BH210: Watching Confidence Grow!

“Hey Mom, are you watching?”

We already know you’re your dog’s biggest fan, but your ability to help your dog be as confident as they can be is only as good as your observation skills! Ready for a 6-week immersion class in reading the dog in front of you? And what use would this skill be without putting it into practice with some training designed to bring out confidence in your pup? 

This class, based on my previous webinar, Building Confidence, will lay out a customized plan for each dog all while training you, the handler, to develop a keen eye for reading your dog’s confidence-level every step of the way! 

Because feelings are based on our perception of the events or situations surrounding us. And with our dog friends, they communicate their feelings using body language.  Therefore, it is important that we, as their caretakers and handlers, be aware of and understand body language so we can not only help them feel safe when needed, but also to interpret the times when they are feeling comfortable and more confident, also! 

We’ll begin by identifying your dog’s confidence level in three key areas: Social, Environmental, and Skills. Then we’ll tailor a holistic approach using the elements of Safety & Security, Social Support, Physical, and Mental Well-Being, including choosing appropriate decompression outlets that will be determined by each dog and their unique preferences (Hint: some dogs prefer more active decompression than the popular sniffing-based methods). 

In this class, you will also learn how to create predictability in reinforcement strategies, and our interactions and expectations with them in daily life and during training sessions. Allowing for agency during the learning process is key to helping your dog become more confident. Equipped with your stellar body language-reading skills, you and your dog will have fun building confidence by ensuring they are not put into situations that could be detrimental to the process.   

Anyone wanting help with their own dog or simply to get better at reading and interpreting body language of dogs in their care through house sitting, training, sheltering/fostering will benefit from this class. This class will be appropriate for reactive and fearful dogs, but also dogs who are confident in one area but less confident in others. Puppies, adolescent dogs, and adult dogs are welcome!

Teaching Approach

Information outlined in the syllabus will be detailed in a lecture and when appropriate will include photo or video examples.  Each student will receive a customized approach so that although there is a lot of information presented, it may not apply to each of you and recommendations will be given based on the individual.  The initial focus of the course is to identify the areas of confidence your dog may have, where they lack confidence, and to create reinforcement strategies for future training.

Forums will be checked twice daily, and all posts will be responded to by me in detail with or without video support before you post again.

Instructor: Karen Deeds, CDBC

 Karen Deeds, is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). She is the co-owner of Canine Connection in Ft. Worth, TX with her husband, Bob Deeds, a retired Federal K9 Handler on Texas Task Force I....(Click here for full bio and to view Karen's upcoming courses)