A framework to resolve challenging behaviour

The return of the popular Masterclass – for animal lovers with a nerdy interest in understanding animal behaviour!

In this short and free Masterclass you’ll learn things that will help you understand why the animals in your life sometimes show undesired, challenging*, behaviours – and what you can do to prevent and address those unwanted behaviours!

This is content that I typically share only with my students, but I like to lift the curtain and offer it for free to the general public every once in a while! Read on for further information about the publishing dates – and the content!

Video 1 – Change Moods to Change Behaviour (14^th of August)

In video one, I discuss how mood shifts literally change animals’ perception of the world – and how we can harness this mechanism to bring about major behavioural changes in the animals in our care – including a reduction of unwanted behaviour.

Video 2 – Change Emotions to Change Behaviour (18^th of August)

In the second video, I talk about how we might address the animal’s emotional state in the challenging context. If the animal is fearful, for instance, it’s typically due to some triggering stimulus or event in the environment. This video shows examples of how we might go about making animals more comfortable around such stimuli – so that they stop showing the unwanted behaviour triggered by them.

Video 3 – Change Functions to Change Behaviour (21^st of August)

In the final video, we shift perspectives and look at the function of the unwanted behaviour in the current context – what are the antecedents and consequences that maintain the behaviour, and what may we do about them in order to bring about a behaviour change? We’ll specifically look at some differential reinforcement techniques involving response type schedules, with a particular focus on DRAs and DRIs.

Here’s what previous students had to say about this Masterclass:

• Ann Marie: Brilliant first lesson ❤️
• Sandy: Video 1 was incredibly relevant to me.
• Noortje: Thank you for this first video! I enjoyed it very much and laughed out loud a couple of times. It was like you were in my living room!
• Deb: Part one is 100% Karolina W. Clear, clever, and spot on.
• Katia: So glad you didn’t follow your other calling as a singer. Not that I wouldn’t prefer to listen to you than most modern vocal artists, but your knowledge of animal behaviour is totally unique and priceless. Thank you for sharing your masterclass. ❤️
• Holly: Your teaching style is brilliant […] I love this material and I can’t wait for the next video. Thanks!
• Noa: I want to thank you again – this time for helping me hone the way I teach, and giving me new ideas on how to make students think.
• Sofia: OMG I’m even more of a nerd now! I am working in human psychology and I knew almost all of the things you´ve said but from a human perspective. Now I understand it from another perspective. Thank you! You are so good at teaching!
• Dale: Thanks immensely for sharing these informative and VERY entertaining (your voice is rockin!!) videos! It’s such a pleasure to “see” you again!
• Angela: Thank you, lots of penny drop moments in this third video. Sometimes you instinctively do something without really knowing why!
• Greg: Your 3rd video has help me to find the nuance in reward value (for them with DRA / DRI) and has me tweaking this for a better outcome for us both.
• Susanne: I’ve watched all 3 videos 4 times.

Get your free access pass by signing up below, and I’ll email you as soon as one of the videos is published. I’ll also keep you posted on my free webinars, masterclasses, online courses and blog posts – all about animal behaviour and wellbeing!

This Masterclass is only available until August 28th, so make sure to keep an eye on your inbox!

Note: this training is for people who have some practical and/or theoretical background with regards to learning theory and animal training. If you’re brand new to this fascinating world of animal behaviour, this three-part video series may be a bit overwhelming.

If you’re having trouble signing up, shoot me an email and I’ll add you to the Masterclass personally! It may take up to 24 hours.

* the term “challenging” doesn’t mean “provoking” in this context, it means “demanding, testing one’s abilities, difficult to resolve”. In other words, a behaviour that’s somehow unwanted, for the human. That dog in the video is not “challenging” the person behind the camera, he’s showing fearful behaviour. And that situation could potentially escalate into a very problematic, indeed challenging, situation – including aggression.