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The Original Fearful Feral Dog Workshop May 11-12 2026
Feral Dogs as Teachers: A Two-Day Rehabilitation Workshop for Trainers & Shelter Professionals
May 11-12, 2026 | Las Vegas Animal Care Center, Las Vegas, New Mexico
This two-day feral dog rehabilitation workshop offers a rare, hands-on learning experience for dog trainers, rescue workers, shelter professionals and dog enthusiasts who work with fearful, shut-down, or behaviorally complex dogs. Feral dogs—having survived without human support—serve as powerful teachers, acting as magnifying glasses for our skills, awareness, and emotional regulation. Their responses reveal, with clarity and honesty, what truly builds trust, safety, and connection.
Working with feral dogs takes us to the core of the human–dog relationship. These dogs have developed their own survival strategies, free from human influence, making them ideal guides for understanding canine communication, stress responses, and confidence building. The insights gained in this workshop extend far beyond extreme cases and can be directly applied to shelter dogs, rescue dogs, and everyday companion dogs.
What You’ll Learn
Led by Julie Hart, an experienced feral dog rehabilitator, in collaboration with Nelson Hodges, founder of the Canine Human Relationship Institute, this workshop blends classroom instruction, live demonstrations, and limited hands-on practice.
Key focus areas include:
Building trust with fearful and feral dogs
Reading and responding to canine and human body language
Effective leash handling with high-stress dogs
Creating predictability and emotional safety
Facilitating confident, brave behavior instead of enabling fearful behavior
Understanding how human mindset, energy, and expectations affect outcomes
Learn how to apply Nose-Centric techniques to improve training results and your business.
Participants will learn how to connect with dogs on a deeper level by becoming what dogs need to feel safe, not by “fixing” behavior, but by changing the relationship. A powerful side effect of this work is increased self-awareness—learning to manage your own emotions, presence, and reactions in challenging situations.
Who This Workshop Is For
Professional dog trainers
Shelter and rescue staff
Volunteers working with fearful or hard-to-place dogs
Dog Enthusiasts that enjoy learning about dogs
Whether you work in a shelter, rescue, or private training setting, this workshop provides practical, transferable tools that improve outcomes for dogs who need us most.
Nelson will hold a 2-hour Zoom class with attendees to supplement the in-person portion of the workshop. (Date to be announced)
There is an Immersive version of this workshop that extends an additional 4 days until May 16. In the immersive version, you will rehabilitate a feral dog in an authentic New Mexico home while enjoying the gorgeous New Mexico scenery. Please see this link to learn more about the Immersion Experience here
What to Expect
May 11-12, 2026. The workshop is open to a maximum of 20 attendees. It takes place at the Las Vegas Animal Care Center in Las Vegas, NEW MEXICO. During these two days, we will have classroom and demonstration time with opportunities for hands-on time. We use shelter dogs that range from fearful to feral behavior in various stages of rehabilitation as our guides. We will cover how to form a trusting relationship with extreme case dogs. We talk about the important role of acknowledgment, proper body language, trust, leash handling, and facilitating brave behavior while using Nose-Centric dog training and rehabilitation techniques. We will explain how these techniques can be applied to more “normal” dogs. Lunches and snacks are provided. Some of this workshop will be outside and require some standing and handling fearful/feral dogs that may pull and dart (if the student chooses to handle the dogs.).
Lodging is at local hotels in Las Vegas, NM at the students’ expense. The closest airports are Santa Fe (SAF) and Albuquerque (ABQ). A car will be necessary to attend if youa re flying in, but we will be happy to facilitate the sharing of rental cars with other students.
If you have any questions please email julie@hart2heartcanine.com
Feral Dogs as Teachers: A Two-Day Rehabilitation Workshop for Trainers & Shelter Professionals
May 11-12, 2026 | Las Vegas Animal Care Center, Las Vegas, New Mexico
This two-day feral dog rehabilitation workshop offers a rare, hands-on learning experience for dog trainers, rescue workers, shelter professionals and dog enthusiasts who work with fearful, shut-down, or behaviorally complex dogs. Feral dogs—having survived without human support—serve as powerful teachers, acting as magnifying glasses for our skills, awareness, and emotional regulation. Their responses reveal, with clarity and honesty, what truly builds trust, safety, and connection.
Working with feral dogs takes us to the core of the human–dog relationship. These dogs have developed their own survival strategies, free from human influence, making them ideal guides for understanding canine communication, stress responses, and confidence building. The insights gained in this workshop extend far beyond extreme cases and can be directly applied to shelter dogs, rescue dogs, and everyday companion dogs.
What You’ll Learn
Led by Julie Hart, an experienced feral dog rehabilitator, in collaboration with Nelson Hodges, founder of the Canine Human Relationship Institute, this workshop blends classroom instruction, live demonstrations, and limited hands-on practice.
Key focus areas include:
Building trust with fearful and feral dogs
Reading and responding to canine and human body language
Effective leash handling with high-stress dogs
Creating predictability and emotional safety
Facilitating confident, brave behavior instead of enabling fearful behavior
Understanding how human mindset, energy, and expectations affect outcomes
Learn how to apply Nose-Centric techniques to improve training results and your business.
Participants will learn how to connect with dogs on a deeper level by becoming what dogs need to feel safe, not by “fixing” behavior, but by changing the relationship. A powerful side effect of this work is increased self-awareness—learning to manage your own emotions, presence, and reactions in challenging situations.
Who This Workshop Is For
Professional dog trainers
Shelter and rescue staff
Volunteers working with fearful or hard-to-place dogs
Dog Enthusiasts that enjoy learning about dogs
Whether you work in a shelter, rescue, or private training setting, this workshop provides practical, transferable tools that improve outcomes for dogs who need us most.
Nelson will hold a 2-hour Zoom class with attendees to supplement the in-person portion of the workshop. (Date to be announced)
There is an Immersive version of this workshop that extends an additional 4 days until May 16. In the immersive version, you will rehabilitate a feral dog in an authentic New Mexico home while enjoying the gorgeous New Mexico scenery. Please see this link to learn more about the Immersion Experience here
What to Expect
May 11-12, 2026. The workshop is open to a maximum of 20 attendees. It takes place at the Las Vegas Animal Care Center in Las Vegas, NEW MEXICO. During these two days, we will have classroom and demonstration time with opportunities for hands-on time. We use shelter dogs that range from fearful to feral behavior in various stages of rehabilitation as our guides. We will cover how to form a trusting relationship with extreme case dogs. We talk about the important role of acknowledgment, proper body language, trust, leash handling, and facilitating brave behavior while using Nose-Centric dog training and rehabilitation techniques. We will explain how these techniques can be applied to more “normal” dogs. Lunches and snacks are provided. Some of this workshop will be outside and require some standing and handling fearful/feral dogs that may pull and dart (if the student chooses to handle the dogs.).
Lodging is at local hotels in Las Vegas, NM at the students’ expense. The closest airports are Santa Fe (SAF) and Albuquerque (ABQ). A car will be necessary to attend if youa re flying in, but we will be happy to facilitate the sharing of rental cars with other students.
If you have any questions please email julie@hart2heartcanine.com