Building the Highways — How Dogs Learn in the Brain with Dean Hart
Your Webinar Description:
| This webinar introduces a clear, visual way to understand how dogs learn by looking at what’s happening inside the brain. Using an easy‑to‑grasp “highway” model, we explore how learning pathways are built, strengthened, or allowed to fade, and how emotional state and stress influence that process. The session connects everyday training techniques to the underlying biology in a way that feels practical, accessible, and immediately useful for trainers and behavior professionals. Participants will come away with a stronger understanding of why timing, reinforcement, and environment matter so much and how to use that knowledge to build more reliable behaviors.
The presentation blends neuroscience with real‑world training examples to show how dogs form habits, make choices, and respond to the world around them. We look at how the brain prioritises certain “routes,” why some behaviors become automatic, and how trainers can support clearer, calmer learning. This session is designed to give professionals a science‑based foundation they can apply right away, offering a fresh perspective on how learning truly works beneath the surface. |
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how learning forms pathways (“highways”) in the dog’s brain.
- Recognize how timing, repetition, and reinforcement strengthen these pathways.
- See how emotional state and stress influence a dog’s ability to learn.
- Connect everyday training methods to what’s happening inside the brain.
- Apply these principles to build stronger, more reliable behaviors
Your Presenters-
Dr. Dean Hart is a clinical behaviorist with more than 23 years of experience working on veterinary referral, specialising in the biological foundations of learning, emotion, and welfare in dogs. His research spans heart‑rate variability (HRV) in canine stress assessment as well as cross‑species studies exploring how animals process and respond to their environments. Dean is known for translating complex neuroscience into clear, practical concepts that help trainers and behavior professionals understand not just what dogs do, but why they do it.
His teaching blends scientific clarity with real‑world welfare practice, offering evidence‑based tools that support humane, effective training and behavior modification. Dean’s work focuses on making the science of learning accessible, engaging, and directly applicable to everyday professional work.
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