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Yes! You can absolutely do this with your puppy. Just start with 3 min for a 16-wk old puppy. Then increase it to 5 min when your puppy is 20 months. And increase from there every few weeks, up to 10 min.
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Fiona is ready for you to start rewarding in one spot. In fact, if she starts to curl more on one hip, you can reward her at the opposite elbow to encourage the hip role.I see the puppers behind her!
Maybe if you put the mat on a cushy dog bed or on the couch and you sit next to your dog.
What kind of treats are you using? If they are extra yummy, she might have a harder time settling. For some dogs, kibble is better.
Let me know if that helps. If not, we can make other adjustments.
Kathleen, I am so sorry I missed your post!
For now, do not bring him into the building. Can you practice working with him outside the building? And take video so that I can see what he looks like in that context? Just practice skills you typically practice.
I see what you mean in the video. For now, don’t keep asking him to fix the line up. Just go with what he offers. The more you ask him to fix it, the more I can see the arousal building- it’s in his behavior. The “Fawn” response that I talked about in the first Training Night Chat zoom recording. We will be doing lots of things to help him manage his arousal so that he can perform the behavior you ask for.
I understand you don’t like the vulturing- Phuncky vultures too. Here’s the thing- the vulture behavior is unconscious. It his happening because of his arousal. He literally cannot help it. He doesn’t even realize he is doing it. The more you step into him to fix it, the more the arousal will build. Are you concerned that he will get up? Or are you concerned with the posture?
It appears from the video that you seem tentative. Am I misreading this?
Have you started working on the relaxation conditioning exercise?
Hi Susanne!
Do your best if you don’t have video. Perhaps describe a couple of situations.
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Perhaps place the towel on the cushy bed behind him. A more comfortable place might help JuJubee settle faster. You are on your way! This is good! Keep practicing and I will have comments based on the next video of relaxation practice.Hi Tom!
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At 4 seconds, if you freeze the video, you will see that you were not giving Coal direct eye contact when running. This will help him stay with you–not always, but more likely to if you are looking at him. It is a challenge for us to run a course while looking at our dog the whole time- I get it.Just because he has the skills doesn’t mean he has the ability to focus for a sustained period. He is barely two years old and I imagine you have not worked on attention exercises while conditioning resilience. Even focusing for short periods of time is difficult for Cole.
I would like for you to start breaking down your courses into shorter sequences. What does he love best? Food, tugging, a ball? For the next few weeks, after 3-4 obstacles, throw the item he finds rewarding. We will build from there.
I see that I am delayed in responding in time about the seminar on Monday. If you must crate indoors, always crate next to the quiet, settled dog.
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I love that you are feeding him continuously on the way back to the start! So much better for Cole, promoting engagement instead of building frustration. 🙂When you walk away to lead out, keep your eyes on Cole. That can support him in holding a sit-stay. Do you ever throw a toy or something back to him reward the sit-stay? Or do you always walk back to him or release him to reward him?
When you reward him (give a treat, for example), display more enthusiasm yourself! 🙂 Giving treat is not enough. YOUR engagement will help him be more engaged.
Overall, I think he did really well regarding engagement.
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When walking out on leash, give him treats at your side the way you do when he is off leash.Can Cole sit with a hand target or can you line him up between your legs? The more you control him with leash pressure, the more you are breaking down his resilience. It can build frustration and arousal in Cole’s case. I can see this based on his body language and behavior. We have to help Cole feel like he gets a choice and is part of a team instead of making him do it. Make sense?
Great question! Daily, for 10 minutes. Any time of day (meaning day vs night) that works for you is fine. Try practicing during the quieter times of the day in your home so that there is less stimulation for your dog to have to manage.
So that’s an interesting observation, Gail. He might benefit from creating a guest protocol where that will help him ease into the transition of the guest visiting the home. Here is the handout I typically share with clients when their dog is excited, nervous, fearful, overwhelmed, etc. when guests visit the home.
GUEST PROTOCOL: Dogs can experience a range of emotions when a guest comes over; excitement, fear, frustrated, happiness. This range of emotions can be challenging to manage, especially if your dog is afraid and has behaved aggressively in the past towards visitors.
The door itself can be a ‘hot zone.’ A lot of chaos occurs when the door knocker knocks; everyone is calm and suddenly erupts activity. Same with a buzzer if you live in an apartment. The energy in the home spikes and the dog feels that.
Whether your dog doesn’t like it when you have visitors, or your dog loves visitors and overwhelms them with his enthusiastic greeting, you can follow this protocol to help your dog feel comfortable and in control. In addition, dogs do well with rituals. If you follow this protocol every time you have someone come over, the predictability of the context will help your dog better manage his emotions, thereby his behavior. In addition, you will learn other skills with your trainer to help your dog behave more appropriately when you have visitors.
What to do
• Put your dog away in a quiet part of the house, such as your bedroom, at least ten minutes before your guest arrives. You might even have the crate set up in the quiet part of the home, tucked away from the door and main living area. This is your dog’s Safe Space (see handout Safe Space).
• Give him a chewie, such as an Earth Animal No-Hide Rawhide, or stuffed Kong to help keep your dog busy and feeling good while separated. The reason you want to put him away BEFORE your guest arrives is to prevent your dog from becoming triggered by the doorbell ringing. He might still bark from his safe haven, but it won’t be as intense as it would be if he were free.
• Have a large bowl of treats next to the chair you will be sitting in once your guest arrives. Make sure the treats are super yummy and will hold your dog’s attention.
• Ten or so minutes after guest arrives (as long as your dog is quiet), bring him out on leash. Make sure you have a handful of treats with you so that you can give them to him once he walks out of the Safe Space and spots the guest.
• Lure your dog’s attention to you and go right into Chill Out (see handout Chill Out). Make sure to sit as far away as possible from your guest—if you sit too close, your dog will struggle to hold the behavior because he will be too excited or worried.
• Play Chill Out for ten minutes. This will help him settle emotionally while acclimating to the guest being in the home. Be generous in giving treats. You might have to give a treat every second or so for the first couple of minutes. As your dog starts to relax, you can allow for more time to pass in between treats.
• If your dog likes having visitors, release him from the Chill Out position to say hello to your guest. Keep the leash attached to him—it can drag in the house. This will help you manage your dog if he starts to jump and/or barks because you will be able to pull him away from your guest.
• If your dog is nervous of guests, then keep him on leash close to you and follow the instructions your trainer has given and worked with you, specific to your dog’s needs.
• If your dog appears to feel settled after Chill Out, then do the Snuffle Mat (see handout Snuffle Mat – To Help Reduce Arousal & Anxiety).
• If your dog appears to feel settled after the Snuffle Mat, then have the guest practice Treat/Retreat (see handout Treat/Retreat).Things to keep in mind
• Snuffle Mat – some dogs need additional steps to help reduce arousal and anxiety. The Snuffle Mat can help (see handout Snuffle Mat – To Help Reduce Arousal & Anxiety)
• It’s important that your dog is comfortable being confined away in a separate room. If you’re not sure, work with your trainer on Safe Space training.
And Pattern Games will help. We are going to look at these in the next week or so. Then I can help you with the application of them to help Forrest with arousal regulation, where it help prevent him from going into the Fawn Response.
