Course Details
Reactive Integration Skills for the Fearful, Frustrated, or Forward Dog
In this class we will help to identify what the basis is for your dogs reactivity. It isn’t always fear-based. It can even start out as fear based and turn into frustration or forward.
How do we differentiate between the different types of reaction? You wll learn what each one looks like and what works best for that dog.
Fearful reactivity happens when a dog feels unsafe or overwhelmed and uses barking, lunging, or growling to increase distance from the trigger. The behavior is defensive, not aggressive in intent.
Frustrated reactivity occurs when a dog is highly motivated to approach (a person, dog, object, scent, movement) but is prevented by a leash, barrier, or handler. The dog becomes over aroused and loses emotional regulation.
Forward reactivity is approach oriented behavior driven by excitement, curiosity, or social boldness. It’s not distress based. The dog is simply too amped, too eager, and too intrusive.
Regardless of the dogs’ underlying motivation for their behavior, this class will help the owner identify that driver and help the owner to modify the dogs emotional response if needed, and / or their physical one. The handler will learn various reinforcement strategies, arousal modulation skills, alternative or incompatible behavior skills, or behavior modification protocols to reduce undesirable reactions.
Teaching Approach:
Information outlined in the syllabus will be detailed in a lecture and when appropriate, a video example. Each student will have a customized approach so that although there is a lot of information presented, it may not apply to each of you and recommendations will be given based on the individual. The initial focus of the course is to ‘reduce the baseline’ before we take the training into the real world. By integrating training from the sport dog world, pet world, behavior world, and even the working dog world, you will build a strong foundation indoors that will allow for progress outside.
Forums will be checked twice daily, and all posts will be responded to by me in detail with or without video support before you post again.
Instructor: Karen Deeds, CDBC Karen Deeds, is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). She is the co-owner of Canine Connection in Ft. Worth, TX with her husband, Bob Deeds, a retired Federal K9 Handler on Texas Task Force I....(Click here for full bio and to view Karen's upcoming courses)
