What is Learner Centered Training?

A revolutionary ground-up reimagining of animal training as we know it. 

Inspired by the 14 Principles of Learner-Centered Teaching outlined by the American Psychological Association, Learner-Centered Training is an entirely new framework that goes beyond teaching new behaviors or modifying existing ones. Our innovative methods are more than a set of tools and techniques; our foundational skills have been honed from a deep well of wide-ranging interdisciplinary concepts, resulting in transformative changes you won’t find anywhere else in the animal training industry!

Learner Centered Training incorporates previously-unexplored levels of communication, choice, and agency into our work with animals. Our methods move beyond common positive reinforcement practices to engage animals as collaborators and active participants in their learning journey. In doing so, we empower both our animal and human learners to cultivate deep, meaningful partnerships built on shared values. The result is a life-changing connection between human and animal, with impacts that extend far beyond the training session. 

We believe learning is a dynamic, interactive process that is most effective when learners are truly at the heart of the training or behavior modification process. Rather than relying on body language alone, we solicit direct feedback via simple gestural communication. Instead of merely positively rewarding behaviors with treats or toys, we foster independent cognitive processes like meaning-making and values-aligned decision-making. This may sound complex, but we know from years of experience that these strategies are effective, efficient, simple in practice, and easy for learners to utilize. They create mutually-beneficial change more quickly, result in highly-generalizable skills, serve the learner in more meaningful and empowering ways, and increase resilience  - not to mention permanently reframing the way we think about, live with, and understand our animal companions!  

Our blog and podcast offer opportunities to explore concepts, strategies, and real-life cases that showcase the profound impact of this approach. Our expanding educational resources include webinars and online courses, and we offer personalized coaching and advice opportunities.

Join us on our journey to deconstruct our collective assumptions about animals and the way we train, and to share in our passion and excitement as Learner-Centered Training catalyzes a metamorphic reconstruction of animal behavior work!

What people are saying

“We used to think that it was not possible to know what animals are thinking, this framework makes the impossible possible, and simple in application, and I’m obsessed.”

— B.C., Colleague

“This is an entirely new evolution of training methodology, I have never seen choice, agency or communication presented in this way.”

— T.K., Colleague

“What I love most about this method, is not only how easy it is to understand, and for me to use as a dog guardian, but how quickly it worked. It made life with my pet easier immediately, even if all of my goals weren’t yet met, the relief and joy I experience now is beyond compare.”

—E.D., Client

New Posts

Featured
The Necessity Of Deconstruction

Deconstruction is meant to critically examine something, it asks whether our beliefs remain true in light of updated bodies of knowledge, seeks to expose truths that were supported by assumptions rather than facts, and rejects the idea of a universal truth applied equally to all. This is the process we are called to engage in as we unleash animal voices, to compare what they are now telling us with what we previously thought, and to reject the notion that R+ training methods are valuable to our learners until we have asked them and tested our assumptions.

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What If My Dog Doesn’t Want A Choice?

In creating a communication system that includes joint attention, pointing, mands, tacts, intraverbals, and more, we enter into a conversation rather than just asking a closed-ended question. This means we are not casting our dogs out to face the big, overwhelming world alone and confused while we stand idly by, holding the leash and waiting to see what happens. Rather, we are creating out-of-context opportunities for them to safely explore all the options that interest them, and we are empowering them to communicate their chosen option when we are out in the real world.

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B.A.A.R.C.™ In Action

My dog, Chloe, and I have been using the Behavior Analytic Approach to Relational Communication™ (BAARC) for about a year as of this writing (3.25.24). I was never skeptical of this approach; my background in learning and development had me 100% bought in from the first time I heard about BAARC. It fully aligned with everything I knew about how we learn and what matters in coping with (dis)stress. Nonetheless, I have been continually surprised - and often humbled - at what I have learned about Chloe’s preferences and needs from using BAARC with her.

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How my dog told me he was missing his water bowl…

One of the goals of B.A.A.R.C.™ that will never cease to amaze me, is how it empowers animals to get creative in generating new ways of communicating with us, and persist in solving problems with the resources available to them. The unparalleled access I get to my dog’s intelligence is not only a source of constant fascination and admiration, but enriching to both of our lives. It also frees me from much of the guilt and shame I would have previously felt, if I was left to discover that I had forgotten his bowl and wondered how long he may have wanted it but didn’t have it there. Instead, knowing that my animals are empowered to not only tell me what their needs are, but to persist until they are fulfilled helps me to take the best care of them possible, while allowing myself grace for my mistakes knowing the negative impacts are buffered, we are not perfect, and we don’t have to be.

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Beyond the Operant: What We Mean

Learner centered training is not literally beyond operant conditioning, but it does take the concept and apply it in innovate, interdisciplinary ways that transform our lives with our pets.

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Emphasizing Motivation Over Reinforcement

When we begin with the question of motivation, we tap into more powerful options for behavior change that benefit both us and our learners.

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Choice, Consent, and Agency in a Learner Centered Framework

…if choice and agency are truly our goals, they should be an inherent part of a learning process that provides exploration of many right answers, does not pre-determine a single path to learning, and that holds functional relevance for the learner.

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What does Andragogy have to do with dog training?

Andragogy is a learning theory that according to the oxford languages dictiorary efers to the method and practice of teaching adult learners; adult education. What does it have to do with dog training? A lot!

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