Dogs with high predatory motivation often struggle to maintain engagement in complex outdoor environments. Behaviours such as scanning, fixation, and disengagement difficulties are frequently misinterpreted as non-compliance, rather than manifestations of elevated arousal and competing reinforcement contingencies.

This practical workshop introduces a structured, reinforcement-based approach to developing functional focus in real-world contexts. Using live demonstration dogs, participants will observe how systematically designed training games can facilitate orientation, improve emotional regulation, and reduce conflict without the use of aversive strategies.

Grounded in applied behaviour analysis and ethological principles, this session emphasises the role of predictability, reinforcement quality, and arousal modulation in building sustainable engagement outdoors.

Learning Objectives

• Identify key behavioural indicators of hypervigilance and disengagement in dogs
• Explain the relationship between arousal, reinforcement history, and attention
• Apply structured focus games to improve engagement in real-world environments
• Evaluate training strategies based on welfare-oriented and evidence-based criteria

Predatory behaviour represents a core functional system shaped by evolutionary pressures and modified through domestication and selective breeding. This lecture provides an integrative overview of the biological, neurological, and hormonal mechanisms underpinning predatory behaviour in dogs.

Participants will examine the predatory sequence as a flexible and modular system, alongside breed-specific variations in motor pattern expression. The session also addresses the role of neurotransmitters and hormones, including dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol, in shaping motivation, arousal, and behavioural persistence.

Applied examples illustrate how predatory behaviour manifests across contexts, providing a foundation for ethical and effective intervention strategies.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the predatory sequence and its functional components
• Explain the influence of neurobiological and hormonal mechanisms on behaviour
• Identify breed-specific variations in predatory motor patterns
• Interpret real-world expressions of predatory behaviour using a scientific framework

This session bridges theoretical understanding and practical application of predation-focused training. Building on behavioural science and applied learning principles, it outlines how structured interventions can transform high-arousal predatory behaviour into cooperative, socially mediated activities.

Case-based examples illustrate how training plans can be designed to align with canine motivation while maintaining high welfare standards. The session emphasises functional reinforcement, predictability, and handler-dog communication as key components of effective training.

Learning Objectives

• Translate theoretical concepts into practical training interventions
• Design training plans based on functional reinforcement principles
• Evaluate training outcomes using behavioural and welfare metrics
• Integrate predation substitute strategies into everyday training contexts

Loose-leash walking difficulties are often conceptualised as deficits in training compliance. However, in dogs with high predatory motivation, pulling behaviour is frequently driven by underlying biological and motivational systems.

This lecture examines the relationship between predatory behaviour and leash dynamics, integrating insights from ethology, motor pattern expression, and arousal regulation. Participants will explore how environmental stimuli, reinforcement contingencies, and breed-specific traits contribute to leash pulling.

The session introduces a welfare-oriented framework that moves beyond suppression, focusing instead on cooperation, emotional regulation, and functional engagement in complex environments.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the link between predatory behaviour and leash pulling
• Identify the role of arousal and environmental stimuli in leash behaviour
• Assess limitations of traditional loose-leash training methods
• Apply alternative, evidence-based strategies to improve leash walking outcomes

Predatory behaviour in dogs is frequently addressed through outdated or unsupported training paradigms. This interactive lecture critically examines ten widely held beliefs about prey drive and predation training, many of which persist despite conflicting evidence from behavioural science.

Drawing on learning theory, ethology, and applied case studies, this session explores why these myths endure and how they can negatively impact both training outcomes and welfare. Participants are actively engaged in evaluating assumptions and contrasting them with contemporary, evidence-informed perspectives.

The lecture promotes a functional understanding of predatory behaviour and highlights ethical, reinforcement-based approaches that align with current scientific knowledge.

Learning Objectives

• Identify common myths related to prey drive and predation training
• Critically evaluate training approaches using behavioural science principles
• Differentiate between suppression-based and reinforcement-based strategies
• Apply evidence-informed reasoning to real-world training scenarios