Course Details
For many dog owners managing reactive dogs, there is a persistent concern that they will be trapped in a cycle of management without ever seeing meaningful progress through training, and they may wonder if management is forever! This presentation will examine the distinct roles of management and training in addressing canine reactivity, how they’re different, and how they each work together toward the ultimate goal of resolving reactivity challenges.
We will explore how management techniques—such as creative environment and redirection of attention around triggers—are necessary in the short term but can contribute to the misconception that training cannot overcome the behavior. By differentiating these two approaches and understanding how they complement each other, this session will provide insights into how to shift from solely managing reactivity to adding therapeutic approaches that promote long-term training solutions.
About the Instructor:
Dr. Amy Cook (she/her) is an Internatonal Associaton of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) Certfied Dog Behavior Consultant, a longstanding professional member of the Associaton of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), and was one of the first trainers natonally to become a Certfied Professional Dog Trainer through independent evaluaton. Dr. Cook received her Ph.D. in Comparative, Developmental, and Evolutionary Psychology from UC Berkeley, with her research focusing on the dog-human relatonship and its effect on the problem solving strategies dogs employ. Dr. Cook is the founder and creator of the Play Way and The Social Approach, and she has been training dogs for over 30 years, specializing in the rehabilitaton of shy, stressed, anxious, and fearful dogs for over 20 years.
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