"65"- Fresno, CA 2015
"Since I was a guest at the recent Dog Psychology Workshop, it is unlikely I will receive an evaluation
form. Therefore, I will just use a narrative for feedback.
This was not just a workshop on Dog Psychology but a seminar on LIFE. Linn starts out saying he will
teach the audience how to learn. His formula of Learn, Practice, Master, Begin Again is a constructive
way to looks at many roles. Much of what he said could be used for effective parenting. I particularly
liked the “couch trainer” video, which we always called “armchair parenting”. As Linn teaches you
about canine mannerisms indicating anxiety, what appears to be “cute” or “funny” videos become
anxiety provoking. He also gives several effective demonstrations on what one would call “successive
approximations” or “systematic desensitization”. He clearly tells people to go back to a place where
things were working, break down the steps and start again with smaller steps. In fact, this is some of the
theory behind “Motivational Interviewing” which is a means of helping people change life styles. Linn
points out early on how difficult it is for us to change our patterns after 60+ years of practice in some
instances. If we can’t change us, how can we help our pets to change. This approach would be helpful
working with substance abuse problems. It is solid and a way to look at ourselves.
Linn uses himself and Hugh very effectively to demonstrate his technique/style – walking calmly back
and forth, allowing Hugh to realize he is safe, reassuring Hugh through his own demeanor and never
forcing the issue. He uses repetition of concepts which are posted on the walls so people can easily
review and start to think about how they could react. (Note: several studies indicate adults need to
hear something 5-7 times to remember.)
This is not a comfortable format for many people and I am guessing that women find it easier to handle
than men might. (Sorry to sound sexist.) This was a mixed audience although there were clearly more
women than men and at least one of the men had a familiarity with this approach. Linn calls people out
on their emotions and helps them understand how this gets in the way of communication with their
dog. His emphasis on responsibility, along with the need to clearly know what you want, is not only
clearly presented but again has many applications outside of working with one’s dog. I found the
insistence in the afternoon that people sit in a classic relaxation pose (feet flat on floor, butt to back of
chair, hands on thighs) both interesting and instructive. While it was a lesson in a relaxation technique
(Note: I would also have people take a couple of breaths right from the beginning. That was introduced
later), I found it a great lesson in what it must feel like to be a dog who is told to sit or anything else for
an interminably long time. It is hard to keep focus. One gets sloppy. It felt like Linn was using himself to
model the very behaviors he was trying to teach. He was clear. He knew what he wanted. He was
willing to start over and try again. Linn’s life experiences and his openness about them may make
people uncomfortable, but as the workshop progresses this seems to indicate that he has explored his
own emotions, that he is clear about himself and offers an example of letting go of the things that often
hold us back (See Linn’s list of emotions.) He also then uses this human context to help people see what
they are doing to their animals when they ignore signs of anxiety and force behavior. This approach
reminds me of the work of Dr. Frank Farley who developed “Provocative Therapy” in the 60’s and
that of Dr. Carl Whittaker who applied the concept to Family Therapy. Their point was to break through
resistance and denial, something that Linn confronts. Again, not everyone may find this comfortable but
frankly I got more out of the day than I have gotten out of many, many workshops and conferences on
human psychology.
There was one attendee who was having difficulty understanding that Linn was teaching an approach
and was not recommending a simple technique. Language may have been something of an issue but my
guess is that she arrived desperate for an answer and found it difficult to relax, consider alternatives and
apply what she was hearing. Since we don’t know her we don’t know what she brought with her but to
drive from the Bay Area looking for answers says something about the intensity or desperation of her
search. Resistance was very high and she seemed overwhelmed. Once Linn picked up on this state he
was gentle with her as he reviewed the options, never telling her what to do. Rather he pointed out
some things she could do. It almost felt like she had been given 2 days to “fix the dog problem”. Again
language was an issue in that it is hard to pick up on sarcastic humor but she was defensive about her
parenting and …..well pretty much everything. Too many psychosocial possibilities to come to a real
understanding of her and she was NOT sharing. Someone wondered if she could be having a post-
partum depression given she has a one year old. If it is depression we are seeing it is more likely the
result of previous untreated depression or a response to her psychosocial stressors. Just a guess.
I found that I particularly like the concept of “rest” instead of “down” or whatever. People often use
“down” in at least 2 different ways. “Rest” is a concept which not only has biological underpinnings but
also says something about gentle reassurance rather than OBEDIENCE or POWER.
Ok – enough. My only complaint is that I was an icicle by the end of the day even though I had an
emergency Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks and wore a down vest. I loved the intimacy of having
such a small group but would have liked the room to be about 5 feet deeper. It felt a little squished.
Lunch was good. While there were tech problems they did not really diminish the experience, in fact
Linn modeled how to deal with the unexpected – name it and do your best to sort it out!
Not sure if this is helpful. I began the day looking forward to spending time with my daughter and
meeting some of her friends and learning about dogs. Wow but did I misjudge the impact of the
workshop. I want to use the “Learn, Practice, Master, Begin Again” format in different ways with
humans because it is so clear."
“65”/aka 69
form. Therefore, I will just use a narrative for feedback.
This was not just a workshop on Dog Psychology but a seminar on LIFE. Linn starts out saying he will
teach the audience how to learn. His formula of Learn, Practice, Master, Begin Again is a constructive
way to looks at many roles. Much of what he said could be used for effective parenting. I particularly
liked the “couch trainer” video, which we always called “armchair parenting”. As Linn teaches you
about canine mannerisms indicating anxiety, what appears to be “cute” or “funny” videos become
anxiety provoking. He also gives several effective demonstrations on what one would call “successive
approximations” or “systematic desensitization”. He clearly tells people to go back to a place where
things were working, break down the steps and start again with smaller steps. In fact, this is some of the
theory behind “Motivational Interviewing” which is a means of helping people change life styles. Linn
points out early on how difficult it is for us to change our patterns after 60+ years of practice in some
instances. If we can’t change us, how can we help our pets to change. This approach would be helpful
working with substance abuse problems. It is solid and a way to look at ourselves.
Linn uses himself and Hugh very effectively to demonstrate his technique/style – walking calmly back
and forth, allowing Hugh to realize he is safe, reassuring Hugh through his own demeanor and never
forcing the issue. He uses repetition of concepts which are posted on the walls so people can easily
review and start to think about how they could react. (Note: several studies indicate adults need to
hear something 5-7 times to remember.)
This is not a comfortable format for many people and I am guessing that women find it easier to handle
than men might. (Sorry to sound sexist.) This was a mixed audience although there were clearly more
women than men and at least one of the men had a familiarity with this approach. Linn calls people out
on their emotions and helps them understand how this gets in the way of communication with their
dog. His emphasis on responsibility, along with the need to clearly know what you want, is not only
clearly presented but again has many applications outside of working with one’s dog. I found the
insistence in the afternoon that people sit in a classic relaxation pose (feet flat on floor, butt to back of
chair, hands on thighs) both interesting and instructive. While it was a lesson in a relaxation technique
(Note: I would also have people take a couple of breaths right from the beginning. That was introduced
later), I found it a great lesson in what it must feel like to be a dog who is told to sit or anything else for
an interminably long time. It is hard to keep focus. One gets sloppy. It felt like Linn was using himself to
model the very behaviors he was trying to teach. He was clear. He knew what he wanted. He was
willing to start over and try again. Linn’s life experiences and his openness about them may make
people uncomfortable, but as the workshop progresses this seems to indicate that he has explored his
own emotions, that he is clear about himself and offers an example of letting go of the things that often
hold us back (See Linn’s list of emotions.) He also then uses this human context to help people see what
they are doing to their animals when they ignore signs of anxiety and force behavior. This approach
reminds me of the work of Dr. Frank Farley who developed “Provocative Therapy” in the 60’s and
that of Dr. Carl Whittaker who applied the concept to Family Therapy. Their point was to break through
resistance and denial, something that Linn confronts. Again, not everyone may find this comfortable but
frankly I got more out of the day than I have gotten out of many, many workshops and conferences on
human psychology.
There was one attendee who was having difficulty understanding that Linn was teaching an approach
and was not recommending a simple technique. Language may have been something of an issue but my
guess is that she arrived desperate for an answer and found it difficult to relax, consider alternatives and
apply what she was hearing. Since we don’t know her we don’t know what she brought with her but to
drive from the Bay Area looking for answers says something about the intensity or desperation of her
search. Resistance was very high and she seemed overwhelmed. Once Linn picked up on this state he
was gentle with her as he reviewed the options, never telling her what to do. Rather he pointed out
some things she could do. It almost felt like she had been given 2 days to “fix the dog problem”. Again
language was an issue in that it is hard to pick up on sarcastic humor but she was defensive about her
parenting and …..well pretty much everything. Too many psychosocial possibilities to come to a real
understanding of her and she was NOT sharing. Someone wondered if she could be having a post-
partum depression given she has a one year old. If it is depression we are seeing it is more likely the
result of previous untreated depression or a response to her psychosocial stressors. Just a guess.
I found that I particularly like the concept of “rest” instead of “down” or whatever. People often use
“down” in at least 2 different ways. “Rest” is a concept which not only has biological underpinnings but
also says something about gentle reassurance rather than OBEDIENCE or POWER.
Ok – enough. My only complaint is that I was an icicle by the end of the day even though I had an
emergency Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks and wore a down vest. I loved the intimacy of having
such a small group but would have liked the room to be about 5 feet deeper. It felt a little squished.
Lunch was good. While there were tech problems they did not really diminish the experience, in fact
Linn modeled how to deal with the unexpected – name it and do your best to sort it out!
Not sure if this is helpful. I began the day looking forward to spending time with my daughter and
meeting some of her friends and learning about dogs. Wow but did I misjudge the impact of the
workshop. I want to use the “Learn, Practice, Master, Begin Again” format in different ways with
humans because it is so clear."
“65”/aka 69