Consent in dog training: can your dog really say “yes”? A recent social media post about consent in dog training got me thinking. My approach is quite different from some of the views shared, and I’d like to unpack it with you. We talk about giving dogs a choice. But what does that actually mean when we’re dealing with reactivity, a vet examination, or someone wanting to stroke your dog? And if the dog says “no”… what happens next? I want to do live presentation and discussion on consent in dog training, particularly when working with reactive dogs. We’ll cover: - Can a dog consciously consent to an interaction—for example, a veterinary examination, meeting another dog or person, or being petted? - How the dog can tell us if they agreeing to the interaction or not? - In which situations would I ask for the dog’s consent, and in which situations I wouldn’t. I’ll prepare some slides and explain my approach, with time for your questions and discussion. The session will be available to members and the top five on the leaderboard. It will be recorded, and if you can’t attend live, you can leave your questions beforehand. You can vote below on day/time 👇(UK time)

Hey guys- I had the opportunity to present this webinar on Arousal Modulation Conference and I received very positive feedback. Q&A was almost hour long and we have finished only because I needed to go to another room for discussion panel :) I decided to share this presentation to you all as a thank you for joining this community. Any questions let me know in the comments and we will do our live Q&A :) Description: Many training approaches focus on keeping dogs calm, relaxed, and below threshold. While these skills are valuable, if alone they often fail to prepare dogs for the moments that matter most. Whether it is a reactive dog encountering a trigger, a sport dog entering the competition field, or a working dog facing real-world pressure, arousal inevitably rises. Excitement, frustration, anticipation, and fear can all interfere with performance. As arousal increases, communication often breaks down. The dog stops responding, decision-making deteriorates, and both handler and dog become disconnected. The goal should not be to keep dogs calm all the time. Instead, we should teach them how to stay connected, responsive, and capable of making good decisions even when arousal is high. In this presentation, Alex Lato explores how arousal affects learning, communication, and performance, and why many traditional approaches to impulse control and calmness fail to transfer into real-life situations. Drawing from experience with reactive dogs, companion dogs, and working dogs, he presents practical strategies for maintaining communication when excitement, frustration, or uncertainty take over. Topics covered include: - How arousal influences behaviour, learning, and performance - Common sources of high arousal, including excitement, frustration, and fear - Why calmness alone often fails to prepare dogs for real-world challenges - The difference between suppressing arousal and teaching dogs to function within it - Using play as a tool for developing communication, emotional regulation, and clear thinking

Thanks for jumping in here early – you’re basically the founding members of this community. This space is for all of you who already follow my work and want a place to go a bit deeper together. Please say hi in the comments and share: - Who are you and what dog/dogs you have? - What are you mainly working on right now? - What’s the first thing you’d like to learn here – one topic or problem you want me to cover as soon as possible? Many thanks, Alex