Growl Class - A Workshop Demo for Reactive Dogs
What you'll learn
- Objectively assess the severity of a dog’s fighting based on a Fight:Bite ratio that examines actual damage done
- Provide prognoses and accurate estimates of the time required to rehabilitate anti-social dogs
- Administer a stress test to determine a dog’s level of anxiety and the source of that anxiety
- Empower tug toys and kibble as very high value secondary reinforcers
- Give representational feedback to a dog that is in a social setting
- Use All-or-None Reward Training to decrease and eliminate reactivity and regain calmness, focus and control
- Set up controlled classical conditioning scenarios
- Block antisocial stimuli and signaling through the use of Come, Sit and Watch commands
- Use Differential Classical Conditioning (DCC) to enable simultaneous Operant and Classical Conditioning without unintentionally reinforcing reactivity
- Use the Jolly Routine for Classical Conditioning
- Maintain a dog’s pro-social temperament throughout their entire life
Requirements
- Students should have a basic understanding of dog training
- Before working with any dog you should understand their history of aggression. How reactive are they? What stimuli are they sensitive to? What damage have they caused in the past?
Description
These days many people understand the importance of early puppyhood socialization. They take their puppy to group training classes, they introduce their puppies to lots of friends and neighbors and they may even host a puppy party or two. This is a wonderful development and it has done a lot to improve the temperament of countless dogs.
Unfortunately, after this intensive period of early socialization period many owners slack off. They see that their hard work has paid off and that their puppy is friendly and sociable in every situation they find themselves in. What they don't realize is that dogs naturally become more shy and standoffish as they get older. Adolescent and adult dogs develop fears and phobias to stimuli that they aren't continually exposed to.
Keeping your dog well-socialized to other dogs is not so easy, and often this area of their socialization deteriorates the most rapidly. At some point most dogs will get into at least one fight with another dog. Sadly, this often marks the beginning of the end when it comes to their socialization with other dogs. The owners want to avoid future fights so they avoid future opportunities to socialize. The dogs socialization deteriorates further and the likelihood of them fighting when they see another dog increases.
Resolving this problem in the course of everyday life is very difficult. Dr. Dunbar demonstrates how to use a Growl Class to classically condition dogs and rehabilitate and re-socialize them to once again enjoy the company of other dogs.
Who this course is for:
- Dog trainers who are interested in re-socializing and rehabilitating dogs that have developed aggression/reactivity towards other dogs
- Owners of dogs that have developed aggression/reactivity towards other dogs who would like to learn how to re-socialize their dog
Instructor
- 4.5 Instructor Rating
- 14,993 Reviews
- 60,682 Students
- 22 Courses
Veterinarian, animal behaviorist, and dog trainer, Dr. Ian Dunbar received his veterinary degree and a Special Honors degree in Physiology & Biochemistry from the Royal Veterinary College (London University) plus a doctorate in animal behavior from the Psychology Department at UC Berkeley, where he researched the development of social hierarchies and aggression in domestic dogs.
He has authored numerous books and DVDs about puppy/dog behavior and training, including AFTER You Get Your Puppy, How To Teach A New Dog Old Tricks and the SIRIUS® Puppy Training video.
In 1982, Dr. Dunbar designed and taught the world's very first off-leash puppy socialization and training classes -- SIRIUS® Puppy Training. Subsequently, he created and developed the San Francisco SPCA's Animal Behavior Department, the American Kennel Club's Gazette "Behavior" column, which he wrote for seven years, and the K9 GAMES®, which were first held in San Francisco in 1993 and continue as annual events in Japan and France. He hosted the popular UK television series Dogs With Dunbar for five seasons and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including the Today Show (US) and Dash Village (Japan).