Reactivity Master Course
NOW ENROLLING — Summer 2026 Cohort
Next cohort begins August 25
Prerequisite: Completion of the Reactivity for Professionals online course is required before joining or alongside this live Reactivity Master Course
From Understanding Reactivity to Applying Change
The Reactivity for Professionals course teaches the Reactivity Zones Approach™ (RZA).
This Reactivity Master Course is where you learn to use it.
This small-group implementation program helps dog professionals apply the framework to the messy, unpredictable conditions where we actually work. Bring your own cases, review training and coaching footage, receive individualized feedback, and refine your decision-making alongside a supportive group of professionals.
The emphasis isn’t on learning more information. It’s on developing the observation, judgment, and coaching skills that come from guided practice, together with supportive, knowledgeable colleagues.
By the time they seek your help as a dog training and behavior professional, these clients are usually embarrassed, frustrated, exhausted, and even scared. They desperately want your help finding effective and practical solutions to make life with their dog easier and more joyful.
Why the Reactivity Zones Approach™?
Many reactivity plans depend on carefully controlled setups, neutral dogs, and ideal training environments.
Most professionals don’t have those.
They work with crowded sidewalks, overwhelmed guardians, small apartments, unpredictable neighborhoods, limited budgets, and dogs whose lives can’t simply pause while perfect setups are arranged.
The Reactivity Zones Approach™ was built for those realities. Rather than offering another protocol, it provides a practical framework for making better decisions within complexity.
Participants Will Learn How To:
- Decide when to move forward and when to change the environment
- Recognize whether progress is limited by skill, environment, or both
- Identify meaningful reinforcers in everyday life
- Coach guardians without creating hyper-vigilance
- Adapt plans as circumstances change
More than changing technique, RZA changes how professionals think about reactivity.
Professional Judgment Can’t Be Downloaded
Understanding a framework and applying it confidently are different skills. This Master Course provides the opportunity to practice, receive feedback, compare approaches with colleagues, and build confidence before facing the next challenging case on your own.
$499 Tuition
What You’ll Do:
Across six live sessions taught by esteemed VSA faculty member and RZA co-developer Maia Huff-Owen, participants apply the framework to their own active cases.
Real dogs, real clients, and real challenges become the curriculum as the group works together to:
- Interpret behavior through function rather than labels
- Troubleshoot stalled cases
- Select zone-appropriate skills for dogs and handlers
- Use simple observational data to guide decisions
- Design effective training plans
- Coach guardians through setbacks
- Build ethical, sustainable reactivity services
Small cohort enrollment allows every participant to receive meaningful discussion and feedback throughout the program.
9 CEU’s available for VSA, CCPDT, IAABC and PPAB (pending)
Who Is This Course For?
The Reactivity Master Course is designed for trainers and behavior professionals who want to become more thoughtful, adaptable practitioners.
It’s especially valuable for professionals who:
- have completed VSA’s online Reactivity for Professionals course and want guided implementation
- are beginning to take reactivity cases
- already work with reactive dogs but want stronger clinical reasoning
- prefer frameworks over recipes
- value humane, evidence-informed practice
- work with clients in real-world conditions
Completion of this course results in the Reactivity Zones Approach™ Master Practitioner designation.
Course Structure
- Six live 90-minute online meetings
- Small-group format
- Guided implementation between meetings
- Ongoing case discussion and video review
- Individualized feedback on training and client coaching
By the end of the program, participants don’t simply know more about reactivity—they approach cases differently.
They notice different details, ask better questions, make clearer decisions, and leave with a framework they can confidently apply long after the course ends.
Cohort Dates
The next available Reactivity Master Course cohort will hold live classes online via videoconference on the dates listed below.
All live classes below will occur at 11am Eastern Time (US) / 4pm UK time. Find your local time equivalent here.
- August 25, 2026
- September 1, 2026
- September 8, 2026
- September 15, 2026
- September 29, 2026
- October 6, 2026
Attendance at all live classes is mandatory.
Requirements to Participate in this Course
You will need to either have completed VSA’s online Reactivity for Professionals course or commit to having completed it before the live cohort dates above.
Additionally, you will need:
- Availability to attend all live 90-minute online class sessions at the dates and times listed above
- A high-speed internet connection, webcam and microphone
- A willingness to engage and work collaboratively while sharing real-world case studies
- To pay the tuition enrollment fee
How to Apply for Enrollment in the Next Cohort
- Check that you’re available to attend all of the scheduled live class dates (above)
- Complete and submit the form below
- Wait for a VSA team member to contact you via email to arrange tuition payment and confirm your enrollment
