Reinforcing check-ins!
We can do this on a short lead as well, using any tension constructively by slowing to a stop or changing the angle we’re holding the lead. We want to gently remind our dog the walk is about teamwork!
The important thing is I allow the line to go loose as a reward for the eye contact. It’s calming and will feel good to him, associating that with looking at me.
This fella in fact offers me two check-ins, one directly, the other a subtle shoulder turn. Perhaps for reassurance as we move off again. 😉
WORKING WITH REACTIVITY
Here I am training with Millie who normally displays an aggressive response when she sees another dog, even across the street. Our work is beginning to bear fruit. I’m not forcing her or telling her to do anything, just working to encourage a calm, voluntary response. I want her to spot the other dog then look at me, in a cycle, while remaining calm, which here she is choosing to do. With our training we will work to get closer and closer. Well done Millie!
Desensitisation
Desensitisation😀
Some sights and particularly sounds can become a trigger for a fearful or over-excited association. This is often the case with household electrical appliances. Household cleaning or taking your dog to the groomers – a noisy environment at times with clippers and dryers – can become an ordeal for everyone!
Some of us might find scenarios like a dog trying to play with or attack a vacuum cleaner amusing, but the truth is the first leads to frustration and the second is derived from stress at the outset. And of course it can cause mishaps or accidents. So aside from not being able to allow you to get on with things calmly, it’s only fair to desensitise your dog to these things. And it’s never too late in life to start!
The key to this is to take things slowly and gently, not to flood your dog so they are overwhelmed. As in this video, a dog that used to attack the vacuum cleaner can now even sleep with it being very close by. In fact asking him to move is now harder than previously asking him to keep away!
WALKING WITH A LOOSE LEAD
What does the idea of walking with a loose lead mean to us? Do we want our dog to walk to heel, their nose glued to our hip or calf? Or just to be beside us? Or are we okay with them being ahead of us, but only just a little? It means different things to different people.
But for most people it always means not pulling. Here’s the thing though – if the lead is always tight, both of us are pulling. We’re pulling back, our dog is pulling forward. So one of us needs to change, to show the other how it’s done. That’ll be the human!
And dogs are so much better at learning to do things, rather than “not” do them. So instead of thinking “Argh, stop pulling!”, let’s start thinking, “Let’s enjoy the lead being loose”. Changing our mindset will change the way we both walk, and this has to come first. Now, are you ready? 😊
Crossing a road safely
We can teach our dog an auto-response to a stimulus for a desired routine, in this case crossing the road! The stimulus is facing the kerbside, the auto-response a Sit and pause (Wait). I like its calm elegance and practicality. By introducing a pause, we are more likely to cross the road together safely without a lunge. Especially if there is a distraction present: it is much easier from this position to either cope with the distraction or to let it pass.
We train a Sit and a Wait with a Release cue, starting at home with no distractions. With enough repetition and reinforcement, your dog should begin to offer an auto-response by volunteering the behaviour naturally, eventually without you having to say anything. This is because your dog builds an association with the kerbside routine, and it develops into a habit. “This is what we always do because it works”.
This type of training is very rewarding but needs determination. It falls down when it isn’t reinforced every time. No cutting corners! Or kerbs!
A heart-warming story for you during these cold January days...Lottie joined the Dog Citizen pack a couple of months ago. She had a terrible start to her life but was rescued into a caring, loving home. She was however afraid of men, being very anxious when out on walks, and introducing a male visitor into her house was terrifying for her and untenable.
We needed to find the right strategies that would work for Lottie, and our bespoke training programme started with a man - me! We wanted to gradually ease her fear so her reaction even on seeing a man was a calmer one. And building up to allowing herself - only when she was ready - to accept male company, even indoors.
Well, here she is, voluntarily engaging with a male visitor without feeling afraid - in her house! Her diligent and loving human family are more calm and confident too, which will enable Lottie to flourish with her on-going training. Well done Lottie!
