Your Dog Is Not Broken. They Are Trying to Tell You Something.
Evidence-based behavior support built on the CCRT Methodology™. From private assessments to self-paced programs, we help you understand what is driving your dog's behavior and make real, lasting progress.
Your Path to Lasting Change
Book
Schedule a Comprehensive Behavioral Assessment with Renee.
Assess
A 90-minute virtual consultation to understand the why behind your dog's behavior.
Implement
Receive your personalized behavior support plan and begin implementing it step by step.
Build Resilience
Support your dog's long-term progress with continued care, the CCRT program, or self-guided resources.
Ways to Work with Renee
Choose the path that fits where you are right now.
The Behaviorist Behind YDB
Renee Rhoades, MSc
Renee has spent over two decades working at the intersection of veterinary medicine and animal behavior. She started her career as a certified veterinary technician before transitioning into behavior. She has since supported more than 4,000 guardians across 25+ countries, empowering them to better their relationships.
She is the creator of Canine Cognitive Restructuring Therapy (CCRT)™, a methodology that draws on principles of human anxiety and trauma recovery to help dogs move from reactive to resilient. Her approach is evidence-based, welfare-centered, and built on the conviction that the guardian-dog relationship is where real change happens.
“Our dogs are not broken. They are communicating. And once you learn to hear what they are telling you, everything changes.”
Canine Cognitive Restructuring Therapy™
CCRT is not obedience training. It is not forever management. It is a structured, evidence-informed process that treats reactivity as what it actually is: a nervous system stuck in survival mode. And it gives your dog, and you, the tools to build a different response.
- Draws on human CBT and trauma recovery principles
- Addresses the emotional state driving the behavior, not just the symptoms
- Focused on lasting emotional shift, not temporary compliance
- Evidence-based, welfare-centered, built on the guardian-dog bond
Stabilize
Emergency protocols and safety
Assess
Deep functional analysis of your dog's behavior
Understand
Why conventional approaches often fall short
Build Safety
Establishing the nervous system foundation
Restructure
Cognitive restructuring work
Sustain
Navigating setbacks and maintaining progress
Work With Renee
Whether you need a thorough assessment, ongoing support, or a self-guided starting point, there is a pathway for wherever you are right now.
Comprehensive Behavioral Assessment
A 90-minute virtual consultation with Renee. Understand the why behind your dog's behavior and receive a personalized behavior support plan.
- 90-minute virtual consultation
- Functional analysis of behavior
- Written behavior support plan within 3 business days
The CCRT Program
The complete Canine Cognitive Restructuring Therapy™ program. Video modules, downloadable tools, and community access.
- Structured framework
- Video modules and worksheets
- Community access and lifetime updates
Continued Care
Ongoing expert support while you implement your plan. Text-the-Expert access, monthly video check-ins, and course discounts.
- Text-the-Expert 6 days/week
- Monthly 30-minute video check-in
- 25% off all YDB courses
- Structured 3-month program
The CCRT Program
A structured, evidence-informed program for dogs who lunge, bark, growl, or shut down around triggers. CCRT addresses the emotional state driving the behavior, not just the symptoms you can see.
Full CCRT program, community access, lifetime access. Work at your own pace.
Practical Guides for Real Behavior Change
Evidence-based guides created by Renee Rhoades, MSc. From CCRT™ behavior protocols to enrichment and wellness - clear, step-by-step guides to support your dog at home.
Reversing Resource Guarding
A 30-page guide using the CCRT™ framework to address guarding at its source. Shift your dog's underlying emotional response from defensive scarcity toward trust.
Learn More →
Healing Separation Distress
A 31-page guide using the CCRT™ framework to address separation distress at its source. Shift your dog's emotional response from involuntary panic toward felt security.
Learn More →
Safe and Sound
A guide using the CCRT™ framework to heal noise sensitivity at its root - building genuine confidence and resilience beyond simple management.
Learn More →
Follow That Nose
A 31-page scentwork guide - from the science behind sniffing, to 8 home games, to structured nose work foundations. No experience needed.
Learn More →Also available: canine massage and enrichment guides.
Browse All GuidesWhat Guardians Are Saying
“Renee helped us understand why Chloe was guarding her food bowl. Within weeks of following the plan, the tension in our house completely shifted. This wasn't just training. It was a breakthrough.”
“After working through the CCRT program, my German Shepherd went from lunging at every dog on our walks to being able to calmly observe them pass by. The change in his confidence is remarkable.”
“Renee didn't just give us a plan. She helped us understand Hero's world. The assessment was the turning point we'd been searching for after months of group classes that weren't working.”
Find Out What Is Really Driving Your Dog's Reactivity
Sign up for our newsletter and get instant access to the free Reactive Dog Diagnostic, a 15-page self-assessment that maps your dog's nervous system load across 5 critical layers.
Reactivity is not bad behavior. It is a nervous system stuck in survival mode. This free diagnostic helps you identify the root causes beneath the barking, lunging, and freezing, so you know exactly where to focus.
- 5-layer nervous system behavior mapping
- 15 pages, completely free
- Custom score breakdown with tailored next steps
- Weekly newsletter with science-based tips
Get the Free Diagnostic
Download The Reactive Dog Diagnostic and start mapping what is really driving your dog's reactivity.
Download the Free Diagnostic15 pages. 5-layer assessment. No cost.
Common Questions
An applied animal behaviorist like Renee holds postgraduate qualifications in animal behavior science and works at a deeper level than most dog trainers. While trainers typically focus on teaching commands and managing surface-level behaviors, a behaviorist assesses the emotional, neurobiological, and environmental factors driving the behavior. The distinction is one of scope and specialization: behavioral work addresses the root cause, not just the symptom. Renee holds an MSc in Applied Animal Behavior, a BSc (Hons) in Animal Science, and an Advanced Diploma in Canine Behavior.
All consultations are conducted virtually via video call. Virtual sessions are highly effective for behavior work because your dog is observed in their normal home environment, which gives a more accurate picture of their behavior and emotional state. Renee has worked with families in over 25 countries using this format, and the results speak for themselves.
CCRT (Canine Cognitive Restructuring Therapy) draws on human CBT and nervous system regulation principles. Instead of teaching obedience or managing behavior, it addresses the emotional state driving the reactivity - helping your dog move from survival mode to genuine resilience.
It depends on what your dog is going through. If the behavior is complex, layered, or you are not sure what is driving it, the Comprehensive Behavioral Assessment is the best starting point. You will get a full picture of what is happening and a personalized behavior support plan. If your dog is specifically reactive, the CCRT Program is designed for exactly that. And if you are dealing with one focused challenge like resource guarding or separation distress, one of our CCRT Guides can give you a clear, step-by-step protocol to start with. You can always move between pathways as your needs evolve.
No. Continued Care is designed as a follow-on support service for guardians who have already completed a Comprehensive Behavioral Assessment. The assessment provides the foundation that Continued Care builds upon.
You Do Not Have to Keep Doing This Alone
Whether you need a full behavioral assessment, want to join the CCRT program, or prefer to start with a guide, there is a clear path forward. And it starts with understanding, not correction.