logo

  • Log In
  • About Us
  • Calendar
  • Faculty & Staff
  • instagram-icon
  • facebook-icon
  • twitter-icon
  • Courses
    • Schedule
    • By Discipline
    • By Instructor
    • Prerequisites
    • Self-Study
    • Scholarships
    • Gift Certificates
  • Webinars
    • Schedule
    • FAQ
  • Workshops
    • Schedule
    • FAQ
    • Gift Certificates
  • On Demand
    • Pet Dog Presentations
    • Pet Professionals Presentations
    • Self-Study Courses
  • Special Links
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Fenzi TEAM Titles
    • Trainer Certificates
    • Private Lessons
    • Other Free Stuff!
    • Swag
  • Events
    • Puppies!!! - Online Conference May 13
    • Training Camp
    • Bootcamps
  • Contact
    • Course FAQ
    • Webinar FAQ
    • Workshop FAQ
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Help
  • Courses
    • Schedule
    • By Discipline
    • By Instructor
    • Prerequisites
    • Self-Study
    • Scholarships
    • Gift Certificates
  • Webinars
    • Schedule
    • FAQ
  • Workshops
    • Schedule
    • FAQ
    • Gift Certificates
  • On Demand
    • Pet Dog Presentations
    • Pet Professionals Presentations
    • Self-Study Courses
  • Special Links
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Fenzi TEAM Titles
    • Trainer Certificates
    • Private Lessons
    • Other Free Stuff!
    • Swag
  • Events
    • Puppies!!! - Online Conference May 13
    • Training Camp
    • Bootcamps
  • Contact
    • Course FAQ
    • Webinar FAQ
    • Workshop FAQ
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Help

BH240: Working with Reactive and Hyper-aroused Dogs

  • Overview
  • Syllabus
  • Prerequisites & Supplies
  • Sample Lecture
  • Testimonials & Reviews
    • Registration
      Apply for a scholarship

  • See Also
  • All Classes
  • All Workshops

BH240: Working with Reactive and Hyper-aroused Dogs

Course Details

This class is best suited to dogs that respond in an active way to an increase in arousal.

When leashed or behind a barrier, these dogs typically lunge and/or bark at stimulus such as unknown people, dogs, bicycles, vehicles, or wildlife. They may also occasionally (or frequently) run off, bark, spin, lose focus, or do zoomies in the middle of a training session, or at a competition. They appear to struggle to control themselves at times, and may easily get distracted when in a big environment.  Once hyper-aroused they may even redirect on to their owner, chomp on toys, or snap at treats.

The hyperarousal may occur as the dog’s attention is drawn to stimuli in the environment, or it may be a response to aspects of the training session itself. Once past threshold the dog is unable to follow cues, they cannot think clearly, they struggle to offer true handler focus, and they may be uninterested in treats, or take treats in a snappy way. In many dogs the escalation to this state is rapid – going from thinking, to not thinking, in a split second!

Reactive and hyper-aroused responses are driven by a vast array of underlying emotions, motivations, and contributing factors. In this class we discuss many of these, as well as the potential reinforcers that may be contributing to the ongoing expression of the behaviors. Understanding why these responses are occurring allows us to choose the best approach to modify the existing behaviors.

In this class, the Gold students will work through Sharon’s method for modifying reactive behavior – Offered Durational Engagement. This protocol is focused on helping the dog find time to think between the stimulus and the response. So instead of going from stimulus to the existing automatic 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; the importance of effective management; when, where and how to implement behavior modifying training, and when to progress beyond behavior modification to the teams ultimate goals (creating pet dog behaviors or creating sport specific behaviors).

This class will be beneficial for anyone looking to understand over-arousal, and also wanting strategies to maintain optimal arousal (and therefore a thinking and responsive dog) during training and competing. The content of this class is equally applicable to dogs over-arousing due to desire (e.g. excitement, desire to chase, etc.), or due to negative-valence emotions (e.g. fear, anxiety, anger, frustration).

The gold spots will be best suited to dogs that readily disconnect from their handler due 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 or chase the stimulus, or a dog that is performing behaviors in an attempt to maintain or increase distance from the stimulus.

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 cover issues associated with resource guarding, multi-dog household dog-to-dog aggression, 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.

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 will be practical exercises introduced weekly, with lots of flexibility for Gold students to progress through the work at their own pace, selecting the exercises that most suit their dog, and their end goals.

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 increased understanding of reactive and over-aroused dogs and why they perform the behaviours they do. Much of the learning is concept based with full opportunity for in-depth discussion for all students on the class Facebook page.  

The content of this class is presented in written form, with the occasional diagram or chart to support the written information. Practical exercises are frequently supported with short video demonstrations. These 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 centre, 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 the stimulus, 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 protocol does require frequent feeding of high value 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.  

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.

There is a Teaching Assistant (TA) for this session. The TA is accessed via the BH240 Facebook group. This allows bronze and silver students to receive personal feedback about their videos as they work their way through the practical exercises in this class. 

Sharon CarrollInstructor: 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.)

Syllabus

View Full Syllabus
 

WEEK 1

  • 1.1. Arousal
    • - The effects of arousal on the body and brain.
    • - The influence of arousal on performance and learning.
    • - Factors that shift the optimal arousal range.
    • - Drive: High arousal appropriately channeled.
  • 1.2. Common underlying emotions and motivations that drive reactivity in dogs.
  • 1.3. Contributing factors for hyperarousal and reactivity.
  • 1.4. Identifying reinforcers of reactive and hyper-aroused responses.
  • 1.5. Influencing arousal and emotion.
  • 1.6. Issues with food during training.
    • - Dogs that reject treats.
    • - Dogs that snatch at treats.
    • - Dogs that become highly aroused (and typically bark) in the presence of treats.
    • - Dogs that become highly aroused (and may become aggressive) in the presence of treats.

WEEK 2

  • 2.1. Triggers and trigger intensity.
  • 2.2. Reasons reactive responses may appear unpredictable.
  • 2.3. Information gathering versus preparing for a response.
  • 2.4. The thinking brain versus the emotional brain.
  • 2.5. Offered behaviors versus cued behaviors.
  • 2.6. Training in a way that reduces over-arousal.
    • - Understanding pressure.
    • - Creating clarity.
    • - Progressing at an appropriate pace.
    • - Antecedent arrangements to reduce over-arousal.
    • - Using reward markers effectively to reduce over-arousal.
    • - Responding to errors.
    • - Recognizing and responding to early signs of deterioration in behavior.
    • - Offering our dog the option of saying “no”.

WEEK 3

  • 3.1. Distraction techniques.
  • 3.2. Management.
  • 3.3. When to ignore unwanted behaviors and when to intervene.
  • 3.4. A deeper dive into negative-valence emotions: fear, anxiety, frustration, anger.
  • 3.5. Poisoned cues and poisoned environments.

WEEK 4

  • 4.1. Predictability versus lack of predictability.
  • 4.2. Travel and arrival at new venues.
  • 4.3. The impact of human energy and behavior.
  • 4.4. Creating calmer crating.
  • 4.5. The importance of easing into increasing arousal. (Not crate to crazy!)

WEEK 5

  • 5.1. Stillness: anticipation, relaxation, duration.
  • 5.2. The Premack Principle.
  • 5.3. Habituation, perception, and context.
  • 5.4. Acclimation to new environments.
  • 5.5. Sleep.
  • 5.6. Exercise.

WEEK 6

  • 6.1. Is your dog ready to work?
  • 6.2. Training for the end goal (sport behaviors / pet behaviors) - Moving on from behavior modification.
  • 6.3. Objectively assessing the potential impact of the environment and other pressures.
  • 6.4. A few key summary points.

Prerequisites & Supplies

View all Prerequisites & Supplies

N/A

Sample Lecture

More

Common underlying emotions and motivations that drive reactivity in dogs.

When we use the term “reactive” we are referring to a dog that “reacts” to one or more stimuli (triggers). The dog will give substantial focus to the stimulus and lose focus on the handler. They will direct their movement towards the stimulus, with or without vocalization. When the dog is on a leash at the time, the behavior is typically termed “leash reactivity”. This could present as extremely strong pulling on the leash towards the stimulus, or there could be leaping, lunging, diving, darting. There may also be vocalization (crying, whining, barking, growling, snarling). The dog may also perform these behaviors at barriers other than the restriction of the leash (a property fence, a front window in a home, from within a crate or enclosure, etc). Typically this is given the broader term “barrier frustration”.

Although frustration frequently drives this type of behavior, it is not the only reason dogs lunge and bark at a barrier. The underlying emotions and motivations driving reactive behaviors, vary from dog to dog, and sometimes from situation to situation. We tend to think of fear and anxiety as being a primary cause, however it is just one of many reasons’ dogs perform these behaviors. Some of the most common drivers are:

  • -        Fear / anxiety.
  • -        Frustration.
  • -        Excitement.
  • -        Stimulated by fast movement and/or sound.
  • -        Predatory behavior.
  • -        High arousal levels present in the dog prior to the stimulus appearing - (state driven reactivity).
  • -        Resource guarding behaviors.
  • -        Owner guarding behaviors.
  • -        Property guarding behaviors.
  • -        Genetically-based non-social disposition (lack of interest in being in close contact with unknown humans).  
  • -        Genetically-based dog-to-dog aggression.

When we look at the above list, it becomes obvious that no one single behavior modification method could be effective at addressing all cases of “reactivity”. The reason the dog is displaying the reactive behaviors will influence the correct choice of strategies needed.

In this class we use my Offered Durational Engagement protocol as a starting point. This protocol provides a basic desensitization / counter-conditioning component, together with an operant component. It is designed to reduce the stress levels for the dog, but also to help the dog find time between perceiving the stimulus and performing a response. Once we have helped the dog to find time to think, instead of going straight to an automatic response, then the dog can make a choice to perform an alternative behavior, which we can then reinforce.

This same protocol is effective for dogs that get distracted by various stimuli during work, or leave work to engage with the distraction/s.

Testimonials & Reviews

Read All Testimonials

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

I have already recommended this class to others. I have used ODE with my personal dogs and even clients with great results so far. Sharon has been an amazing instructor who goes above and beyond to help the students in the class. She has tremendous insight and I can't wait to see what other courses I can take from her in the future.       


All Fenzi classes are excellent but this one was exceptional. Sharon seemed to give her whole heart and soul to this class couldn't have been more complete with how she answered each and every student. She broke training down into micro pieces has reframed the way I train. Students were so engaged and hungry for her knowledge it was difficult to keep up with all the video submissions and feedback 😀. The facebook group was so active too. I learned so much and can't wait for your next class.. Thank you Sharon!              


This course was very helpful as my dog is reactive mostly because of frustration, and not a lot of trainers put out resources for dealing with that specifically. While parts are similar to dealing with fear-based reactivity, this course had some specific components that really helped me address some issues I had been having with my dog. I also feel like I understand my dog's arousal levels better, and when his distractions are instinctual, and how better to work through that.                 


I actually kept a page for the evaluation - from the beginning I was blown away: Sharon is SO responsive and positive. The FB group was active and helpful. I’ve taken a lot of “reactive dog” classes, in person and online, read lots of books, etc. Sharon puts it all together – the theory AND the practical Primarily didactic with specific exercises, we were not only shown how to train a behavior but we were trained to assess our dogs, assess the environment, assess the progress we are making as a team. What a marvelous class! The concept on paper is so simple but Sharon adds SO MUCH insight, experience, “book learnin’” – just marvelous! Love Sharon’s “where people tend to go wrong” information – it is SPOT ON!! 


BH 240 has been the best class I've taken at FDSA so far. I learned so much because Sharon Carroll had such detailed lectures, scientific explanations for arousal, multiple videos to support the exercise lectures, and various solutions if things aren't going the right way. There was also an incredible support system from both the instructor and the Facebook group. After taking multiple behavioral classes, it was really eye-opening to learn all about the subject of arousal and at the same time start implementing the ODE process with my pup. You can see the process and change in my dog's behavior just by comparing videos from the beginning to the end of the class. This class was perfect for me and my reactive, high-arousal dog. I strongly recommend this course if you find yourself in the same position.                       


This is the best online reactive dogs class that I've ever taken. I have a young dog that is not easy in any social situation (dog or human) nor is he a particularly biddable dog. Sharon has provided information and skill that to train both me and my dog to be a team and and be able to function together. It is not an easy road and there are no shortcuts but she has provided a path for positive things to happen. I am so grateful that I have taken this class. I would recommend this class to anyone. The understanding gained from the experience is incredibly valuable to all dogs and their people. .                 


A lot of information presented in a nice and structured way. The theoretical part is easy to understand and supplemented with many practical examples. As a Silver I did many exercises on my own, but because of the clear structure and criteria presented it felt very doable and my dog improved significanty. Excellent Course!                     


I have made many errors trying to follow conventional R+ guidance for a lower energy, lower drive sensitive dog who experiences high arousal. I've been confused between acclimation and letting the dog prepare a reaction. For the first time I feel more comfortable in knowing what behavior to interrupt and what behavior to allow as information gathering. I can't thank Sharon enough for bringing me clarity and unifying these concepts for me and my dog who don't align with the typical high drive sports dogs.                   


Sharon truly cares about all of us with our challenges and successes with our dogs. Sharon went above and beyond and wrote detailed and complete responses. She was proactive in sending information and always had a sense of urgency when responding to any questions, whether through the Forum or providing information on Facebook. I have been consistently applying Sharon’s method with my reactive dog and I see continued improvement. And importantly, Sharon was very clear that we are not alone, there will be good days and bad days, and we should not let others make us feel bad about our situation. She is wonderful,     


    

Sharon Carroll is an outstanding instructor. In every lecture and in all her feedback she is kind (I put that first because of it’s importance to me- students often feel a bit vulnerable when dealing with behavioural needs), complete in her detail, orderly and sensible. Sharon is just so clear and understandable. She is also extremely generous with her time. It is apparent that she cares and wants all her students to find success. After having taken this course and her workshop I will for sure be seeking out Sharon’s courses. I really wanted a gold spot this time but just missed it! Even at bronze this was such a dense and worthwhile course. Many students on the FB group have written about their progress. I haven’t seen a major shift for us yet but I do think if I continue to apply the ODE protocol, we will. Thank you for this offering! I will note that of the behavioural courses I have taken through FDSA- this one really landed with me and clicked.

Registration

Next session starts: April 1, 2023
Registration starts: March 22, 2023
Registration ends: April 15, 2023

Registration opens at 10:00am Pacific Time. 

BH240 Subscriptions


Gold

Silver

Bronze
Tuition $ 260.00 $ 130.00 $ 65.00
Enrollment Limits 10 25 Unlimited
Access all course lectures and materials ✔ ✔ ✔
Access to discussion and homework forums ✔ ✔ ✔
Read all posted questions and answers ✔ ✔ ✔
Watch all posted videos ✔ ✔ ✔
Post general questions to Discussion forum ✔ ✔ ✖
Submit written assignments ✔ ✖ ✖
Post dog specific questions ✔ With video only ✖
Post videos ✔ Up to 2 ✖
Receive instructor feedback on
  • Questions
  • All videos
  • Questions
  • All videos
✖

Find more details, refund policies and answers to common questions in the Help center.

  • Prev
  • Next
  • FDSA
    • About Us
    • What Do We Teach?
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Testimonials
    • Privacy Policy
  • Student Resources
    • Calendar
    • Scholarships
    • Gift Certificates
    • Swag
    • Trainer Certificates
  • Courses
    • Class Schedules
    • By Instructor
    • By Discipline
    • Prerequisites
    • Self Study
  • Webinars
    • Schedule
    • Webinar Courses
    • Register
  • More Learning
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Puppy Book
    • Private Lessons
    • Team
  • Help!
    • Getting Started
    • Enrolled Students
    • Video & Images
    • Webinars

Copyright © Fenzi Dog Sports Academy and individual instructors.

Technical support - send email to help@fenziacademy.com

Connect with us! facebook-icon email-icon instagram-icon