Hesitant Hounds: Encouraging courage
with Sara mcloudrey
A KPA LIVE!™ Class featuring real-time training and coaching WITH sara
help your hesitant hound become a courageous canine!
Join Sara McLoudrey and learn the skills that will help your shy dog become remarkably more confident and courageous.With a little bit of knowledge and empathy, and some fun games, you can help your hesitant hound become a courageous canine!
Living with a shy dog can be challenging. You’d like your dog to feel comfortable being out and about and relaxed around other dogs and visitors, but that’s not in the cards for your hesitant hound. Or is it?
If you're sharing your life with a hesitant hound, canine lone ranger, or homebody pooch, join canine consultant and coach Sara McLoudrey for this KPA LIVE! class. Help your reluctant pup open up to new, positive experiences that will broaden your dog’s world and your own.
Hesitant Hounds LIVE! with Sara McLoudrey will help you understand the ins and outs of living with a hesitant hound—and help your dog discover more of life’s reinforcers. In just four weeks, you’ll see increased optimism in your dog as your dog explores the world with greater curiosity and joy.
Your dog will learn new ways to say “yes” and “no” without raising a voice (or hackles), how to interact with new people confidently and safely, and that trying new things can be awesome. All of the concepts and skills presented in this class are designed to bolster your dog’s C.O.U.R.A.G.E.—a training process based on the principles of Consent, Observation, Understanding, Reinforcement, Advocacy, Growth, and Embracing who they are! Best of all (for your shy pup), you won’t have to leave your house to complete this class. In fact, as you will learn in the class, the safety and comfort of home is the perfect place to start working with your demure dog.
Sara will lead you and your dog through her C.O.U.R.A.G.E process, which includes a whole series of fun and proven-effective and engaging games, enrichment activities, behavior-modification exercises, and fun trick-training behaviors. Each week there will be plenty of reinforcement for you both as you bring out the full potential of your hesitant hound. After the class has ended, you will have learned the concepts and skills that will enable you to continue building your dog’s confidence—and your own confidence, too!
Sara McLoudrey has worked for more than 23 years as a positive reinforcement practitioner and coach. She loves showing students how to make a big impact on their dogs’ behavior through simple and accessible skills, games, and concepts. Sara brings fun, creative problem-solving, joy, and laughter to her classes. Most importantly, she excels in teaching students that they have special powers. You are your dog’s magic wand!
Join Sara for Hesitant Hounds LIVE! and give your hesitant hound a big taste of C.O.U.R.A.G.E.
LEARN, PRACTICE, SHARE
LEARN
Six weeks of training, a week-by-week curriculum integrated with four LIVE virtual classes with real-time coaching, interactive learning, and Q&A. Super educational, super fun.
PRACTICE
The LIVE week-by-week curriculum integrates with, and prepares you for, the weekly LIVE class. New levels of advancement each week!
SHARE
Ask questions and share insights, pics, and your training videos. Celebrate progress together!
A week-by-week curriculum guides your learning every step of the way. Each week, join your classmates for one of four LIVE classes for real-time training and personalized interactive coaching, plus Q&A with your instructor. You will see other students practice the behaviors, hear your instructor’s feedback, make adjustments, and improve their training. Each of these Zoom-based classes is two hours long. All students get access to the full week-by-week curriculum and class forum. In each Zoom class:
- Engage students watch training and your instructor’s coaching and can ask questions through Zoom chat.
- Excel students get personalized real-time coaching and feedback on their training during the Zoom class PLUS on-screen Q&A.
Miss a class? No problem. LIVE classes are also recorded.
Let's Begin This Fabulous Journey, Together
- Unit 1 Lessons
- Live Class 1: June 23rd
- Unit 2 Lessons
- Live Class 2: June 30th
- Unit 3 Lessons
- Live Class 3: July 7th
- Unit 4 Lessons
- Live Class 4: July 14th
LEARN WITH Sara mcloudrey
Sara McLoudrey is the founder and owner of Decisive Moment Pet Consulting. She specializes in Care with Consent (cooperative care), a variety of behavioral struggles and aggression, helping senior dogs thrive, and living with intact dogs. Sara is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), CPDT-KSA, Fear Free Certified Professional Level 1 and Certified Trainer - Elite, Low-Stress Handling Certified, Pet End of Life Doula, FitPaws Master Trainer, and TagTeach Level 3.
Since 2001 Sara has been competing with positively trained dogs in retriever field tests, high-level competition and rally obedience (Utility and RAE level), conformation, and elite-level nose work. She founded ROOT Dog Training in 2004 and opened the first positive reinforcement training facility on Chicago’s North Shore in 2012. In 2016 Sara moved to Portland, Oregon, and joined Synergy Veterinary Behavior. There she was instrumental in expanding their Behavior Modification services and mentoring the growing team of trainers.
Over the years, she has seen how our relationships with dogs have changed and even how the “positive/force free/clicker” training world has evolved. For Sara, it is inspiring to help continue and promote this growth mindset for fellow trainers, behavior consultants, and pet guardians.
Even though Sara’s behavior consulting practice focuses on complex and sometimes dangerous behavior struggles, she is known for bringing fun, creative problem-solving, joy, and laughter to her classes and sessions. Sara is an optimist at heart, a perpetual Pollyanna, and loves teaching clients they have the power - they are their dog’s magic wand!
For more information about Sara, check out her Website, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
Here's What You'll Be Learning UNIT by UNIT
1
Foundation fun!
In Unit #1 Sara starts everyone - dogs and people - off on the right foot (or paw)! She’ll cover essential learning theory, canine communication, and effective reward techniques for your Hesitant Hound. Sara introduces engaging training activities like Get It and Jackpot to improve focus, attention, and coping skills. You'll also develop a targeting behavior that you will be using as an invaluable tool to boost your dog's confidence.
The weekly enrichment activity involves exploring ”novelty boxes” to help shy dogs and encourage their growth. Unit 1 emphasizes foundational learning, partnership, and trust. The Weekly Learning Concept focuses on considerations that arise when you are living with a Hesitant Hound.
Participate in the class forum to watch classmates' videos and share your own progress. The weekly LIVE class on Zoom allows Excel students to demonstrate skills and to receive coaching from Sara. Engage students can have their questions answered live in the Q&A. Don't miss out on these valuable learning opportunities.
2
playing with pavlov
In Unit #2, you will continue building on earlier foundation skills while adding a touch of nerdy pursuits. Inspired by Ivan Pavlov, this unit's focus is on pairing pleasant and less-pleasant experiences in order to guide your shy dog to make the right choices. Sara will expand on Unit 1's engaging games, showing you creative ways to use repetition and markers to provide vital information to your pup. The games will help your dog navigate challenges and learn to stick with you even in tough times.
The weekly trick in Unit 2 emphasizes movement and exploration, while the enrichment activity involves controlled destruction (of items you've approved as destructible!). You'll discover ways to use shipping boxes to build your hesitant hound's confidence and develop even more dog-appropriate behaviors.
Excel students can showcase their progress, receive individualized coaching, and share experiences in the weekly LIVE class meeting on Zoom. Engage students can join the LIVE Q&A session for real-time answers. Join us in Unit #2 for an exciting journey of growth and discovery!
3
Choice builds courage
In Unit 3, Sara will take you on a deep dive into the C of COURAGE - Choice!
This unit emphasizes empowering your Hesitant Hound through choice-communication. The Weekly Learning Concepts and Skills involve teaching your dog how to ask for what he needs/wants politely and recognizing subtle communication cues. By incorporating choice into training and your interactions, you'll witness the strengthening of your relationship and your dog's resilience.
The enrichment exercise for this unit, SnacMan, further enhances your dog's experience of choice and encourages courage. Share your training videos on the class forum and celebrate the successes and growth of fellow participants. Sara will provide feedback on Excel students' videos, offering valuable insights for everyone.
In the weekly LIVE Zoom class, Excel students will showcase their new skills, tricks, and enrichment activities. Sara will work individually with each Excel student, addressing challenges and providing personalized next steps. Engage students can participate in the LIVE Zoom Q&A, seeking guidance and feedback on their own training experiences.
Join us in Unit 3 to explore the power of choice, deepen your bond with your dog, and witness remarkable growth.
4
The power of predictability
In Unit 4 Sara teaches you all about the “power of predictability” to enhance your dog's confidence in interactions and new environments. Weekly Learning Concepts and Skills focus on using predictability to strengthen your dog's skills. For the weekly enrichment activity, you'll need a harness and long line, but alternative options will be provided if your Hesitant Hound isn't quite ready.
Join us for the last LIVE class meeting, where Excel teams will showcase their skills, demonstrate how they've incorporated the class concepts into their dogs’ daily lives, and share their cumulative successes from the previous weeks.
Sara will provide personalized advice for the next steps in their training journeys. This final class is the last opportunity to work with Sara, share experiences, and ask questions. Remember, even after the LIVE class, you'll have access to the course content and recordings for a year, allowing for continued learning for you and your Hesitant Hound.
