Essentials of Modern Dog Training

A Four-Day Workshop with Forrest Micke &
Dr. Stewart Hilliard

Hosted by Opportunity Barks
June 4-7, 2026 | Sellersville, PA

Four Days. Deep Work. Real Understanding. And yeah…we’ll have fun.

At Opportunity Barks, we believe that great training begins with curiosity, a science-forward mindset, and a deep respect for the human-dog relationship.

Join us for an immersive four-day seminar designed for trainers and handlers who want to move beyond surface-level techniques and into true fluency with how dogs learn. We will move between lecture, live demonstration, open discussion, and hands-on training with participant dogs. You will not just hear the concepts. You will see them, feel them, and apply them in real time.

The setting is intentionally small and intimate. That means direct access, meaningful conversation, and space to actually think. Spots are limited by design, and join us for a casual dinner on Saturday at the end of the day.

What We’ll Explore

Dr. Hilliard will guide us through the core mechanics of modern dog training with clarity, precision, and scientific grounding.

Topics include:

Pavlovian Conditioning
How stimulus-stimulus learning actually works and why it matters. We will break down inhibitory conditioning, counterconditioning, and the real challenges around extinction.

Instrumental Conditioning
The essentials of response-consequence learning and how to apply it cleanly and effectively in real-world training.

The Contingency Square
Understanding the difference between what we intend and what the dog actually experiences. This is where many training approaches quietly fall apart.

Pavlovian and Instrumental Interactions
How emotional learning and behavioral learning interact, and how to prevent one from undermining the other.

Aversive Control
A clear, functional definition. Not opinion, not noise. We will separate what feels aversive from what actually functions to change behavior, and why that distinction matters for both outcomes and welfare.

Negative Reinforcement and Positive Punishment
Mechanisms, not myths. Including the critical difference between escape and avoidance, and the role of safety cues in ethical training.

Signaling
How secondary reinforcers and punishers shape clarity, timing, and communication.

Dog Welfare
A grounded look at stress, learned helplessness, and what welfare actually means. Not the absence of stress, but the dog’s ability to predict and control it.

Training Methodology
The Agency and Accountability approach. A framework that allows for training that is clear, fair, ethically sound, and effective in the real world.

Who This Is For

Trainers who are ready to think deeper
Handlers who want clarity and results
People who care about both results and integrity

What Makes This Different

When you understand how learning actually works, your training becomes cleaner, your communication becomes clearer, and your results become more reliable.

What This Workshop Will Do for You

• Science-backed insights that challenge outdated methods and open the door to more effective, humane, and sustainable training practices.

• Hands-on training with real dogs—not theory-only. You’ll walk away with skills you can use immediately. (Working spots available.)

• Candid, real-talk conversations that help you reflect on your current approach and expand what’s possible.

• Real-world application so you’re not just learning what to do, but how and why to do it, creating better outcomes and stronger relationships with dogs, now and in the future.

This is about more than training. It’s about reshaping how we think about dogs, communication, and behavioral change. The impact lasts well beyond the weekend.

Workshop Details

Dates: June 4-7, 2026
Location: Opportunity Barks Farm
Format: 4-day immersive, hands-on learning experience featuring working dog spots and auditor spots.
Included: Coffee and light bites to start the day, and a casual, on-site dinner on Saturday to wrap up the day.

Meet Your Instructors

Dr. Stewart Hilliard

Dr. Stewart Hilliard has been working with dogs since 1979. He rose through the ranks of the German working dog world, trained and competed in Schutzhund, then brought French Ring Sport to the United States and helped shape the early working Malinois here.

He went on to earn a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience and spent decades inside the Department of Defense Military Working Dog Program, where he built breeding programs, wrote training standards, and helped define how military dogs are trained and evaluated. But the throughline is simple. He has spent over 40 years with a leash in his hand, bridging dogs, behavior, and science.

Forrest Micke

Forrest is known for his clarity, empathy, and ability to break down complex ideas into clean, practical techniques. Whether you’re working with high-drive working dogs or family companions, Forrest’s teaching meets you where you are and helps you grow from there.

He works across protection sports and obedience, from foundation to high-level performance. For over 20 years, he has taught handlers, clubs, K9 units, and everyday dog owners around the world. He also helped build China’s first protective sport, CPP, now practiced by thousands. He is known for his clarity, timing, and ability to accurately assess dog-handler teams in real time. He brings a steady presence to the work, along with a genuine respect for the dog training community and the people in it.

Registration Info

• Working Handler-Dog Teams
• Auditor Spots
• Virtual Spots
‍ ‍$300+

Working Spot Application Required→ details here.
Tickets are non-refundable.

Ready to Challenge Your Perspective?

Join us for four unforgettable days of deep learning, skill-building, and connection with people who care as much as you do about doing this work well.