Why Dogs are “Clouds, Not Clocks” – Reductionism & Chaos Theory in Dog Training & L.E.G.S.

Are dogs more like clocks, or more like clouds? This course uses the work of Dr. Robert Sapolsky to explore complex systems, reductionism, chaos theory, and what all of that has to do with dog behavior. Brian Flemming helps participants step away from overly simple cause-and-effect thinking and toward a more realistic understanding of dogs as living, changing, context-sensitive beings.

Through the L.E.G.S. framework, this presentation examines why behavior is rarely the result of one clean variable, one simple trigger, or one tidy training solution. Participants will explore how multiple factors interact in ways that can be difficult to predict, and why this matters in behavior consulting. This course invites professionals to become more curious, more humble, and more systems-minded when looking at the dogs and families in front of them.