You and your dog will be much happier using their services and approach. Find out what to ask a dog trainer and what their answers should be here. If you need one-on-one support from a certified canine behavior consultant, check out our virtual dog training sessions.
During these virtual sessions, you and I will map out a plan to help you and your dog to live a safer, happier, and better life. Dogs that are stressed, anxious, or fearful have a hard time letting their guard down and learning new things. Some dogs are so stressed that they have a difficult time ever coming below threshold and even getting to a state of mind where they can learn. The proper use of appropriate anti-anxiety medications, supplements, or other aids can help to bring these dogs below threshold, allowing them to start learning and forming better, healthier, happier associations with different things.
Your behavior consultant can help determine if this is something you should consider and may recommend talking with your veterinarian or connecting with a veterinary behaviorist early in the training process rather than waiting. This does not necessarily mean that your dog will need these medications long-term.
Sometimes it takes a combination of different medications, supplements, and other aids. Because every dog and every situation is different, there can be some trial and error and some fine-tuning needed when using behavioral medication. Engaging the help and guidance of a board-certified veterinary behaviorist as part of your support team can greatly increase your chances of success with your new dog.
Doing so can also greatly decrease the setbacks and frustrations that may be encountered along the way. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist or ask your behavior consultant or veterinarian for a referral.
Veterinary behaviorists are unfortunately few and far between — however, even if there isn't one near you, many provide telehealth options or can consult directly with your dog's veterinarian.
Doggy daycares are not always ideal for remedial socialization. They are best for dogs who are already socialized and do well in these environments like those unicorn dogs I talked about before. Read more here about whether your dog will enjoy and do well in daycare. All dog daycares are not equal — some may have a good setup and management in place for dogs who need some time to get more comfortable.
Click here for more tips and what questions to ask when choosing a dog daycare. They can be great for some dogs unicorn dogs! If your dog missed early socialization, do not take them to a dog park and hope for the best.
Your behavior consultant can help you determine how and when this activity may be appropriate. When you are unable to actively counter condition your dog and manage their environment to prevent them from going over threshold, it's best to have them safely confined in their safe space.
Maybe your dog was very sick as a puppy and your vet recommended that you keep them inside and away from other dogs. Or perhaps you rescued her at an older age and she just never got a good opportunity to socialize before.
Walk your dog daily — and introduce them to other dogs Dog walks are great opportunities for your four-legged friend to see and possibly meet other dogs and people, as well as practice proper behavior when out and about. Remember not to pull back on the leash or yell at your dog if they bark or otherwise act up, because this increases their excitement level, makes the experience negative, and makes them associate that feeling with other dogs.
When all else fails, you can always calmly walk away. Use a muzzle when other dogs are coming over If you know that your dog barks or growls at other dogs, it can help the experience to use a muzzle. Cesar recommends the Funny Muzzle because its amusing appearance goes a long way towards making other owners calm as well.
Using a leash and muzzle helps in this regard, as does making your dog an observer at first. These exposures include: Different surfaces: grass, leaves, concrete, gravel, linoleum, carpet, wood, sand, etc. Different sounds: think of all the everyday sounds around your home, including hairdryers, phone ringtones, radios, vacuum cleaners, and more. There are even recordings of sounds like thunder and other dogs barking that you can download for your puppy to hear.
Be sure to make each noise exposure a positive experience by acting happy around the sound and associating the sound with yummy treats, and watch your puppy for any signs of stress. Other dogs: this can be done if you have other dogs in the neighborhood you know and trust to be safe and well-mannered with your puppy.
Other people: this may be the most difficult of all at this time, but there are still ways to achieve this exposure for your puppy. Certainly have your puppy socialize with all the members of your household who are healthy. You can also let your puppy look out the window of your home as other people go by, and let your puppy see you act happy about those people. Also, consider all that your puppy can see and hear from the safety of your own car. You can introduce your dog to different surfaces such as grass, leaves, concrete, gravel, linoleum, carpet, wood, and sand all in your backyard or living room.
That doesn't mean you can't ever run with the dog. It just means that you'll have to do some runs where you're willing to put dog training before your own training in order to get a great running partner for years to come. At other times I will go somewhere for a longer period, but with the option to retreat as necessary.
My car can be a very secure and safe place for a dog trained to relax comfortably in his crate. The car is protected from heat or cold and strangers, and can act as a base from which the dog can make forays into socialization experiences.
Obviously, this is not an option for a dog that doesn't regard his crate in the car as a haven, or with a car that isn't safe. Once you've picked a good field trip, assess your dog's skills. What behaviors is he really fluent at right now?
There's no profit in trying to train a new behavior in a new environment. When the behavior begins to degrade—you ask the dog to sit, and he does it slowly, or he does it facing away instead of facing you as usual, or he displays some other variant you don't usually expect—be cautious. The dog is challenged. It might be time to back off for a while or change tactics. Next, choose your goals for the outing; these will vary widely by dog and by situation.
Would you like your pup to relax while bicycles pass, recognizing they're just background noise? Or do you need your shy dog to feel more comfortable passing or meeting strangers on the sidewalk?
Has your dog seen gentlemen with big beards and ladies with long skirts? What about other dogs, cats, horses rural residents or urban police mounts , skateboards, motorcycles, and other things not normally found in your living room? Will your dog be meeting or just observing? Out in the environment, start by asking for your "canary" behavior, and perhaps others, reinforcing generously.
You want the dog to think that new environments are fun and pay well! Now watch for your dog catching interest in something or looking to explore. Go with him, verbally encouraging him gently and reinforcing appropriate behavior with petting or treats. Remember the points from the socialization checklist! If the dog is hesitating, let him make a step or sniff forward, and reward that by tossing a piece of food to the ground in front of him.
Don't use the food to lure him. Not only does luring disguise his natural behavior beneath the eating behavior so that it is harder to read what the dog is feeling , but the dog was frozen when the food appeared and so freezing has been reinforced.
If you start out luring, even as your dog grows more comfortable he will be less likely to move forward or explore his environment on his own. If the dog is in distress, rescue or distract him, of course! But that is management, not training or socialization. When the dog is visiting with a stranger or sniffing the bicycle, know when to quit. Call back your pup before he gets too excited and displays frantic behavior, or before his courage fails and he finds himself facing more than he's ready to face.
Stop at the peak of his experience! Call him back don't pull and reinforce coming to you. If you don't have enough of a recall yet, drop a series of treats and lead him back to you. While socializing should definitely include socializing with people, it should also include a lot more: floor textures, strange noises, different types of weather, odd smells. These experiences should all be a part of your socialization goals. Nearly anything can be turned into a great socialization experience for a puppy!
Sometimes necessity is the mother of all sorts of inventions. I drove across several states and was tired when I checked into my motel, but my 8-week-old puppy had slept much of the trip and was full of energy and enthusiasm! I filled the motel tub with an inch or two of water and floated several handfuls of kibble, creating a fun game for her. Simultaneously she could burn energy in a great play session, explore the properties of water and controlled splashing, and have an enjoyable experience in a bathtub.
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