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Fear Free Weekend in Gothenburg!
Welcome to a weekend dedicated to Fear Free veterinary visits –
the next big transformation in veterinary medicine!
Join us for an informative and inspirational weekend with
veterinary behavior specialist Kenneth Martin and veterinary
technician Debbie Martin, and learn how to make veterinary
visits less stressful and more pleasurable for all parties: Pets,
caregivers and veterinary staff.
When? Friday-Sunday September 22-24, 2017
Where? The Museum of Natural History, Gothenburg
For Whom? Veterinarians, veterinary care personnel, educators and others interested in learning more
about the FearFree approach. Dogs and cats will be in focus this weekend, but the concepts are
applicable to other animals as well.
Organized by: Västra Götalandsregionens Naturbruksförvaltning (Departement of Natural Resources)
in cooperation with Studiefrämjandet.
Options: You can register for the Friday night session only, or for the whole weekend. In addition, you
can sign up for our FearFree Online Certification Study Group. Further information can be found in the
following pages of this document.
Registration fee:
Fear Free Past-Present-Future
FearFree Weekend Seminar
Friday night only, September 22
Friday night, Saturday and Sunday
September 22-24
FearFree Weekend Seminar
PLUS Online Certification
Course
As above, September 22-24,
plus Online Certification Course
with fb study group (from May
2017)
400 SEK
3450 SEK
Early Bird registration
before April 21: 2950 SEK
4450 SEK
Registration for this option
is only available until April
21
Registration and payment:
To register for this event, fill in the registration form at https://goo.gl/forms/6zw0Id1yk6qftiqk1
Our administration partner Studiefrämjandet will send out invoices in due time before the seminar.
The number of participants is limited, and “First come, first served” applies.
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FEAR FREE WEEKEND - SCHEDULE
Fear Free Past-Present-Future
FearFree Weekend Seminar
Friday night only, September 22
Friday night, Saturday and Sunday
September 22-24
400 SEK
3450 SEK
Early Bird before
April 21: 2950 SEK
Friday September 22, 18.00 – 20.00
Included in the FearFree Weekend. Open also for separate registration.
FearFree™ Past, Present, and Future!
The Fear Free initiative is being called the next big transformation in veterinary medicine! Over the
past two decades we have seen major transformations in veterinary medicine in regards to pain
management, dentistry, nutrition, and specialty care. Fear Free is about the emotional well-being of our
patients and it is all encompassing. Fear, anxiety, and stress compromised immune systems, creates or
exacerbates other medical issues, alters our diagnostic readings. We got into veterinary medicine to
make the lives of animals better and above all else, “do no harm.” Learn about how Fear Free started,
where it is now, and where it will be in the next couple of years.
Saturday 23, 10.00 – 17.00
Included in the Fear Free Weekend
The Anatomy of Fear
The fear response results in physiological effects on the body.
The Eye of the Beholder
Cats and dogs perceive the world differently than people. Learn what it is like to walk in their paws.
Learning to Listen to our Pets
Being able to recognize signs of fear, anxiety, and stress in pets will open your eyes to hearing what
they are trying to communicate. FAS scale and case examples.
The Fear Free Veterinary Experience: From home to hospital and home again
The veterinary visit begins at home. Decreasing fear and stress associated with a veterinary visit,
requires a team approach. This session will explore tips for at home preparation by the pet owner, as
well as cost-effective strategies for veterinary hospitals can implement to cultivate a relaxing and
inviting environment from the front door to the back door.
Sunday 24, 09.00 – 16.00
Included in the Fear Free Weekend
Making the Unpleasant More Pleasant
Many of the procedures we need to perform on cats and dogs are uncomfortable and unpleasant. There
is no one technique or method that will work with every patient. Discover how to adapt and implement
Fear Free℠ techniques for each individual pet and procedure by creating a plan for care.
Gentle Control and Handling Techniques
Which technique should be used and why? This session will discuss guidelines for when to use
distraction, desensitization and counter-conditioning, and other advanced training skills.
Behavior Services to Facilitate Fear Free
Examples of services that veterinary and/or training facilities can offer to help facilitate Fear Free
Veterinary Visits and Happy Homes.
Everyday Behavior Solutions
Pets spend very little time at the veterinary hospital. Fear Free wants pets to not only have good
experiences at the veterinary hospital but to also live in “Happy Homes”. This session will review
modern techniques for addressing typical cat and dog behaviors. It first starts with providing pets with
a routine which will meet their species-specific and individual needs.
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FearFree Online Certification Course (with facebook study group)
Included when you register for FearFree Weekend and Online Certification Course.
FearFree Weekend Seminar
PLUS Online Certification
Course
Weekend September 22-24,
plus Online Certification Course
with fb study group (from May)
4450 SEK
Registration for this option
available until April 21
Do you wish to come extra prepared for the weekend seminar? Do you wish to learn more about
creating Fear Free experiences for dogs and cats, at your own pace? Do you wish to become a Certified
Fear Free Professional? Then you should register for the package that includes the online certification
course! The online course consists of 8 modules which you work through at your own pace, in
consecutive order, and which each ends with a quiz. When you have successfully completed all
modules you become a Certified Fear Free Professional and get access to additional resources from
Fear Free, such as an educational library, downloadable marketing tools and a podcast series.
The online certification program is aimed at veterinary care professionals but open for everyone
interested in the subject. For example, much of the content is relevant for other health care professionas
(for example groomers, physiotherapists, et c) as well as for educators at all levels.
When you register for the whole package of the Gothenburg weekend seminar and the online course
you will also get access to our own facebook group, where you can discuss the course work with others
who are also coming to the weekend seminar. Registration for this option is only available until April
21, and access to the online course and the facebook group will open in May.
Read more about the online course at www.fearfreepets.com
Biography - our teachers:
Kenneth M. Martin, DVM, DACVB and Debbie Martin, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, LVT, VTS (Behavior)
Debbie Martin and Dr. Kenneth Martin are both Fear Free Certified Professionals (www.fearfreepets.com). Dr.
Martin is on the Fear Free Advisory panel and Debbie is honored to represent veterinary technicians on the Fear
Free Executive Council. They are both consultants for Fear Free as subject matter experts.
Dr. Kenneth Martin is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
and a licensed practicing veterinarian in Texas. He is also the owner of Veterinary
Behavior Consultations, LLC (www.veterinarybehavior.com) in Spicewood, TX and
regularly consults with veterinarians and pet owners on behavior and training. Dr. Martin
is an international lecturer on animal behavior disorders and training. He teaches a small
animal behavior course for veterinary students at Louisiana State University-School of
Veterinary Medicine.
Debbie Martin is a licensed veterinary technician and Veterinary Technician Specialist in
Behavior (VTS-Behavior). Since 2005 Debbie has been the animal behavior technician
for Veterinary Behavior Consultations, LLC. Debbie Martin is a faculty emeritus for the
Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional program. She is an international lecturer
regarding animal behavior and training.
Debbie Martin and Dr Kenneth Martin are also the co-owners of TEAM Education in
Animal Behavior (www.TEAManimalbehavior.com).
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Dr. Martin and Debbie are published authors in magazines and books. Some of their contributions include articles
for the Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, Journal of the American
Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), American Veterinarian, and Today’s Veterinary Technician. They
have contributions to the texts Manual of Parrot Behavior, Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal
Practice –Behavior, Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine and Feline / Edition 6, Blackwell’s
Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion – Canine and Feline Behavior, and Canine and Feline
Behavior for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses. They co-authored Puppy Start Right: Foundation Training
for the Companion Dog book and the acclaimed Karen Pryor Academy Puppy Start Right for Instructors
Course and they both also co-authored the course Fear Free Foundations for Kittens and Puppies (with Mikkel
Becker).
Debbie and Dr. Martin live in a small town 30 miles west of Austin, TX called Spicewood. On their 5 acres,
affectionately known as the 'Malamo' (Alamo and Malinois combined), they share their home with 3 Belgian
Malinois and a one-eyed Beagle-Jack Russell mix along with a couple dozen of chickens. In their free time, they
enjoy hiking with the dogs, visiting local craft breweries and vineyards, and exploring the beautiful hill country of
Texas on their motorcycles and dirt bikes.
Developed by “America’s Veterinarian,” Dr. Marty Becker, the Fear Freesm initiative aims to
“take the ‘pet’ out of ‘petrified’” and get pets back for veterinary visits by promoting
considerate approach and gentle control techniques used in calming environments. Utilization
of Fear Free methods and protocols leads to reduction or removal of anxiety triggers, which
creates an experience that is rewarding and safer for all involved, including pets, their
owners, and veterinary health care teams. The end result? Calmer, more accepting patients,
more compliant clients, and better veterinary care.
The Department of Natural Resources is a part of Region Västra Götaland and receives its
directives from the Regional Development Committee which in turn is a part of the Regional
Executive Board. We are responsible for three natural resource schools at an upper secondary
level (Svenljunga, Sötåsen and Uddetorp) and one at higher vocational education level (Biological
Post-Secondary VET School, BYS). Our mission is to provide vocational education in the areas of
agriculture, forestry, animal care, etc. In addition, we act as competence center for natural resources and rural
entrepreneurship and are actively involved rural development for a sustainable future.
Starting in January 2017 we run a project focusing on behavior management and animal welfare. Within this
project we work to develop our teaching capacity in the area of behavior management, establish a test bed in the
small animal care facility at Sötsåen, and organize adult learning opportunities. Project manager is Eva
Bertilsson, [email protected]
Studiefrämjandet is one of the largest study associations for adult education in Sweden. We work mainly in the
field of non-formal life-long learning. We have been part of the tradition of non-formal adult education –
folkbildning – in Sweden since our foundation in 1959.
We organize study circles, cultural events, seminars and projects in all of Sweden's
municipalities. Plenty of topics Studiefrämjandet's particular specialisms are nature, animals,
the environment and culture.