Positive associations make for a friendly dog
I have a one-year-old dog that I purchased six months ago. He loves my wife. However, he is not taking to me. If I try to pick him up, he runs away. Sometimes he hides. He is terrified of me, even though I often give him little treats. Is there any advice that you can give to help?
Giving treats to a nervous dog is intuitively correct. With time, the dog should become happy to see men because men produce good treats. When dealing with intense fear, a few treats might not be sufficient.
Start by keeping the dog under threshold. This means working within the dog’s capabilities. Stay far enough away and toss treats toward the dog. Then walk away while the dog is still comfortable. End the session.
Think of it like facing a scary snake. When observing the snake at a safe and comfortable distance someone thrusts the snake at you assuming that you could handle more. It would take a pleasant encounter and sour it. We often do something similar to dogs. When they show the slightest bit of interest, we lean in and reach toward them. That taints the positive association we worked so hard to achieve. Be satisfied with small gains.
Use special treats. Kibble, biscuits and training treats are not suitable. Use the dog’s favourite food when dealing with fear. Special food creates stronger positive associations.
Do not give special treats at any other time or else it muddies the association and defeats the purpose of the treats. It needs to be clear to the dog that only men predict special treats.
Give plenty of long breaks where there are no men present, and thus no special food. Many short, repetitive sessions can create a wide range of problems. Many dogs start to differentiate between set-ups and real life. The exercise fails to carry over to daily encounters.
With time, if the association is clear, the dog’s emotional response will change. Instead of running away, the dog will tentatively approach. This is the start of greater gains.
Once the dog is comfortable staying close, teach the dog to trust and enjoy further interaction. Work slowly and carefully. Trust may take time to build. Do not use food as a bribe to push the dog beyond what he (or she) can handle. Consult with a professional. Not only are they there to help with the details, they are also there to remind owners when it is time to give the dog a break. Our dog seems to drift mentally after half an hour of training. How long should a training session with a dog last?
Short training sessions can often have a much bigger impact than longer ones. Training is only going to sink in if the dog is attentive, focused and on point. Frustrated and bored dogs really only learn that they would rather be doing something else.
Try doing 10 minutes of total training, broken down into two-minute intervals. During each two-minute session, set the dog up for success. Ideally, you want the dog right about 80 per cent of the time. High rates of success and attention leaves the dog primed to focus in subsequent lessons. It creates huge impact and fast results.
Incorporate lessons into daily life once skills have been mastered. Reinforce good behaviour. Prevent the dog from practising unwanted behaviour. If those skills require long periods of concentration, work on building this ability separately. It is not something that comes naturally. Do continue to give breaks. Even people take water breaks to quickly recharge and refocus. Yvette Van Veen is an animal behaviour consultant. Write her at advice@awesomedogs.ca.