Bára Šurovská

Trainer of specialized lessons

Since childhood, there has been a strong pull toward nature and animals. She attended animal care clubs, which she later began to lead as an instructor. At the age of fifteen, she got her longed-for own dog, thanks to which she was able to put into practice many of the things she had previously learned. She continued her education with leading Czech animal trainers such as Robert Zlocha, Radka Spudilová, František Šusta and Kateřina Lerlová, and also with international experts including Ken Ramirez, Leslie McDevitt, Chirag Patel, Hannah Branigan, Susan Friedman, Gabby Harris and others. By choosing her university studies, she followed her desire to learn as much as possible about animals and completed a bachelor’s degree in Exotic Animal Breeding at the Czech University of Life Sciences. As part of this program, she also undertook practical training with sea lions at Prague Zoo and participated in their care, including regular positive veterinary handling training. During her master’s studies in Companion Animal Breeding, she focused on dogs. In recent years, she has begun sharing her knowledge with others through private training practice. She focuses on ethical dog training, preparing puppies for life in the city, cooperative care and handling, and working with unwanted hunting behavior. Entire families are welcome in her classes, as she sees the greatest value in educating children and inspiring a sensitive approach to dogs. As part of her animal-assisted therapy practice, she creates educational programs for children.

Specialization

• Applied ethology, canine sensory perception, welfare, molecular genetics, animal nutrition

• Canistherapy – certified team (since 2021)

• AAE (animal-assisted education) programs within canistherapy

• Working with children – leading clubs and suburban camps

• Ethical, modern animal training, primarily dogs

Education

• Bachelor’s thesis: Use of positive reinforcement training to increase work safety and animal welfare during veterinary and husbandry procedures in zoological gardens

• Master’s thesis: Spontaneous preference for emotional expressions of human faces in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris)

Work experience

• 2016–present: Instructor of clubs and day camps at Toulcův dvůr (SRAZ)

• 2019–present: Instructor of animal care and dog clubs at the Naturalists’ Station of DDM Prague 2

• 2021–present: Individual and group dog training in private practice (Necvičák, Dancingdogs, Prague)

• Creation of educational programs for children using canistherapy

• Creation of online courses (e.g. 2020: online dog training course for children – Psichologie.cz)