I recently attended the Nepopo® New Silver School and what an incredible experience it was! Both Michael and Bart Bellon are amazing Master Coaches and gave incredible, captivating, and educational lectures!
What is Nepopo® you ask?
Nepopo® is a system of dog training in which the dog obeys on cue, always, with heart and soul! It uses all 4 quadrants of operant conditioning along with classical conditioning, to make sure the dog understands how to find their advantage in every situation (which is why a dog does anything in life!). Nepopo® also takes into consideration the most universal definition of animal welfare "It is forbidden, without valid reason (if the dog is hurting human, themselves, or another animal) to inflict pain and/or suffering to a dog. Nepopo® breaks down why a dog can bring you their food bowls with the utmost passion when they are ready to eat, yet when you are trying to teach them how to bring an object, they act as if they have never done that before or why a dog can sniff something with all their heart and soul and when you try to teach them to sniff for a certain odor, they act as if nothing is there! Nepopo® is not a specific recipe for dog training, but rather an entire kitchen filled with every ingredient you can think of to make your own perfect recipe!
It was an honor to be able to attend this school and continue my education for dog training! In this industry, I truly believe you must never stop learning...Dream...Dare...Do!
In Nepopo®, the book "The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle is discussed and dissected very throughly. If you haven't read it, you should! The three main take aways from "The Talent Code" are Deep Practice, Ignition, and Master Coaching.
As I read this and applied it to my life, I started thinking about what the name of my company, Meraki K9. Meraki is a Greek word that means, "to do your work with love, passion, and creativity". I very strongly believe that these are core elements in dog training. "The Talent Code" discusses ignition...someone's desire to do the work, motivation, creativity, etc. That aligns so well with my company name and mission! I want dogs (and people) having massive amounts of ignition for training!
Training dogs and teaching humans to live in harmony fuels my fire! It is important to not only be a master coach to the dog, but for the owner too! This is why we use Work Your Pack's Foundational Obedience Video for the humans! While your dog is here doing their homework, it is important for you to do yours! The board and train program allows your dog to find their ignition and accrue some deep practice...then you will become their master coach!
The Nepopo New Silver School ® was an overall great experience and I can't wait to continue my education by attending the Nepopo New Gold School ® instructed by Chris Williams, a longtime friend and colleague in this industry!
He has an amazing understanding of dogs and people alike and is a great teacher! I was lucky enough to spend an entire month training with him and his company, Run Your Pack, in June 2021! It was such a great learning experience and I was so warmly welcomed by his family and his staff! I can't wait to go back to beautiful Montana again and see some old (pictured L to R: Tommy 'RYP PSA' Chad 'Miller Ranch K9' Chris 'RYP, Work Your Pack, and RYP PSA' Me, and Amy 'Shoreline K9') and new friends and make so many wonderful new memories! My husband, Kyle (if your dog has trained at Meraki K9 they know him as "Uncle Kyle--the guy who gives the best belly rubs!), is excited to go as well, even though his days will be filled with exploring the backwoods of Montana in SXS and fishing, instead of training dogs. Sounds miserable, doesn't it? 😂
I also was able to experience Jaqueline Barberi's BEAUTIFUL facility and had the pleasure of watching her work her dog! She also had amazing feedback as other dogs worked, including Frank! Jacki is such a wealth of knowledge and truly knows the Nepopo® system inside and out! I am so thankful for the opportunity to have that experience! I had a great time and can't wait for more! If you are interested in learning more about the Nepopo ® system, I highly recommend attending the New Nepopo Silver School® or checking out https://www.nepopotraining.com!