Exploring the Role of Arousal in Canine Aggression

When working with an aggressive dog, we must always consider what is happening inside the dog's mind. What are the base behavioral causes of the problematic behaviors it is exhibiting?

Arousal is a physiological state that prepares a dog for activity, excitement, or aggression. Mediated by the sympathetic nervous system, a dog in a state of arousal experiences an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration rate, in addition to an influx of hormones, such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol.

This aroused state prepares the dog for physical activity, and thus enhances its response to perceived threats arising from a variety of trigger stimuli. In all types of aggression, arousal can play a role in increasing a dog's emotional response, making them more likely to display aggressive behavior.

In this webinar we will take on the important task of identifying the environmental factors that contribute to arousal and look at prevention strategies for managing these factors so that arousal remains low and does not escalate to aggression.

What's included?

  • CEUs

    1.5 CEUs approved for CCPDT, IAABC, and KPA

  • Q&A Time with Sarah

    30 minutes of bonus Q&A time with Sarah included in the recording!

  • Recordings available!

    Lifetime access to the recording!

Your Speaker!

Sarah Kalnajs

Sarah has been working with dogs professionally for over twenty years and is the owner of Blue Dog Training and Behavior in Madison, Wisconsin. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the CCPDT and a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the IAABC. Sarah is on the board of the Companion Animal Sciences Institute, is recognized in the state of Wisconsin as an expert witness in dog training and behavior, and has run a dog rescue organization for over twenty years. Sarah graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, studied comparative cognition between dogs and dolphins through the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was a member of the Lab’s humpback whale research team. A popular public speaker since the release of her Language of Dogs and Am I Safe video series (available on DVD and streaming), Sarah has given more than a hundred seminars across the U.S. and internationally to dog training organizations, veterinary schools, dog breed clubs, and rescue/shelter groups. Sarah and her husband Andrew, an engineer, work together with their six dogs to create training tools for professional trainers and dog owners. The most well-known of these tools is the Dog Safe Hands-Free Leash System.