👉 Reserve Your Spot Early - Free Dog Detox Summit (May 18–22)

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Free Dog Detox Summit (May 18–22)

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The Growl Class

The Growl Class focuses on long-term socialization and employs advanced classical conditioning techniques. The program aims to boost confidence in both dogs and owners.

30 reviews

542 students enrolled

Created by Dr. Ian Dunbar

Last Updated: 2026

Full Lifetime Access

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30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

This course includes:

  • 6 hours on-demand video
  • 13 lessons
  • Assignments
  • Access on mobile
  • Lifetime Access
  • Certificate of Completion

about

Is your dog struggling with aggression or fear around other dogs? Don't wait until it's too late—take action now with The Growl Class! This comprehensive course, led by the Dunbars, covers everything you need to help your dog gain social confidence. It's built on 6+ hours of video lectures, supplementary notes, and real-life case studies. The course teaches you how to break the vicious cycle where a dog’s decreasing socialization increases its aggressiveness. 


You'll learn about newly developed techniques that accelerate the process of classical conditioning and desensitization, helping your dog become a social butterfly again. Resolving these issues without proper guidance is time-consuming and unfair to other dogs and their owners. The Growl Class is tailored to help you understand your dog’s behavior, give you control, and, most importantly, improve your dog's quality of life.

What you'll learn

  • How to assess the severity of your dog's fighting based on the Fight:Bite Ratio.
  • Using primary reinforcers like toys or kibble effectively.
  • Stress tests to assess your dog's comfort level.
  • How to use Classical Conditioning Set-Ups to accelerate the socialization process.
  • The Jolly Routine: An underutilized classical conditioning routine.
  • Techniques for quantitative assessment of prognosis and time required for rehabilitation.
  • Introduction to classical conditioning in various environments.
  • Strategies to decrease and eliminate reactivity, such as lunging and barking.
  • Implementing the Come-Sit-Watch command to lessen your dog's threat level.
  • Maintaining progress through lifetime practices, such as hand-feeding your dog in the presence of other dogs.

Who This Course is For

  • Dog owners who've noticed aggressive or fearful behavior in their pets around other dogs.
  • Owners of adolescent dogs, as these animals, often experience deteriorating social skills.
  • People who want a scientific, methodical approach to dog socialization.
  • Those who have tried traditional training methods without success.

WHAT THEY SAY

Karen

Learned a lot


Many useful techniques to hel[ dogs stay focused on their owners

LESSONS

Course Content

  • 05:49:15
  • 13 lessons

Module 0: Introduction

I: Introduction

Module 1: The Growl Class w/ The Dunbars (05:49:15)

I: How Did We Get Here, And How Are We Going To Fix It? (37:29)
II: Building Muscle Memory (39:23)
III: Building Your Dog’s Confidence Around Other Dogs (26:42)

IV: Understanding Representative Feedback & Maintaining Bite Inhibition (Group 2 Returns) (26:31)
V: Correcting Unwanted Behavior and More (30:18)
VI: Learning The Jolly Routine (22:29)

VII: Follow Up Training and Equipment Questions (22:33)

VIII: Q & A and 1st Group Returns (30:39)
IX: Behavior Pacifiers and Off Leash Walking (25:08)
X: More Jolly Routine and Settling (Group 2 Returns) (27:25)

XI: Capturing, Constructive Commands, and Go To’s (31:05)

XII: More Q & A (29:33)

INSTRUCTOR

  • 5+ instructor rating

The Dunbars

Dr. Ian, Kelly, and Jamie Dunbar are the trio behind various dog training ventures. Ian, a veterinary graduate with a Ph.D. in dog behavior, pioneered the first off-leash puppy socialization classes and founded the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. Kelly, originally from Chicago, became one of the first certified pet dog trainers and has managed multiple training and daycare facilities. Jamie, Ian's son, is a Brown University graduate who initially joined as a video editor but now handles marketing and content creation. Together, they have launched initiatives like Dog Star Daily and Open Paw to offer free training resources and support for shelters. Their collective work has impacted hundreds of thousands of dogs and their owners.

REVIEWS

Student feedback

I picked up some things I did wrong Anyone with a new puppy
Linda Killion

This is an amazing group of professionals that you have put together. There has been a wealth of information. Thank you so much.

Everyone that has a fur baby. I would market to all the different breed groups as well as the conventional veterinarians.
Penny Rauckis

It is exactly what we experience daily with our dogs & those of my clients

Other physiotherapists & dogfaces owners who make effort to bring a change.
Danjele Himmel

I have learned things about helping my senior dog that I wouldn't have thought of before, or didn't know how. Thanks so much for putting this together! Any dog parent. There's a lot of good information that's beneficial even while a dog is young.
Christine Wise

As a canine remedial therapist and owner of senior dogs I need this information to navigate their senior years which have been impacted by previous diets and lifestyles. Also to point my clients in the right direction. This information is not readily available from our local vets. Great to hear products being recommended too, by people who really know what they are talking about. My vet would never recommend many of these so now I can have confidence in purchasing treatments for diarrohea and probiotics etc. Thankyou so, so much. All dog owners who want a longer lived, happier dog. Anyone working with dog behaviour also really needs to understand this stuff.
Robyn Larson-Shelton
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