am – 9:30 am

Speaker announced very soon!

9:30 am – 10:00 am

Speaker announced very soon!

10:00 am – 10:30 am

Morning Tea

10:30 am – 12:00 pm

A Multi-modal approach to behaviour problems

Dr Amber Batson

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Lunch

APDT Shorts – sessions announced soon!

1:00 pm – 1:45 pm

Body Language beyond the lip lick: Is it time to throw away the bath water and change the baby

Chirag Patel

1:45 pm – 2:30 pm

From Crazy to Calm: A case study with an “impulsive” Samoyed

Chirag Patel

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Afternoon Tea

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm

The perfect puppy program: Best practices for industry professionals

Laura Ryder

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Shut up I’m thinking. Cognitive processes in dogs.

Peta Clark

4:30 pm – 4:40 pm

APDT Awards Presentation

Winner of APDT Trainer of the year announced Presented by Diane Garrod and Alisa Sannikova

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

APDT AGM

6:30 pm – 9:00 am

Free Night

Saturday 4 October 2025

Conference Day 2

7:45 am – 8:15 am

APDT Shorts x 2
7:45am – Speaker announcement soon!
8:00am – Speaker announcement soon!

8:20 am – 8:30 am

Welcome

Dr Louise Ginman
President, APDT

8:30 am – 9:30 am

The “Good Life” of a “Good Dog” – A Total Welfare Model for the Future of the Pet Dog Industry

Kim Brophey

9:30 am – 10:00 am

Speaker announced very soon!

10:00 am – 10:30 am

Morning Tea

10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Reactive: The label that needs a time out

Chirag Patel

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Lunch
APDT Shorts – speaker announcements coming soon!

1:00 pm – 1:45 pm

You know what you are teaching but do you know what they are learning?

Peta Clark

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm

Getting to the guts of it all: how digestive health influences dog behaviour

Dr Amber Batson

2:45 pm – 3:15 pm

Afternoon Tea

3:15 pm – 4:00 pm

Paws, Patterns and progress: Understanding behaviour through observation and data

Chirag Patel

4:00 pm – 4:45 pm

Playful reinforcement utilising toy play to shape positive dog behaviour

Laura Ryder

6:30 pm – 9:00 am

Free Night

Sunday 5 October 2025

Conference Day 3

7:45 am – 8:15 am

APDT Shorts x 2
7:45am – Speaker announced soon!
8:00am – Speaker announced soon!

8:25 am – 8:30 am

Welcome

Dr Louise Ginman
President, APDT

8:30 am – 9:30 am

Speaker announced very soon!

9:30 am – 10:00 am

Speaker announced very soon!

10:00 am – 10:25 am

Morning Tea

10:25 am

Concurrent Sessions

10:25 am – 11:10 am

Tough Talks: Navigating difficult conversations in the animal care industry

Laura Ryder

Revisiting Learning Theory: The missed layers

Chirag Patel

11:15 am – 12:00 pm

The Shape of eating. Training the behaviour of eating.

Peta Clark

Fear Not: Practical training Skills for Veterinary and Husbandry Procedures

Laura Ryder

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Lunch
APDT Shorts – speaker announcements soon!

1:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Hiss-teria to Harmony: Helping dog trainers Purr with Confidence

Chirag Patel

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie: Links between sleep and behaviour in our pet dogs

Dr Amber Batson

1:35 pm – 2:35 pm

The Dogs Game? Exploring our beliefs about Canine Scent work

Peta Clark

Frustrated Fido: A look at practical ways we can help dogs cope more effectively in frustrating situations

Dr Amber Batson

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Afternoon Tea
Trade Show Concludes at 3.00pm

3:00 pm – 3:45 pm

Boost the brain before you train – understanding executive functions and cognitive capacity in dogs

Dr Amber Batson

3:45 pm – 4:30 pm

Closing keynote – more details coming soon!

Chirag Patel

4:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Conference Close