with Kay Laurence & Christina Bond
Lessons: 6: Saturdays: 2-6pm UTC/GMT (beginning 3-7pm(BST), and then 2-6 pm)
Sep 18, Oct 2, 16, 30, Nov 13, 20
Many dogs suffer from a hasty, mislabelling of their frustrations, misunderstanding and square-peg-in-a-round-hole syndromes as "aggressive" or "problem dogs".
Often the root cause is simply lack of skills and confidence resulting in their inability to deal with a constantly changing environment (our normal world).
Sometimes exposure to threatening situations that they could not escape from (a puppy class, an older dog or fearful environment) and make the wrong decision on how to react. This is often punished and inappropriate reinforcement is given at exactly the wrong time. All these strategies contribute to a total disbelief that anything positive can be achieved. This also affects the people who live with them who are often greatly disturbed by their dog’s behaviour, particularly when it was unexpected. The dog will look at them for information, understanding and protection, whereas they often see uncertainty, late response and an abandonment.
This course is going to cover a range of activities that will build confidence:
- in the physical skills needed to communicate with subtlety and not over reaction: balance, co-ordination, strength and fitness.
- to enjoy activities in the alien world, to walk away from confrontation find someone who listens to them, enjoy learning in companionship.
- in the mental skills that make decision making easier, coping an everyday success, interpretation with curiosity, not alarm.
This will be based on a solid foundation in basic learning skills, puzzle solving, self awareness; techniques to develop trust, security and partnership; desensitisation and counter-conditioning to reduce stress, uncertainty or anxiety; building the ability to focus on task and reject environmental cues.
This course is perfect for youngsters in need of a structured learning programme, and is ideal for rehabilitation of dogs with mild fears or lack of confidence.
This class is not intended for severe fear or aggression issues. Owners of severely fearful or aggressive dogs should seek a reputable positive-training consultant in their area.
Training time would be expected to be at least 2-3 hours per week, plus 2-3 hours of activities in the virtual learning environment. We advise you to enrol at least 2 weeks before the start of the course to familiarise yourself with Moodle, the virtual learning environment, unless you are a previous Moodle user.
