Saturday april 27

​Session II: Science of Human-Canine Teams
​Performance and Working Dogs

8:30-9:30am Lecture | LH2
Jane Russenberger, BS (Guiding Eyes for the Blind)
"Optimizing Genetic Potential for Behavior at Guiding Eyes for the Blind Guide Dogs"

9:45-10:45am Lecture | LH2
Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD (Broad Institute; Darwin's Ark) 
"The Working Dog Project and the Genomics of Behavior"

​11:00-12:00pm Lectures | LH5
Cindy Otto, DVM, PhD, DACVECC, DACVSR (UPenn, Working Dog Center)
"How to Build a Working Dog"

11:00-12:00pm Lectures | LH2
Eldin Leighton, PhD (Canine Genetics Services, LLC)
"The International Working Dog Registry:
A Tool for Using the Power of Combined Data to Obtain Genetic Improvement in All Working Dogs"

1:15-3:15pm Wet Labs & Interactive Demonstrations | LH2 & Large Animal Breezeway
UPenn Working Dog Center Workshop: Introduction to Canine Fitness
Meghan Ramos, VMD (Penn Vet Working Dog Center)
Brenna Babiy, BS, CPDT (Penn Vet Working Dog Center)

3:30-5:30pm Wet Labs & Interactive Demonstrations | Large Animal Breezeway
Introduction to Shaping - A Force-Free, Positive Reinforcement Training Technique​​
Sue Yanoff, DVM, MS, DACVS (Animal Performance & Therapy Center, Fenzi Dog Sports Academy)