The Canine Confidence Course: Desensitization, Counterconditioning & Beyond

Practical, science-based solutions for fear, reactivity, resource guarding, and more.

🎓 Earn CEUs!

PPAB: 11 CEUs. IAABC: 11 CEUs. CCPDT: 7 CEUs.

✔️ Learn, grow, and get credit for your professional development.

Do you work with dogs who struggle with fear, stress, reactivity, or guarding around food, toys, people, or other dogs?
Are you a pet professional ready to elevate your skills in desensitization, counterconditioning, and case documentation?

✅ A structured, step-by-step framework for applying desensitization and counterconditioning.
✅ Grounded in learning theory and designed for professional, real-world success.
✅ Practical, positive, and science-based - everything you need to support canine well-being.
✅ Real-life case studies that bridge the gap between theory and practice.
✅ Tools to strengthen guardian communication while refining professional-level skills.
✅ Designed primarily for trainers and behavior consultants, with accessible explanations for other pet professionals and guardians who want to learn more.

The Canine Confidence Course blends clear science with applied practice, making it a high-level professional resource. You’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to reduce fear, reshape emotional responses, and build resilience through effective, force-free strategies that truly make a difference.

What You’ll Learn

Throughout this course, you’ll gain a deep understanding of canine emotions and the strategies that transform behavior:

• How fear and stress affect dogs - from subtle calming signals to overt reactivity.
• Why behaviors like resource guarding and reactivity develop and what maintains them.
• How to apply desensitization and counter conditioning (DS/CC) to change emotional responses.
• The role of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement in building confidence and teaching new skills.
• Practical strategies for guardians to create safe, predictable, supportive environments.
• Professional-level strategies for assessment, enrichment, management, and accurate case documentation.

Course Modules

🐾 Module 1: Conditioning - How Dogs Learn and How We Can Help
A foundation in behavioral science made simple. Learn how dogs learn, why consequences matter, and how classical and operant conditioning shape behavior. This module ensures both guardians and professionals share a clear understanding of the basics.

🐾 Module 2: From Stress to Success - Confidence Building for Fearful Dogs
Fear can affect dogs in countless ways - from avoidance and shutdown to vocal reactivity. This module explores the root causes of fear and provides a systematic, force-free approach to emotional recovery. You’ll learn how to recognize stress, apply DS/CC, and use enrichment and safe spaces to build resilience.

🐾 Module 3: Desensitization & Counterconditioning in Practice

This module brings the science of DS/CC to life with real-world demonstrations. You’ll see how gradual exposure and careful pairing with positive outcomes can shift fear and stress into calm, confident behavior. From conditioning a clicker, teaching a “magic mat,” and preparing dogs for storms, to reducing food guarding and making nail care stress-free, this module offers practical, step-by-step examples that both guardians and professionals can apply right away.

🐾 Module 4: Advanced Learning & Behavior - The Science Behind Canine Confidence (Professional Module)
Designed for trainers, consultants, and veterinary teams, this module dives deeper into reinforcement, punishment, differential reinforcement, and schedules of reinforcement. Gain a clear, practical understanding of how advanced learning theory applies in real-world cases.

🐾 Module 5: Reactivity to Unknown Dogs & Strangers - A Case Study Approach
Using a real-life case study, this module examines functional assessment and the development of structured training plans for dog–dog reactivity and dog-human reactivity. Learn how DS/CC, enrichment, and management strategies combine to reduce stress and improve social outcomes.

🐾 Module 6: Resource Guarding with Food & Toys - A Case Study Approach
One of the most common behavior referrals, resource guarding is often misunderstood. This module shows you how to identify guarding behaviors, assess 'triggers', and apply step-by-step intervention plans. Guardians will learn practical trust-building tools such as Drop & Trade and Go to Mat, while professionals will refine their skills in case documentation and structured planning.

Why This Course?

✔️ For Guardians: Gain the knowledge and tools to help your dog feel calmer, safer, and more confident. You’ll leave with practical strategies you can use right away to reduce stress and build trust.

✔️ For Professionals: Build on your expertise with structured plans, functional assessments, enrichment strategies, and professional case documentation skills. Real-world examples ensure the content is both applicable and immediately useful.

✔️ For Everyone: Learn through clear explanations, step-by-step tutorials, and professional case studies — all rooted in science, compassion, and force-free methods

Course Benefits

• Self-paced learning - progress through the modules at your own speed.
• Step-by-step strategies you can immediately put into practice.
• Real-life case studies that bridge the gap between theory and application.
• Practical tools for guardians and professional insights for trainers and consultants.
• Force-free, evidence-based methods that protect welfare while achieving meaningful behavior change.
• Approximately 16–20 hours of engaging learning, combining lectures, videos, reading, and practical resources!
• Earn Continuing Education Credits (CEUs): PPAB: 11 CEUs. IAABC: 11 CEUs. CCPDT: 7 CEUs.
  
  

🎓 Optional Certification: DogNostics Canine Confidence Instructor (DN-CCI)

For professionals who want to take their learning further, this course offers the opportunity to become a DogNostics Canine Confidence Instructor (DN-CCI).

The certification pathway is entirely optional but provides a valuable credential to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to clients, colleagues, and employers.

To qualify, you’ll complete:

✅ An open-book online multiple-choice quiz (30 questions) covering key course content - designed to test understanding, not memorization!

✅ Two video skill submissions -assessed by qualified instructors.

Whether you’re a pet professional seeking credibility or a dedicated guardian eager to showcase your skills, this certification highlights your commitment to science-based, force-free methods.

Transform Stress into Success

The Canine Confidence Course is more than just a training program - it’s a roadmap to helping dogs feel safe, calm, and empowered. Whether you’re a guardian seeking to ease your dog’s fears or a professional looking to strengthen your practice, this course provides the knowledge and confidence to create lasting, positive change.

👉 Enroll today and start transforming stress into success - building resilience, trust, and confidence one step at a time.