Turning Bark into Bliss with Positive Reinforcement Techniques
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In the heartland of America, where outdoor pursuits and our beloved dogs often go hand-in-hand, understanding your dog's reactivity is crucial. Reactive behaviors include seemingly aggressive actions like lunging, snarling, or barking but also include fearful reactions like yelping or freezing. These reactions are often expressions of fear or over-excitement.
Being professional dog parents in an active community, we're wired to counteract these behaviors instinctively. But our well-meaning interventions may inadvertently worsen the situation as we're dealing not merely with behavior but underlying emotions.
Let's introduce a paradigm shift here - addressing the emotional response rather than just correcting the behavior.
Setting The Right Threshold
Think of a reactive dog as an athlete on a training plan. Every encounter with another dog could be seen as either a failed practice run or successful endurance training, depending on how it's managed. Identify the baseline where your canine companion can spot another dog without reacting; this becomes his safe threshold. Maintaining this threshold is essential to ensuring steady progress in managing reactivity.
Open Bar/Closed Bar
Imagine transforming every appearance of another dog into a joyful event for your furry friend! That's what the 'Open Bar/Closed Bar' technique does - you provide your dog with continuous treats when other dogs are visible and stop when they're not. This changes their perception associating other dogs with exciting rewards rather than threats.
One ideal place for this exercise could be at the parking lot of a large pet supply store, maintaining enough distance so that there’s no direct interaction between your dog and others.
"Click the Trigger" Game
Similar to 'Open Bar/Closed Bar', 'Click the Trigger' game makes use of treats to help marker-trained dogs form positive associations with other dogs’ sight. Each glance towards another dog without reacting is met with a click and a treat.
The secret to success lies in gradually decreasing the distance or increasing the intensity at your dog's pace. Remember, patience is the key here.
Mind Your Emotions
As our dogs are sensitive to our emotions, we must learn to relax and avoid ringing alarm bells for our furry companions. Maintain a relaxed demeanor when you see another dog approaching. Take a deep breath, ensure your leash is loose, even start humming your favorite tune! It may seem simple but often these tiny actions lead to profound changes in your dog's reactions.
Emergency "Get Out of Dodge" Plan
Despite all preparations, there might be situations where an unexpected encounter might push your dog over his threshold. For such times, have an emergency drill ready – like practicing a 'Run Away' game during calm times at home. Then if you are suddenly startled by another dog on your walk, this well-practiced “safety” behavior offers you and your pooch a stress-free way out.
A bonus tip - make sniffing sessions part of your daily routine! A quick sniffing game diverts their gaze downward (away from potential triggers) and lowers their heart rate quickly - making it perfect for overly excited or anxious dogs!
When it comes to managing reactivity in dogs, remember that prevention trumps correction every time. Being proactive rather than reactive helps shape desirable behaviors while reinforcing the trust and bond between you and your four-legged friend.
Whether it's calming an excited puppy during their "witching hour" or managing an adult dog's fixation with water bodies (like my beloved Dexter!), understanding and empathizing with their emotions can lead us towards more effective strategies.
Finally, as we take this journey together in building a thriving community of responsible pet parents, let’s remember that it’s not about having a perfect dog; it’s about growing each day with our furry friends in compassion, understanding, and unconditional love.
Drop a comment below with your experiences and tips on managing your dog's reactivity. Let's learn from each other and grow together in this pawsome journey!
Have you tried our FREE 10 part puppy training series yet? If not and you find you could use your dog or puppy's attention in high stress situations like walks, dog parks, vet visits, then take our free, quick and easy training youtube series on gaining your puppy or dog’s focus today!
Please contact us if you have any questions on these tips, [email protected]
Also, follow us on Instagram and Facebook @newmansdogtraining. You can also follow us and our dog Barry on our training and outdoor adventures on Instagram @adventuredogbarry.
