BH240: Working with Reactive and Hyper-aroused Dogs

This class has a TA (teaching assistant) for bronze and silver students!

In this class we focus on dogs who react in an active way to aspects of the environment (e.g. joggers, other dogs, cars, unfamiliar people, bicycles, children, skateboards, prey animals, etc.) or to the environment as a whole (e.g. become over-stimulated when first arriving at the park / beach / hiking trail, or when in a class or trial environment).

The types of behaviors we see will vary from dog to dog but may include barking, whining, lunging, leaping, spinning, pulling, nipping, mouthing, unable to follow handler cues, performing “uncontrollable” zoomies, snapping hard at treats, unable to take treats, or displaying redirected aggression (e.g. biting the leash or nipping at the handler or another nearby person or dog).

There are many underlying drivers for these types of behaviors (e.g. fear, anxiety, excitement, frustration, an innate desire to herd / chase, guarding instincts, genetic intolerance of other adult dogs, etc.); we discuss all of these in this class and importantly we delve into the reasons why different drivers require different training and management protocols. For example, desensitization and counter conditioning is highly effective when the driver is fear / anxiety, but this strategy alone will not be effective when the driver is an innate motivation (e.g. prey drive, herding instincts, guarding instincts, genetic intolerance of other dogs, etc.).

“Reactive responses” are not always fueled by a hyper-aroused state, but the two commonly occur together, so in this class we also take a deep dive into “hyper-arousal” (i.e. dogs becoming so highly aroused that they genuinely struggle to control themselves, are unable to “think clearly”, cannot make “good” decisions, and cannot accurately respond to handler cues). For many dogs the escalation to this state is rapid – going from "thinking", to "not thinking", in a split second!

In this class, the Gold students will work through Sharon’s 10-step method for modifying reactive and hyper-aroused behavior – Offered Durational Engagement (ODE). This protocol is focused on helping each dog to find time to think between perceiving the stimulus and performing their response, so instead of immediately shifting to performing their existing reactive / hyper-aroused response, the dog is able to "think" before responding and hence can choose to offer an alternative behavior to the existing, inappropriate, or extreme response.

During this 6-week class, handlers will develop the necessary skills to assist their dog through this journey. This includes: honing observation skills; knowing when and how to use distraction and effective management; when, where and how to implement behavior modifying training, and when to progress beyond behavior modification to the team’s ultimate goals (creating pet dog behaviors or working on sport specific behaviors).

This class will be beneficial for anyone looking to improve their understanding of arousal and those wanting strategies to maintain optimal arousal (and therefore a thinking and responsive dog) during training and competing.

The gold spots will be best suited to dogs that lose focus on their handler in response to “distractions” in the environment, or dogs that demonstrate “reactivity” to one or more specific stimuli (triggers) – this could be a dog that is driven by desire to get to the stimulus (e.g. greet the person or dog) or a dog that is wanting to chase the stimulus, or a dog that is performing behaviors in an attempt to maintain or increase distance from the stimulus (e.g. displaying fear-based responses).

The content of this class is applicable to every different dog sport, as well as dogs with varying lifestyles, including pet dogs.

Note: In this class we do not directly work on issues associated with resource guarding, or aggression directed towards a known person (e.g. a family member that lives within the home or frequents the home). We do however lightly touch on nipping / mouthing / grabbing due to frustration and excess arousal.

This class will have a Teaching Assistant (TA) available in the Facebook study group, so Bronze and Silver students can access personalized feedback on their videos! Directions for joining that Facebook group will be in the classroom after you join.  

Teaching Approach

Lectures will be released in two blocks each week: one at the start of the week and one mid-week. The bulk of the written content will be released in the first half of the class to allow students to incorporate the information into their training as quickly as possible.

There is a large amount of written information provided in this class, but it is not necessary to “keep up” with the reading material during the class. The written topics provide an excellent and in-depth reference point, but students can progress successfully through the class by only reading the practical exercises that are released each week, in combination with reading any of the written topics that interest them. 

Each Gold student will follow along with the practical exercises at their own pace; moving on to the next step only once the team feel confident at the previous step.

All students are encouraged to follow along with the Gold and Silver students’ forums to get the most benefit from this class; this is where you will see the strategies applied in a real-life setting, with appropriate adjustments made as required to suit the needs of each individual dog and handler.

This class is heavily focused on providing an increased understanding of “reactivity” and hyper-aroused states and a deeper understanding of why dogs perform these types of behaviours. Much of the learning is concept based with an opportunity for in-depth discussion for all students on the class Facebook page (which currently has over 1,000 members).  

The content of this class is presented in written form, with the occasional diagram or chart to support the written information. Some practical exercises may be supported with short video demonstrations; these video may include audio voice-over but are always supported with a detailed written description.

To progress through the exercises in the latter part of the class it is ideal to be able to work in various locations where there will be some distractions for your dog. These locations can be indoors (e.g. a training center, a friend’s home, etc.) or outdoors (e.g. a parking lot, a park, a training grounds, a suburban street, etc.). The training approach however is focused on your dog not reacting to environmental stimuli, so don’t feel like you will need to place yourself in a potentially dangerous or anxiety-inducing situation. For Gold students, Sharon will be working with each of you individually to ensure progression occurs at a pace that is appropriate for your team, with lots of flexibility to tailor the exact approach to you, your dog, and you circumstance.  

The Offered Durational Engagement (ODE) protocol does require feeding of treats. Some highly emotional dogs reject treats or become “bitey” as they take the treat; the reasons for these issues are addressed in the first week. As this protocol aims to maintain dogs well below threshold, typically this protocol is highly effective even with dogs that reject treats (or snatch at treats) when highly stimulated (or when in environments other than at home). 

Sharon’s approach is very practical and flexible. Her aim when teaching is to help people understand why their dog is performing the current behaviors. Using this approach, students can ultimately develop the ability to think through a behavioral issue independently, and generate a selection of potentially effective solutions. The ability to analyse and problem solve also gives students the tools to be successful with future dogs and unrelated behavior issues. Students’ typically say that their increased understanding of the existing behaviors significantly improves their relationship with their dog and reduces their own feelings of uncertainty and frustration.

This class will have a Teaching Assistant (TA) available in the Facebook study group to help the Bronze and Silver students! Directions for joining that Facebook group will be in the classroom after you join.  

Instructor: Sharon Carroll

Sharon (she/her) has been a professional animal trainer for 30 years. She has been both a presenter and trainer in a range of animal shows, and currently operates, a dog training and behaviour consulting business based in Newcastle, Australia. (Click here for full bio and to view Sharon's upcoming courses.)