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BH295: Advancing Reactive Integration into the Real World

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BH295: Advancing Reactive Integration into the Real World

Course Details

Is your dog reactive to other dogs on leash?  People coming into the home?  People they see outside the home?  Does your dog respond negatively to specific stimuli or situations? Your dog can act differently when they feel threatened or overwhelmed; this are sometimes referred to as the “five F’s”: Fight, Flight, Flee, Fidget, or Fawn.  Your dog may not bark or lunge (Fight) or try to run away (Flee).  They may act more like a deer in the headlights (Freeze) or be unable to respond to cues or pace and sniff (Fidget).  Some dogs feel the need to grovel and jump up, give kisses, and ‘make nice’ (Fawn).  All of these are symptoms of a dog that needs help. 

Have you taken my Reactive Integration class previously?  Other FDSA behavior classes?  Worked in person with a trainer or behavior consultant?  Perhaps you are struggling with applying the various principles and protocols that you have learned previously into the real world.  Maybe you just want ‘another perspective’ on your situation and what might be the best approach for you, your dog, and the environment.  Or is there a missing piece of the puzzle that you just can’t find that might help you complete the picture of successful behavior modification? 

The class is primarily for problem solving, much like a ‘handlers’ choice’ class.  Therefore, all the lectures will be released on the first day of class so that those more advanced have access to all the information without having to start at the beginning! However, the curriculum will lend itself to allow for those not as familiar with working with reactivity to get the necessary information from beginning to end.  

You should be familiar with many of the topics discussed in this class, from ways to reduce the baseline to lower arousal, increase confidence, and create reinforcement strategies as well as to teach alternative and incompatible behaviors, as well as the behavior modification protocols to help increase the dog’s threshold through a variety of desensitization and counter conditioning processes and differential reinforcement procedures.  Knowing how to integrate them into your training plan and applying them into the real world is the concept of this class. 

All Lectures in this class will be released on the first day of class to allow students at different levels to work on the skills they need most.  Students are encouraged to work at their own pace.

Teaching Approach.

Each lecture will include written instructions as well as videos.  Lectures will be released all at once at the beginning of class.  Each gold student will receive written feedback for their work that might refer to lectures and/or a customized written response with or without additional videos. 

I will be monitoring the Facebook Study group closely to provide feedback for questions from the bronze and silver students! 

Forums will be checked twice daily at least 6 days a week, or twice daily for 5 days with a single daily check on the remaining two days.

Syllabus

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Identifying Triggers

  1. Inside the Home
  2. Outside the Home

Antecedent Arrangement (Management)

  1. Visual
  2. Sound
  3. Touch
  4. Distance
  5. Olfactory

Mental & Physical Well-Being

 Anti-Anxiety Medicinal Help

    1. Supplements
    2. Alternatives
    3. Pharmaceuticals
  1. Increase Mental Stimulation
    1. Decompression Walks (well managed)
    2. Foraging/Hunting for Food
    3. Food Toys
  2. Fitness/Confidence
    1. Cavalettis
    2. Baby Pool
    3. Fit Paws
    4. Obstacle Course
    5. Food/Movement Puzzles

Management techniques training

  1. Emergency U-Turn
  2. Body Block
  3. Side Switch
  4. Transport
  5. Muzzle

Reinforcement Strategies

  1. Food Marker Cues
    1. Movement (chase)
    2. Multiple (Dog Grazes)
    3. Baseline (Food from hand)
    4. One delivered to mouth (Delivered to dog)
    5. Multiple delivered in place (Dog Grazes but maintains in place)
  2. Toy Marker Cues
  3. Thrown Toy (fetch)
  4. Bite to tug (Strike)
  5. Two toy tug (Switch)
  6. Premack Principle
  7. Sniffing
  8. Swimming
  9. Garden Hose
  10. Personal Play/Touch/Praise

Predictability/Structure/Impulse Control

  1. Food in Hand
  2. Food in Bowl
  3. Putting on Leash/Collar/Harness
  4. Crate/Gate
  5. Exiting Door

Settle

  1. Classical Conditioning (CER)
  2. Lured Hip Roll
  3. Leash Pressure
  4. Release Cue
  5. Reinforcement Strategy
  6. Duration
  7. Distraction

Alternative Behaviors/Thinking Intro

  1. Vito Game
  2. Eye Contact
  3. Marker Cue Loop
  4. Hand Target
  5. Chin Rest
  6. Leash Pressure

Generalization

  1. Marker Cue Loop
    1. Different rooms in the house
    2. Back Yard
    3. Front Yard
    4. Off Property
    5. Social Pressure
  2. Settle
  3. Alternative Behaviors
  4. Impulse Control/Structure

Teaching Pattern Games

  1. Up/Down
  2. Left/Right
  3. 1, 2, 3
  4. Super Bowls

Applying Desensitization and Counter Conditioning Protocols

  1. Engage/Disengage
  2. Marker Cue Loop
  3. Pattern Games
  4. Up/Down
  5. Left/Right
  6. 1, 2, 3
  7. Super Bowls
  8. Parallel Walking
    1. Cavalettis
    2. Feeding Stations

Differential Reinforcement – Alternative or Incompatible Behaviors

  1. Settle
  2. Hand Target
  3. Chin Rest
  4. Whatever you got!

Circle Method

  1. Leash Pressure
  2. Movement
  3. Distance

Box Method

  1. Conditioning Box
  2. Duration in Box
  3. Counter conditioning
  4. Start Button

Prerequisites and Equipment

 A gold student would benefit from having experience working with reactivity either with your own dog or a students dog.  Although taking my Reactive Integration class previously would be most beneficial, it isn't necessary.  Many of the procedures, protocols, concepts, and skills in this class are often taught elsewhere although there may be subtle differences.  The use of a multiple marker system as well as integrating the procedures into a full behavior modification program customized for each individual is what this class is about!  

However, anyone beginning the journey with reactivity, whether with their own dog or as a professional working with behavior cases can benefit from this class.  As a 'handlers choice' type of class, everyone will be at their own level of learning and lectures will be available from beginning to end to accommodate them.  

Equipment necessary may include: Leash, Collar, Harness, Long Line, Mat, High value food, Toys, Enrichment objects, Muzzle, Bowls, confidence building objects (cardboard boxes, balance pods, platform, cone, etc...)

Sample Lecture

More

 

OFFERED EYE CONTACT – MARKER CUE LOOP

By now, I hope you have been able to create words that your dog identifies as cues that food (or toys) are available. Most dogs will have a ‘favorite’ marker cue because it provides them with the necessary relief or excitement level that makes them ‘feel better’.
Before we implement the ‘marker cue loop/test’, we need to have an identifiable behavior that the dog OFFERS so we have something to help gauge their emotions. I usually recommend offered eye contact.
Make sure that your dog can successfully eat food and offer eye contact in a situation where they feel comfortable before you proceed into a novel environment.


Getting OFFERED Eye Contact:


One way to create a high level of reinforcement for making eye contact is the ‘rapid fire’ approach. Once your dog understands the “marker game”, begin waiting for your dog to offer eye contact. Once they glance up at you, Mark them (with the clicker or ‘yip’) and praise them while you deliver 5 to 6 treats in a row. In the beginning you can prompt them (kissy sound) to get the initial look. Notice that even though I have food in my hand I do NOT move to deliver food until after I have said the Marker “yip”. Once you get a pattern with the clicker, start to add in different markers.

Notice the dog is starting to develop a ‘loop’ after each marker cue; they eat, then make eye contact, then another marker cue – eat, eye contact, mark, eat…etc.

Once we have a dog that can OFFER eye contact fluently in a familiar environment, we can use a Marker Cue Test/Loop to 'ask' our dogs 'how they feel' when we put them into specific situations. Some will have very big feelings and won't be able to respond to any food cues at all. That is valuable information and likely means that your dog needs a bit more time to acclimate or that you are too close to the stimuli that is causing the concern. Some will respond to not only marker cues, but behavior cues without hesitation. For those dogs that struggle the most, I think it is fair to ask them first and foremost 'how they feel' by cuing them to do a very basic behavior of eating!

Remember, we have put the behavior of eating ON CUE!

For this lesson, I would love to see everyone with the three movement marker cues:
1. Dog gets food from hand.
2. Dog chases food on the floor.
3. Dog eats multiple pieces of food on the floor.
If you have additional movement markers like catching food in the air, you can include that as well.

From there, I would like to see the dog be able to fluently OFFER eye contact in between each marker cue. This is what I call the “Marker Cue Loop/Test”.

Testimonials & Reviews

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New class for the October 2024 session.

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.

BH295 Subscriptions


Gold

Silver

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