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BH430: Success With Sensitive Dogs

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BH430: Success With Sensitive Dogs

Course Details

Do you have a Sensitive Dog? One who shuts down, quits, goes sniffing, freezes, or just plain wilts like an unwatered plant at the slightest perceived pressure?

Or perhaps your dog gets worked up: Barking, zoomies, lunging, bitting, or going off to "socialize" in the middle of a training session or trial?

Does your Sensitive Dog’s behaviour slow down your training? Prevent you from doing the things you want to do together? Or maybe is so extreme that it affects her ability to fully enjoy life?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, then you definitely have a Sensitive Dog. And I created this class just for you!

I have a house full of Sensitive Dogs and know all too well how tricky they can be to work with sometimes. But don’t despair! While challenging, Sensitive Dogs can also be some of the most wonderful and exciting to both train and live with. You just have to understand how to adjust your approach to bring out their best.

And, perhaps most importantly, how to open yourself up to what they have to offer. Which may not be what you expect!

This class will teach you to become a better communicator with your Sensitive Dog.

In particular, not only will you learn how to be clearer with YOUR language, but, importantly, you will learn how to better understand what your dog is telling you.

I call the Sensitive Dog behaviours I listed above “shouting”. But before they shout, dogs will “whisper”.

We want to learn to hear and respond to the whispers.

By the time they’re shouting, their nervous system has been activated into a fight /  flight or freeze response and then we’re dealing with the fallout. 

If we can learn to listen to their whispers and respond at that level, then they stay in a more optimal state of arousal and can keep functioning effectively. 

As such, EVERY dog (and handler) will benefit from this class. It’s about becoming a better trainer and a more responsive partner to your dog.

This learning is especially important, however, for dog/handler teams where at least one partner is sensitive.

The class won’t make your dog less sensitive; it will teach you how to engage with your Sensitive Dog as a partner in doing things that are hard for her. And when she sees you are really there for her? Magic happens.

 

Join me in this class as I share my five-pronged approach to working with Sensitive Dogs. Specifically, in our time together, we will be exploring:

  • The #1 thing you need to know about arousal, the nervous system, and your Sensitive Dog
  • The importance of developing a Success with Sensitive Dogs Mindset (and how to do so!)
  • How training may have contributed to your dog's sensitivity, and what to do about it.
  • "Loopy Training" and "Loopy Listening"
  • Identifying and curing Poisoned Cues
  • Playing with your Sensitive Dog so you both have fun!
  • Building confidence through consent and giving up control
  • Management strategies for those times when training isn’t possible

In this class, I will teach you key strategies and tools that you can implement right away, and that will give you immediate results. Practiced regularly, you’ll continue to see improvement over the weeks, months, and years to come.

Even better, as you learn how to more effectively work with your Sensitive Dog, you’ll discover that these dogs can be some of the most delightful to work with! They are the most amazing teachers, and offer us the opportunity to grow, learn, and dramatically improve our skills as trainers. Your Sensitive Dog can even become the partner of your dreams!

Join me to discover how to bring out the best in your Sensitive Dog, and develop the partnership you’ve always hoped was possible.

Who is this class for:

  • Anyone looking to better understand and more effectively work with their Sensitive Dog
  • Anyone with a dog who shows Sensitive Dog behaviours (see above!)
  • Those looking for positive reinforcement-based approaches for building confidence and clarity in their training
  • Trainers who are not getting the results they hope and dream of

This class focuses on:

  • Training theory and concepts
  • Understanding arousal and the nervous system
  • Lifestyle and mindset change
  • Practical, simple exercises that have a big impact over time

What we will NOT be covering in the class:

  • Medically-based approaches to supporting Sensitive Dogs
  • Sound sensitivity

 

Teaching Approach

This class is taught primarily through written lectures coupled with some video content. Rather than a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all set of exercises, this class is heavily concept based with the goal of teaching you the skills and understanding you need to create a tailored approach for your unique dog.

While all the fundamentals are presented in the class lectures, all students are encourage to follow along in the Gold and Silver forums as deeply enriching conversations and explorations will be taking place there, adding to your understanding of the material and how to put it into practice.

The class lectures are dense and there is a large volume of material. You are encouraged to work at your own pace, and focus on those concepts and strategies that make the most sense for where you and your dog are at in the moment. There is never any "behind" in this class!

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

 

Questions? Please don't hesitate to contact me at helene@helenelawler.com. 

 

Helene LawlerInstructor: Helene Lawler

Hélène Lawler (she/her) got her first dog, a border collie named Jake, in 1989 and has been training dogs ever since. Over the years, she has trained in obedience, search and rescue, protection sports, rally, tricks, and freestyle, among others. She discovered agility in 2004, and herding in 2005, which have become her main focus and passion in dog sports. (Click here for full bio and to view Hélène's upcoming courses)

Syllabus

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Please note: This class is being updated, while the topics will remain the same, there might be some adjustment to the order in which they are presented.

Week 1: Establishing a "Success with Sensitive Dogs Mindset"

  • Defining the “Sensitive Dog”
  • An overview of my five-pronged approach to working with Sensitive Dogs
  • The other end of the leash: The critical role of handler mindset

Week 2: Arousal and the Sensitive Dog

  • The number one mistake people make with Sensitive Dogs
  • The role arousal plays in creating poisoned cues
  • Strategies for achieving optimal arousal for optimal performance
  • Playing with your Sensitive Dog 

Week 3: Poisoned Cues

  • What is a poisoned cue and why does it matter?
  • How are poisoned cues created?
  • How can I identify a poisoned cue?
  • How can I fix a poisoned cue?

Week 4: Thinking in Loops!

  • Handler mechanics: The other end of the leash, revisited
  • Training in loops (which cures poisoned cues!)
  • Loopy Listening: The most important skill to develop other than Mindset

Week 5: Consent and choice

  • Why Sensitive Dogs need consent and choice more than most
  • The fallout of learned helplessness
  • Offering choice to build confidence
  • Building consent protocols 

Week 6: Putting it all together 

  • Creating an effective training plan
  • What to do when offering consent or choice isn't an option
  • Management strategies for when you can't train away the problem
  • Conclusion and additional resources

 

Prerequisites & Supplies

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There are no specific prerequisites for this class. I do assume a basic understanding of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement-based training strategies. All necessary techniques will be taught during the class.

Please note: This class is a concepts class and its focus it to teach the overarching concepts you can use to create your own, unique plan for working with your sensitive dog. The exercise taught are simple, but the concepts may take time and practice to fully understand and implement.

 

Sample Lecture

More

The #1 Thing to Know to Help Your Sensitive Dog

There is one critical difference in how to respond to stress high behaviours vs. stress low behaviours, and if you take nothing else away from this course, I want you to remember what I share below. Specifically, the key difference between how to respond to a dog when she is stressing high, vs. when she is stressing low.

I used to teach that stress-high behaviours (barking, lunging, spinning, zoomies, biting, punching, victory laps and so on) and stress low behaviours (slowing down, getting sniffy, scratching, 1000-mile stare, quitting and so on) are two sides of the same coin.

Specifically, that they’re both the result of over-arousal. Which, to the best of my knowledge, is indeed true.

However! There is a critical difference in how we want to respond to these two sets of behaviours!

You see, stress-high behaviours are the result of a dog’s nervous system being triggered into a fight / flight response. When this happens, the nervous system is in a state of very high energy. The body has mobilized all its resources to either run away from, or fight off a threat.

Importantly, this response is by the AUTONOMIC nervous system. That is, that part of our nervous system that we don’t have conscious control over. This is not the result of conscious thought, but rather an unconscious reaction to something the nervous system perceives as a threat.

That sense of threat can come from many sources:

From being in a new environment, from the presence of strange dogs or people, from the energy of others (at a trial, for instance).

This can also come from the handler being stressed or behaving in different or confusing ways. Or from confusion or frustration in training. Or other internal factors such as pain, an upset stomach, and so on!

When a dog is in a fight/flight state, they have lots of energy with which to react to this perceived sense of danger!

And so our job as handlers is to guide and direct that energy.

To channel that burst of activity into a healthier outlet than the dog might choose, in such a way as to diffuse and release that energy and help the dog back down into a calmer state. For instance:

- Moving away from the source of threat
- Pattern games, such as pattern feeding
- Movement, especially in patterns (such as circle walking, leg weaves, healing in a figure-8)
- Scatter feeding

Now, if we have a dog who exhibits Stress-Low behaviour, this dog is in a FREEZE state. The freeze state is actually a state of very low energy, and is the result of the nervous system feeling like there is no way to fight and no possibility to run away. It gets overwhelmed, and basically blows a breaker.

The freeze state is one in which the body is preparing for potential death: It has given up, and disconnects (we, humans, do this too. In particular, emotional disconnect and ‘dissociation’).

Remember, this is not a conscious decision! It’s programming that was put into place long before our present society evolved. So please don’t take it personally if your dog freezes at the sight of a set of weave poles or a clicker and handful of cheese!

Ok, so recall that, when our dog is in a state of fight / flight they are in high energy and need that energy to be guided and channeled.

When our dogs are in a FREEZE state, however, they are in a very low energy state. Very importantly, they DO NOT NEED ENERGY!

The last thing you want to do with your frozen dog is to try and get them going again by trying to ramp them up. This can work in the short term, but tends to compound the problem, making it worse in the long run.

Rather, what we want to do is help the dog feel SAFE.

Creating a sense of safety is what will thaw your dog out of the freeze state and get him going again.

How? Well, that really depends on what caused the feeling of insecurity in the first place. If it’s the environment, distance works well.

If it’s the training (if your dog is stressing down because of confusion or frustration) then you want to:

- Develop clean training mechanics
- Practice errors AS learning
- Adopt Loopy Listening
- Build consent into your training (i.e., Start / stop buttons)
- Give your dog choice and control

So! In sum, if your dog is:

1) Stressing high? Channel that energy into a constructive pattern that diffuses the energy and brings their arousal down

2) Stressing low? Create a sense of safety before doing anything else. This can happen quickly, or may take time, depending on the cause of the freeze.

Creating just such a sense of safety for our Sensitive Dogs is what we will be doing together over the next 6 weeks.

 

Testimonials & Reviews

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A sampling of what prior students have said about this course...

I have taken more FDSA courses than I can count and I've loved them all, along with the incredible instructors. Success with Sensitive Dogs definitely in my top 5 favorite classes. Helene was such a supportive instructor! The progress my dog made in this class is beyond amazing. She now play bows when it is time to put on her harness instead of running away to hide! Helene's knowledge & unique perspective on working with sensitive dogs(and their owners!) has changed my life with my dogs. I don't say this lightly. We've had certain issues for a long time and in 6 weeks, many of these issues have gone away! I love the holistic approach and would recommend this class for anyone wanting to learn more about themselves and working with their sensitive dog. Helene is a valuable asset to FDSA and I look forward to more classes from her! Angela R. & Eevee     


Helene you are an amazing instructor! Out of all the courses I've taken this would be the one that has had the most impact on me, and in turn a positive effect on my dog, as well as other people that I help to train. By day 3 I'd had my first lightbulb moment, and six weeks just went way too quickly. I can't thank you enough for running this course, it's been a game changer for me.               


The Success with Sensitive Dogs was an amazing course. I loved the combination of improving handler mindset and listening skills, and using the best training practices, to create a better relationship with my dog. Helene is an exceptional teacher. She simplified the concepts of loopy training, poisoned cues, and consent and made them easy to understand. Her feedback to the Gold and Silver students was meticulous, and the video replay in slow motion with commentary was unique and super helpful. She inspired conversation, and the forum for this class was incredibly active. Even as a bronze student, the impact this class had on my dog training awareness will last forever.     


Helene is an amazing educator - our feedback was incredibly insightful, detailed, caring and kind at the same time - not easy to do The course was detailed, personally challenging at times, but Helene was always there If you have a soft, sensitive dog take this class, you will not regret it. I have taken many classes at gold for soft/sensitive/shut down dogs - this would be my first pick if I were to start my journey again.


From our very first homework assignment, it was clear Helene was going to have a very different approach to most classes I have taken at FDSA. The questions she asked were thoughtful, and all of her advice was kind and supportive. I started the class frustrated, overwhelmed, and feeling like my girl and I were sometimes speaking different languages - but I knew there was a fantastic little dog in there. Now, 6 weeks later I have a dog that is pushing me to play and train more, she's more confident, happier, faster and calmer. We're finally feeling like a team and ready to take on anything! Thanks, Helene' for helping me learn how to listen and communicate more effectively. This was an absolute game changer and I highly recommend this course for anyone with a sensitive dog.       


This class was so cathartic! It was like therapy. I really had to dig down deep and discover what I was thinking about my dog and how that was affecting our relationship. It wasn't easy but I'm already seeing benefits. Even outside of dog training! While many of the concepts presented in class were ones I was familiar with, the combination of all of them really culminated in a better understanding of the nuances of training which are so vitally important to training any dog but especially a sensitive one! I really feel I am better equipped to really listen to what my dog is saying and set up more effective training sessions going forward. This is exactly the class I needed!       


When I started this course, my dog was shut down in agility, and I was wondering whether to give up the sport. Helene helped me work through our specific problem and we are back on track. Even more important though, I learned all about working with my sensitive dog in many areas of our life together. My dog is already more confident and happy in life.       


I have taken several classes with FDSA and every one of them have been well done. Having said that, Helene connects with her students with exemplary zeal. This is the first time I have eagerly read what she has told every Gold student in the class and got something from it. Her attention to detail was extraordinary.   


This class was creative, well-structured and so pertinent. All of the material was eye-opening! I feel like I'm walking away with a whole new understanding of my dog AND my thought processes. Thank you, Helene!

 

Registration

There are no scheduled sessions for this class at this time. We update our schedule frequently, so please subscribe to our mailing list for notifications.

Registration opens at 10:00am Pacific Time.

BH430 Subscriptions


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Tuition $ 260.00 $ 130.00 $ 65.00
Enrollment Limits 12 25 Unlimited
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