Pet Behavior Solutions

04/04/2022

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We are also working activities with the dogs next to each other. This is a very challenging activity! It can makes dogs feel more competitive and “jealous” when their partner gets a treat and they do not. It can also make some dogs feel vulnerable because there is a little social pressure that goes along with the other dog being next to them. (Not peer pressure rather social pressure of complying with a human while considering the social politics of another dog nearby.) For some dogs, we will ask them to all do the same behavior and simply wait their turn for the reward. Those dogs are not allowed to crowd into another dog’s space when it isn’t their turn. We call that staying in your own lane. For more confident or advanced dogs, we will be asking them for opposing behaviors which involves discrimination training. One dog will stay while the other dog is called to come, or one dog will down while the other dog is asked to sit, etc. If it sounds difficult to get dogs doing different things side by side with one human, it is! These activities tap into impulse control, conflict resolution, problem solving, body control, focus and relevance, and confidence building.

03/01/2022

This week we decided to try some every day practical skills. The first activity will involve a fumble course. This is a sensory activity where we place many different substrates on the floor for the students to learn to walk through and experience. This is a confidence building exercise but not just for timid dogs. Think of all the different surface textures that dogs may need to navigate in life: rocks, slippery floors, grates over walkways, metal road plates, escalators, etc. This involves sensory experiences and sensory generalization. Sensory experiences help build nerve connections in the brain that allows for more complex learning. It also helps dogs with different learning styles through the experience of novel surface textures. Sensory activities develop and gross motor skills by promoting problem-solving and exploration.

The second activity will be training around household items such as brooms, mops, vacuums, buckets, walkers, crutches, hoses, etc. The goal with this training is to teach dogs to move away from and leave these items alone when in use. This is not just a safety activity. It taps into problem-solving and body control. We will be using kibble or treats and a clicker for this exercise but you can simply use a marker word such as “yes” with some praise. Don’t praise too enthusiastically though, we don’t want to activate dogs with this activity. Listen for the instruction on the videos. We will be rewarding the dogs for any movement away or any disengage in a dog’s interaction with the items.

08/19/2021

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