Stressed Out: Stress and Its Role in Behavior

What makes this course different?

  • Go deep

    Go beyond a surface-level understanding of stress and behavior. Explore the science and gain insight and understanding to working with fear. Learn directly from a PhD and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist.

  • Direct interaction

    You'll interact directly with Dr. Spaulding. All students have access to live lectures and the opportunity to ask the Dr. Spaulding questions during the lecture. Full students attend weekly discussions sessions led by Dr. Spaulding. (Lectures are also recorded for those who cannot attend live).

  • Apply what you learn

    Students are given the opportunity to apply what they learn during class. This is done with interactive activities during lecture and applied problem-solving challenges during discussion sessions. Learn how to make the connection between the science of behavior and working directly with animals.

Course details

  • Course consists of live lectures and discussion sections. Lectures are also recorded for those who cannot attend live.

  • Next course begins the week of May 2nd.

  • Lectures (all students) are Mondays at 12 pm ET. Discussion sessions (full students only) are on Thursdays at 12 pm ET.

  • The course runs for four weeks.

  • Auditors: 4 CEUs from IAABC and CCPDT

  • Full students: 8 CEUS from CCPDT, 10 CEUs from IAABC

Course Curriculum

Week 1

  • Course orientation
  • What is stress?
  • Good, tolerable, and toxic stress
  • The physiology of stress
  • What is the function of stress?
  • Chronic stress and it’s impacts on physical and emotional health
  • Assessing stress


Week 2

  • The impacts of early life stress
    • Prenatal stress
    • Stress in juveniles
    • Stress during adolescence
    • Stress in adults
    • Stress in seniors
  • Research on stress in dogs
  • How stress impacts the brain
  • Epigenetics and stress
  • What can we do to minimize toxic stress during development?

Week 3

  • How does stress impact fear learning and extinction?
  • The limitations of extinction and counter-conditioning
  • The impacts of stress on memory
  • The influence of stress on learning
  • Stress and the immune response

Week 4

  • What is resiliency?
  • Why are some animals more resilient than others?
  • Can you “inoculate” animals against stress?
  • Stress coping styles
  • Social support to improve stress resiliency
  • Exercise, enrichment, and agency to improve stress resiliency

Your Instructor