What is the difference between a workshop and a seminar?

I’m often asked what the difference is between a workshop and a seminar.

When setting up events I make a clear distinction between a workshop and a seminar.

A seminar is a form of academic instruction in which a specific topic is discussed between an instructor and a group of students.  The purpose of a seminar is to help people learn and exchange knowledge about a specific topic. When it comes to dog training there will usually be a portion of the seminar devoted to learning hands on with the dogs the students brought to the seminar. For me this means you are paying for knowledge, training plans, tips, and critiques.

A workshop is a meeting at which a group of people engage in discussion and activity on a subject. Where a seminar may have a portion devoted to hands on learning a workshop is dedicated time to hands on work and instruction. When I host a workshop I skip all the lecture and teaching on a specific topic and dive right into sessions with the dogs, of course there will be discussion and learning as we work through sessions with the dogs but the formality of lecture and group discussion is skipped in this case.

Usually if the group hosting the event is a newer younger group, I recommend a seminar because there will be more value in learning information than getting some extra reps in with the dog. If the group hosting has had me out for a seminar in the past then I recommend a workshop unless the topic they would like to focus on is a different topic. A seminar can have more people in attendance because of that focus on learning. A workshop will have different limits based on how many dogs I can work in a day.