Intensive Trainer Development Program
If you want to move beyond quick-fix obedience cues and learn to shape true, reliable behavior in any dog — even the challenging, high-drive, or anxious ones — this program was built for you. The Intensive Trainer Development Program is an immersive mentorship experience created and led by Cynologist. Bart de Gols, a world-recognized cynologist with more than three decades of hands-on experience in canine behavior, neuroscience-based training, and complex case rehabilitation.
A Deeper Approach: Science First, Always
Dogs don’t learn in a vacuum. They are sentient, emotionally complex animals whose behavior is influenced by multiple interacting systems:
Neuroscience of Learning: We study how the amygdala drives fear responses, how the prefrontal cortex supports impulse control and decision making, and how neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine shape motivation and stress.
Primal vs. Cognitive Mind: One of our foundational models shows how dogs switch between the instinct-driven limbic brain and the higher-order cognitive state. Understanding when a dog is primal (reactive, fight/flight) versus cognitive (engaged, able to process) is key to ethical and effective training.
Limbic Resonance & Relationship Building: We explore how dogs co-regulate their emotional state with humans. Trainers learn to project calm clarity to shift a dog from hyperarousal or fear into a learning mindset.
Motivational Salience: Not all distractions are obstacles; they’re indicators of what the dog values. By understanding positive and negative salience, you learn to channel drives rather than suppress them — creating reliable engagement even under real-world stress.
Beyond Obedience: True Behavior Change
Many programs stop at teaching “commands.” We go further:
Aggression & Reactivity: From early warning signals (whale eye, piloerection, displacement behaviors) to safe and humane intervention strategies.
Anxiety & Stress Disorders: Separation anxiety, fear phobias, and maladaptive coping mechanisms — with evidence-based desensitization and counterconditioning protocols.
Drive Management: High-drive working dogs, herding breeds, and protection lines require skillful arousal modulation, not suppression. You’ll learn to shape drive into focused work without creating frustration or shutdown.
Hands-On Immersion
You won’t just watch — you’ll train real dogs with real problems under expert supervision:
Puppies learning foundation engagement and social imprinting
Adolescents testing boundaries, drive, and impulse control
Complex adult cases — aggression, fear, resource guarding, and service-dog task training
Each stage builds on the previous: from observation and leash work to advanced off-leash reliability and problem solving in distracting environments (stores, parks, public settings).
Human Coaching & Professional Skills
Training the dog is only half the work. Successful trainers must educate humans:
Communicating science in simple language for owners
Structuring training plans that busy families can follow
Handling client emotions — frustration, guilt, fear — while keeping dogs safe and progress steady
Business essentials: program design, pricing, contracts, marketing, and ethics
Program Structure
Immersive Mentorship: Direct guidance from Cynologist Bart de Gols
Multi-Phase Learning Path: From foundation theory to advanced applied behavior modification
Small Group Size: Personalized feedback and case review
Professional Recognition: Graduates receive a certificate of completion from Canine Evolutions’ Intensive Trainer Development Program — a respected mark of advanced understanding in canine behavior science
Who This Program Is For
Aspiring trainers who want more than “sit, stay, come” instruction
Experienced trainers ready to master complex behavioral cases
Service-dog handlers and working-dog professionals seeking cutting-edge methods grounded in neuroscience
Veterinary staff, rescue workers, and shelter behavior teams needing applied behavior solutions
Program Options & Investment
Because this is a highly specialized, science-driven mentorship, spaces are limited and pricing reflects the professional value delivered.
Core Track 8 Weeks $15,000: $5,000 deposit + $10,000 due before start
Full Intensive Mentorship 6 months: $35,000 $5,000 deposit + $30,000 due before start
Why It Matters
True training is not about push-button obedience — it’s about cultivating trust, respect, and clarity while working with the dog’s brain, not against it. Graduates leave able to read subtle body language, recognize stress before it escalates, and apply relationship-based, evidence-backed methods to create lasting transformation.