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BH265: Strategies for Training and Competing the Sensitive Dog

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BH265: Strategies for Training and Competing the Sensitive Dog

Course Details

 

This class is best suited to dogs that perform the following behaviors in training, in competition, or in specific situations: slowing, freezing, losing focus, appearing “disinterested”, becoming unresponsive to handler cues, performing displacement behaviors (e.g. sniffing), becoming avoidant or performing escape behaviors (e.g. zoomies, visiting ring crew, or leaving the training area).

During the usual learning process, our dogs experience moments of frustration and confusion. Typical dogs do not have any long-term problem with this; in most instances frustration simply serves its purpose of pushing our dog to find a solution to the training problem. This success then improves our dog’s resilience for future similar challenges. 

Sensitive dogs however do not respond in the same way. For these dogs, frustration and confusion are extremely aversive. Experiencing almost any amount of frustration, confusion, concern, or discomfort (physical or psychological) can result in almost immediate shutting down. We may see stalling, looking away, appearing “disinterested”, freezing, moving slowly, becoming unresponsive, or performing avoidance, escape, appeasement, or displacement behaviors. In some dogs these behaviors will even be expressed purely in response to the concern associated with novelty (i.e. new environments / new situations).

Experiencing these “unpleasant” feelings in training, or whilst performing a certain task (e.g. retrieve, weave poles, etc.), or when working in a certain environment (e.g. the competition ring), tends to not only affect a sensitive dog’s behavior at that time, but often goes on to affect future behavior in similar situations. This ultimately can result in dogs shutting down, or becoming avoidant, at the very start of a training session, or as soon as they notice specific equipment (e.g. dumbbell, weave poles, rally signs, ring gates, etc.). Alternatively, instead of shutting down, some dogs respond to these feelings by demonstrating escape behaviors (e.g. running away from the handler or performing zoomies, as soon as the leash is removed, or mid-competition). 

Beyond sensitivity to pressure, many sensitive dogs also have an over-active defense system, resulting in them feeling threatened and uncomfortable in situations where objectively we know they are safe. Much like the behavioral inhibition system, the defense system is also responsible for generating freeze behaviors, as well as flight (escape) responses. Hence, learning associated with the activation of the defense system, can also result in avoidance behaviors in future similar situations. It can also generate anxiety-based behaviors such as hypervigilance, and lack of handler focus.

The responses displayed by sensitive dogs are driven by a vast array of underlying emotions and contributing factors. In this class we discuss many of these. We also look at specific ways that we can adapt our training to suit the needs of these dogs.

In this class, the Gold students will work through their dog’s issues on a one-to-one basis with Sharon. Although exercises will be released each week, the Gold students will not necessarily follow this list in order. Instead, Sharon will be working with each team on their specific issues. Whether that is environmental pressure, training pressure, spatial pressure, or specific “poisoned” environments or exercises.

This class will be beneficial for anyone looking to understand sensitive dogs, and/or wanting to expand their current training strategies to include various techniques more suited to the sensitive learner.

The GOLD spots will be best suited to: 

  • Dogs that are currently competing, but struggling with consistency, or having issues with specific exercises.
  • Dogs that have competed previously but struggled. 
  • Dogs that have competition skills in place, but sensitivity issues are currently blocking the start of their competition career.

This class is not sport specific; dogs from all sports are welcome in the Gold spots. Sharon has extensive experience helping sensitive dogs in many sports and working roles and can adapt the training to suit any specific exercise or issue. The issues may range from subtle changes in focus or slight inaccuracies in a competition setting, through to dogs showing significant escape or avoidance behaviors associated with training in general, or any specific exercise or environment.  

The content of this class is applicable to every different dog sport. It is likely there will be obedience, rally, nosework, and agility represented in the Gold and Silver spots, but we may also see a range of other sports represented.

 

Teaching Approach

Lectures will be released in two blocks per 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 at least one practical exercise 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 sensitive dogs and why they perform the behaviors 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 may be supported with short video demonstrations. These may include audio voice-over but are always supported with a detailed written description.

The need for access to various locations will be entirely dependent on your individual dog’s issues. Many of the exercises do not require much space, but for most dog’s it will be ideal to be able to access other environments (e.g. a park, a training facility, or similar) at least a few times during the class. 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.  

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 behavior issue independently and generate a selection of potentially effective solutions. The ability to analyze 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 frustration.

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

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WEEK 1:

What do we mean by “sensitive”?

Emotions: Fear, anxiety, frustration.

The defense system.

Sensitivity to feelings of concern, confusion, and frustration.

Avoidance and escape behaviors.
- Disconnecting / disengaging from the task or the handler.
- Leaving training. Leaving the handler.

An overview of arousal.

The influence of arousal on performance.

Factors that shift the optimal arousal range.

The emotional brain versus the thinking brain.

Influencing arousal and emotion.

Rejecting food / treats / toys / games.

The relationship between behavior complexity and behavior deterioration.

 

WEEK 2:

Understanding Pressure.

Effects of pressure.

Understanding training pressure.

Creating clarity.

Reward expectation.

The potential problem with secondary reinforcers and sensitive dogs.

Multiple reward markers.

Methods for managing errors.

Managing errors of anticipation.

Progressing at an appropriate pace.

Repetition and processing time.

Handler Emotion.

Overtraining and physical discomfort.

Offering our dog the option of saying “no”.

 

WEEK 3:

Discomfort with physical contact.

Spatial pressure.

Proprioception sensitivity.

The effect of the environment.

Developing a two-way line of communication with our dog.

Assessing "appropriate” reinforcement.

Specific considerations when reducing reinforcement with sensitive dogs.

 

WEEK 4:

The impact of prior learning.

Habit.

Poisoned cues, poisoned environments, poisoned equipment.

Assessing which elements are affecting our dog's performance.

Freezing, hesitating, stalling, slowing.

Influencing speed.

Considerations when preparing for competition.

 

WEEK 5:

Habituation, perception, and context.

When to encourage looking, and when to interrupt.

Acclimation to new environments.

Using ODE to determine if our dog is ready to work in a specific environment.

Pressures specifically associated with retrieves.

Issues related to jumping.

Resolving issues with exercises that comprise of a behaviour chain.

 

WEEK 6:

Predictability, routines, pre-cues.

Who's driving the training session.

Summary: Potential strategies for times when the session is not going according to plan.

Sleep.

Effective management of a sensitive dog at a competition.

Recovery after competition.

 

Prerequisites & Supplies

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You will get the most out of this class if you have already undertaken some training with your dog and have a range of established exercises / skills / behaviors.

Gold students do need to have some existing skills in their chosen sport / activity. This could be at the very beginner level, or at the most advanced level. 

Gold and Silver students may be having issues with a specific exercise, or with training in general, or with achieving consistency in competition settings.

Sample Lecture

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1.4. - Sensitivity to feelings of concern, confusion, and frustration.

 

This topic is about the concept known as “punishment sensitivity”. At this point it is important to note that “punishment” itself is not related to inflicting intentional discomfort on our dogs; for some dogs simply feeling concerned / confused / frustrated / conflicted / uncertain may be punishing. This is because from a practical perspective, punishment is anything the individual finds aversive; this can range from physical pain and discomfort, through to simply experiencing negative feelings. 

Being responsive to punishment is a necessity for species survival; it is responsible for reducing behaviors that may potentially lead to harm or discomfort to the individual. However, in many species, including dogs, it has been shown that there is significant individual variation in how sensitive (or insensitive) an individual is to punishment. Studies in dogs have shown personality variations that lead to significant issues developing in highly sensitive dogs simply through the use of negative punishment (e.g. withholding a treat, turning away from our dog, removing our attention from our dog, or abruptly ending a training session). Hence even our standard operant training model (giving treats for “correct” behaviors and withholding treats when “incorrect” behaviors are exhibited), may cause discomfort and avoidance behaviors in highly sensitive dogs.

Individuals who are sensitive to punishment (i.e. feelings of discomfort): 

  • Respond more negatively to experiencing physical or psychological discomfort. (i.e. These dogs’ responses may seem disproportionate; often shutting down or displaying stress signals as soon as they experience even small exposures to negative feelings.)
  • Have more attention to cues that could predict potentially feeling physical or psychological discomfort. (i.e. These dogs are constantly on the lookout for any sign that may indicate that the situation could lead to potentially experiencing negative feelings.)
  • Show more avoidance behavior. (i.e. As soon as these dogs experience any feelings of concern / confusion / uncertainty / frustration / discomfort, then behaviors associated with avoidance may be exhibited.) 

Due to the strong need to avoid experiencing any negative feelings, highly sensitive dogs will also often avoid novel situations / stimuli. This is because they do not automatically presume uncertain situations will end in good things, instead they will likely go to avoidance as a first response as soon as they experience any uncertainty regarding a situation or an object / stimulus.

Likewise, dogs who are highly sensitive don’t like to make errors and their need to avoid potentially making an error causes them to go to inactivity over activity as soon as they experience any confusion / frustration / concern. This can provide a significant training challenge, especially with some training protocols. 

When working with a dog who is punishment sensitive, we will notice that their movement can be rapidly inhibited. At the first sign of confusion or concern, they may slow down, stall and become unresponsive. At this point they typically stop attempting to find a solution to our training challenge or stop responding to our cues. It is important to note that this is not an active decision by our dog. This behavioral inhibition happens to them, it is not under their direct control.

Dogs who are punishment sensitive need training that is very clear and systematic. Any time our dog is left frustrated for too long, becomes uncomfortable, or is uncertain about what they are supposed to do, risks the initiation of behavioral inhibition, avoidance, displacement behaviors or attempts to escape from the situation. 

High sensitivity to punishment is not a common trait in purpose-bred sport dogs or dogs professionally selected for competition / work. However, as punishment sensitivity is a sliding scale, most trainers will have worked with at least one dog who exhibited some form of this response and may have needed to slightly adjust their standard training to suit. Some dogs though are at the extreme end of sensitivity, these dogs typically require a radical shift in the training approaches used.

Over the next few weeks, we look at the ways we can change our training strategies to help our highly sensitive dogs thrive in training sessions and in the competition environment. This may involve transitioning away from the standard operant conditioning model; shifting instead toward rewarding movement, effort, engagement, and attempts to solve training puzzles, rather than the more common approach of rewarding “correct” responses. Strategic use of classical conditioning is also essential when working with highly sensitive dogs. We will also discuss the very specific requirements for reducing reinforcement with highly sensitive dogs to prevent the “disinterest” and avoidance that may take place as reinforcement is reduced with a sensitive dog.

 

What is the connection between “punishment sensitivity” and “reward sensitivity”?

Reward sensitivity has been shown to be unrelated to punishment sensitivity, in that an individual can be insensitive or highly sensitive to reward and this is independent of whether that individual is insensitive or highly sensitive to punishment. When training our dogs though, both parameters matter. A dog who has low drive to attain reward and is highly sensitive to punishment can pose very specific training challenges. Equally a dog who is highly sensitive to reward but also highly sensitive to punishment can frequently experience conflict issues that need to be very well managed.

Testimonials & Reviews

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

I was very fortunate to be a Gold Student. This course was exactly what I needed to advance my understanding and skills to help my sensitive dog. Sharon's responses were kind, clear, and on point for every video I posted. Thank you Sharon for expanding my knowledge and understanding of what are the underlining items that are affecting my dog's behavior. I truly enjoyed and appreciated all your insights, comments, and suggestion on how to be a better team.         


This was a fantastic class. The lectures were easy to follow with great information. I’ve done classes before to help me deal with this challenge. For the first time I felt I was really understanding the root cause of our challenges and was not just learning how to bandaid the problem. Sharon’s feedback was thoughtful, thorough and encouraging. Many students commented in their threads about how much progress they had made in class and now had a plan for going forward with their dog. This was certainly my experience. Thank you Sharon.           


I am so glad I signed up for this class!! I feel I have gained a lot of insight and practical applications towards helping my sensitive girl gain confidence in and out of the ring! The feedback from Sharon was clear, encouraging and informative! Love, love, loved it! Thank You!       


This course was absolutely wonderful. My dog is 7 years old and I have struggled for years with him when competing. He is smart and knows the exercises but shuts down when entering the competition ring. I now have a clearer understanding of his training needs and how to approach it. My only regret is that I didn’t have this information years ago since the “standard training “ I was using with him was not the right approach for my dog.


I've taken multiple classes from Sharon and she is an excellent instructor. This course was highly beneficial for my dog and I and really helped us move forward in our training and helped me gain a better understanding of my dog's needs. Sharon is a huge asset to FDSA. She is incredibly thoughtful, insightful and thorough with her feedback. Highly recommend this course and Sharon as an instructor.     


This was a great course for us! I am running into a few issues while training for obedience so decided to take this course. Lo and behold, thanks to the instructor, I now see that a lot of those same issues had popped up in agility....and I did not realize their significance. I can now make a much better training plan. Thank you so much Sharon!   


This class is just amazing!!! The lectures are easy to read and understand, well structured, and provide a HUGE amount of information! Sharon talks about everything that can be helpful to live with, train and compete with a sensitive dog. The exercises that Sharon suggests are fun, easy and very effective! The handler topics help to work and improve on the human side of the leash. Sharons feedback is detailed, indiviualized and tailored to the team, but still provides lots of general information about behavior, training and current research. This class helped me understand even better why my dog has been struggling with training and environmental pressure. And it gave me some very powerful tools to work with - I feel like after this class, I will always know what to do in any given situation to help my dog! I learned to read my dog even better, to closely watch his behavior and body language during training sessions and to respond to his little signals immediately. Not only that we both feel more relaxed on our walks, Cashs motivation in training has been sky rocketing! Our training sessions at home feel fluent and fun, we already made huge progress, and I feel totally confident that we'll be able to take that progress to other locations, group classes and maybe even trials one day! This class helped me to put all the pieces together and gave me very specific things to work on. Cash and I say thank you for accepting us who we are and for helping us feel better and grow as a team!     


This is the most amazing class I have taken through FDSA. It should be a prerequisite to train any dog for competition whether they are perceived to be sensitive or not! If I had only encountered Sharon ten years ago! Although I had a good amount of success, I now realize that many of my issues were those of training and trialing a sensitive dog. I am trying to mine Sharon's expertise to benefit the training and trialing of my current partner.


I took this class at Bronze level, because I knew I wouldn’t have the time to be in an active instructor-student working relationship at this time of the year. This was my first six-week course; I’ve only taken workshops (at Gold level) and self-study course before. This six-week course was phenomenal. And it prepared me well for taking my next six-week course at a Gold level! I was able to 100% follow the course curriculum and do all the assigned homework just without interactive instructor feedback. I read 90% of all the Gold threats and learned so much from Sharon’s individualized feedback to each Gold-level student pair. Sharon went above and beyond in her answers and her knowledge, competence, attention to detail, meticulousness and kindness are “next level”. I’m absolutely sold on FDSA classes and content and cannot wait for my next class. And I sure hope to take another class with Sharon. For the first time, I feel like I know how to help my sensitive dog. Many other programs and instructions have failed, thus far. I highly recommend this class—at all levels—for other students who have dogs that are more sensitive than the average bear :o).

Registration

Next session starts: August 1, 2023
Registration starts: July 22, 2023
Registration ends: August 15, 2023

 Registration opens at 10:00am Pacific Time.

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Tuition $ 260.00 $ 130.00 $ 65.00
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