Get out your top notch treats (chicken, cheese, lamb, steak, etc) in raisin sized pieces (approximately sixty) and your clicker. Put out the items, get your clicker and rewards ready and go get your dog, be sure the dog is restrained by a leash and cannot prematurely interact with the items. Count out ten treats out loud making a big deal of it so the dog gets excited and understands that it is time to work. Take advantage of your dog’s immediate curiosity by clicking and treating (c/t) for ANY interaction with ANY of the items. Sniffing, a look at the items, or pawing them are all normal responses. In the beginning you may have to toss the treats inside the circle of items to encourage the dog to try stuff out. Once you have done so five times or so begin throwing the treats outside the circle so the dog has to choose to interact with the items by changing direction. Pay the dog for interacting with any item. If the dog is only looking at the items slowly increase your criteria to wait for a nose touch or a paw touch. Anything will do but you want it to be measurable and observable. Work through your ten treats then put the dog on lead and remove her from the area until she “turns off” for a couple of minutes. This down time is important, it gives the dog time to think about what you are doing and keeps her from becoming too tired or demanding.

 

Return to the area, count out your ten treats and take the dog off lead. Again, begin with c/ting for the dog interacting with any of the items. Now raise your criteria gradually, choose only one kind of touch (paw, nose, etc.) or for only one item that you will reward (the funnel). If your dog starts to shut down (yawning, lip licking, whole body shakes like he is wet, etc.), lower your criteria to get him restarted or just toss a treat without clicking to get him moving again. Through all of this you should be sitting down or standing quietly by the side. If your dog needs more encouragement as he is just staring at you, make sure you are looking at the items on the floor, not at the dog, and you may have to quietly walk around the items occasionally bending down to look at an object more closely (your interest may spur your dog’s interest). This will draw your dog’s attention. Slowly and gradually shape (over as many sessions or days as necessary) to one item with only one kind of interaction being rewarded. Work through forty or so treats in a session. The session should be separated by at least twenty minutes and can be done three to eight times a day. Eventually, you can play this game with the dog’s regular kibble as rewards or as an adjunct to the hand feeding challenge. You can even include items that are toys that your dog loved at first and now thinks is boring. Yuck it up with different items each time you play and your dog will be zooming with the new stuff.

 

Yea Hah! Now your dog should be wagging his tail and getting excited when you start getting “stuff” out for him to interact with during the exercise. If your dog is fearful or apprehensive about a specific item (toenail cutters are usually a good bet), include it in the items next time you play and reward the dog for choosing that item with his foot. If that piñata you brought home from Mexico is a scary dragon to your dog, include it another time to build your dog’s confidence with this scary item. Vacuum cleaners can be added to the group of interesting things. By encouraging your dog that “braver is better” you help to build his confidence.

Instinctive Behavior Builds Confidence

If your dog finds the six interesting things too difficult you can work on another exercise. Rewarding behavior (any behavior that is even slightly appropriate) builds confidence as well. Count out ten treats and reward your dog for ten different movements—an ear flick, a blink, breathing, wagging his tail, taking a step with his front left foot, with his right rear foot, turning his head, whatever he offers freely. Slowly and gradually reward only one behavior, moving a foot for example, or taking a step backward, and slowly shape the behavior by rewarding it. Try to be able to get for of ten treats in twenty seconds. The more your dog is moving the better. If your dog is wonder dog and offers something like a spin, c/t only that behavior until there is no hesitation between eating the treat and offering the behavior again, you are ready to put it on cue. If you don’t know how to put the behavior on cue, give us a call or an email to find out how. Many of the behaviors dog’s offer, like spinning, can be used to your advantage. Some of our clients use the spin behavior to have their dog dry off their feet on a rainy day. Be creative with your dog and enjoy the interaction. Watch specific parts of the body and do not stare at his eyes, as this will shut a dog down in a heartbeat if he is anxious. See how many “back up” steps your dog can do in a row. Reward instinctive behaviors and your dog’s confidence will grow. This is called “body shaping”.

 

101 Things to do with a Cardboard Box

This builds creativity in dogs and is an excellent exercise to do on a rainy day or a day when your dog will be unable to exercise sufficiently for the day. I often say there are two ways to tire out a dog—work their bodies for thirty minutes and wear out your rotator cuff throwing a ball or work their minds for ten minutes. Get out a cardboard box, yummy treats and a clicker; c/t your dog for any interaction with the box. Do not lure the behavior. If your dog stands there dumbfounded, you should just start behaving interested in the box. Get the dog’s curiosity up and reward that. Looking at the box is a start and is a reward-worthy behavior. Slowly and gradually build your criteria by waiting the dog out for different behaviors with the box. There really isn’t a wrong here (except maybe urinating on the box or chewing on it). Let the dog climb in, around, jump over, and even stand on the box. Let him push it around the room with his nose. See if he can stand with only one rear foot in the box. From time to time move on to new interactions with the box by changing which direction the box is in, bottom up, on it’s side, etc. This exercise is much more difficult for “cross-over” dogs who have been trained with other methods as they are used to being told what to do rather than puzzling it out for themselves, just use your rewards to keep the dog going and using his mind. See how creative your dog can be, I bet he will find something to do with the box you never considered. We even had a dog put himself in the box and close the flaps, and one dog crawled under the box and hid his entire body. Building his creativity sends the message that he is a wonderful dog who makes fantastic decisions. Isn’t that what we all crave. Be forewarned, that the box game will result in a dog that tires to interact with ANY Cardboard box (even months or years later) when you a trying to pack up Christmas gifts to sent to Boise, so you should be mindful and lock up the dog when you need to use a box so you don’t accidentally ship him to your sister. If you see a behavior you just love, shape for only that behavior and put it o cue. During the next session, move on and try to find something else the dog can do with the box, This is great fun for owner and dog and frankly, will make even the most dark day sparkle.

 

Eventually, all of these exercises can be done in many environments (even in the car sitting in the driveway or a parking lot). Work on these exercises in areas where your dog formerly lacked confidence and you will go a long way toward building his “power” in these situations and lowering his anxiety.

 

© September 2004                                     Tina M. Spring Van Why                             All rights reserved.

To contact us:

Phone: 706-202-5419

E-mail: tina@sithappens.us

Building Confidence

We all hear the psychobabble about building confidence. Confidence is often misunderstood, it is not an excuse to be a bully or cocky. Real confidence comes not from ego but from very real “power”. The power is to make correct decisions.

Whether you have a seven-week-old puppy or a ten year old Doberman, all dogs need to have real confidence encouraged. This gives the dog the ability to make decisions without reactivity and allows them to “sit on their center” emotionally. There are lots of methods one can use to build confidence in their dog. We will discuss three ways in this handout.

Six Interesting Things

Assemble six items your dog has never seen before. At least one item should be something organic (like a log). While getting your items together your dog should not be in the area. Use at least one item that rolls (as movement attracts attention) like a paint roller and at least one object that makes noise (a can with pennies in it works well). Use items that are metal (a metal ladle), wooden (a ping pong paddle), and plastic (a funnel, scrubber or brush); the more variety in the items the better. Don’t go out and buy a bunch of stuff, just use items from around the house that the dog doesn’t see all the time and that are safe for the dog’s interaction. (No glasses, remote control, shoes or other items you definitely don’t want your dog to mess with).

Dogs often suffer with their lack of confidence.

Help your cowardly canine build confidence

Specific exercises to build confidence

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