Course focuses on communicating with canines

Southwestern Oregon Community College will be offering the popular course “Exploring Communications between Humans and Canines” again this Winter Term, which begins Jan. 7.

This unusual course – scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday nights, Jan. 8 through March 18, on the Southwestern campus in Coos Bay – is geared toward teaching dog handlers how to read and communicate better with canine companions. It explores complex processes that support canine communication and helps handlers better interpret canine mannerisms. This 11-week course provides practical down-to-earth knowledge of interest to dog handlers of all backgrounds including pet owners and assistance, companion and search and rescue/recovery dog handlers.

The course is taught by professional dog handler John Lee-Thiem using a canine co-instructor. Lee-Thiem has 35 years of experience raising and training dogs and has trained numerous dog handlers in scent detection for search and rescue/recovery purposes.

Those interested can register in person at the Southwestern First Stop on the Coos Bay campus or go online to http://www.socc.edu.

Press Release Date: January 2, 2008