My foster dog Cosmo is teaching me to rely mostly on positive reinforcement training, to be patient and relaxed and to be creative in finding ways to boost his confidence.
He reminds me to simplify everything I ask of him.
Instead of expecting Cosmo to remain in a 20-minute stay, yield to me in doorways and never pull on the leash, I need to focus on one of these concepts at a time and break them down into smaller steps. That way Cosmo can be successful and encouraged to learn more.
Cosmo is a very sweet, friendly guy. He wants to make me happy. He wants to make everyone happy. He just needs to work at his own pace. I can relate!
Sometimes my expectations are way too high for him. That’s important to point out, because it’s a mistake most dog owners make. Dogs are capable of learning quite a bit, but they need clear, simple directions with sometimes 100s of repetitions.
For dogs that haven’t experienced much in their lives, even the tiniest challenges can be extremely difficult.
Cosmo is a good example of a dog who has very little tolerance for stress. He gets frustrated very easily, especially when asked to do something new. I can also tell he experiences some amount of fear in new situations or if I express any frustration myself.
I don’t know why Cosmo has a low stress tolerance. It could be his personality. It could be genetics. but it’s also painfully obvious that he’s had very little training and socialization. I don’t think he’s been expected to do much for the last nine years or so.
Here’s an example:
Cosmo knows how to step over his leash if it gets caught under his armpit. but if it gets tangled further, he goes into a panic – rolling and biting and making the situation worse. A dog with a higher tolerance for stress would remain collected and either figure out how to get the leash untangled or wait for help. No big deal.
If I ask Cosmo to do something new, it’s typical for him to shut down. He avoids eye contact. His ears go back. He turns away. He shakes. He tries to retreat to his kennel or a corner of the house away from me. He licks his lips. If I push him too far or try to use force, he will snap.
Cosmo is very good at clearly expressing his stress levels. It’s my job to pay attention and to slowly build his confidence without pushing him too far.
Just the other day, I asked Cosmo to lie down on a towel for a treat. You would think I had asked him to jump off a cliff! He became terrified, showed signs of shutting down and was not going to put one toe on that towel!
Rather than give up, I decided to use this opportunity to build Cosmo’s confidence.
So I got out the treats and rewarded him for sitting next to the towel.
Páni! What a good boy!
Then, he got a treat for putting one paw on the towel. Next, I rewarded him for standing on the towel. Then, for lying down on the towel.
Phew!
The whole process took at least 10 minutes.
Cosmo was mentally exhausted after that and needed a long nap to recover. I probably pushed him too far, actually.
I realize most dogs are not going to experience stress over something such as a towel or a piece of trash blowing in the wind. but it’s still important to break concepts into small steps for all dogs.
Now that I’ve lived with Cosmo for a few months, I can see why people with reactive/aggressive or fearful dogs find it easier to just keep the dogs away from other dogs or away from new people.
I also realize some dogs are so dangerous they truly can’t leave their homes. I probably would not be able to work with a dog like that. I need to be able to get out of the house and take my dog for walks and to take him anywhere dogs are allowed.
Although Cosmo is 9 years old, I know he will be able to slowly stretch his limits and feel more comfortable in new situations. He loves to go to adoption events and training classes, and he loves to go on walks, so that’s great!
Break dog training into small steps
Cosmo and I got to help out with a beginner’s obedience class. Cosmo was the demo dog, showing off his mad “skills” such as sitting and staying. He’s very good at this because he is treat motivated. It’s easy to guide him, and he loves the class environment.
Most of the dog handlers in these classes know how to teach sit and stay (some don’t), but everyone is there as a reminder to work in small steps with our dogs.
Even the concept of “stay” is complex, but beginning dog trainers move way too quickly all the time.
I teach “stay” by giving the dog lots of treats for not moving even when I’m standing right next to him.
Once he has that down, I pivot so I’m facing the dog but still right next to him. The treats keep coming as long as the dog stays.
I use a verbal release word – ok- Aby signalizoval psa, se může znovu pohybovat. Skutečné odměny však přicházejí pouze tehdy, když pes skutečně zůstane, ne poté, co je propuštěn.
Pes nemůže pochopit koncept „pobytu“ hned od netopýra, i když udělám jen jeden krok pryč. Majitelé psů se však snaží neustále udělat několik kroků, než pes pochopí koncept „pobytu“. To je frustrující jak člověka, tak pro psa a často vede k tomu, že se člověk vzdal dobro.
Můj pes eso do značné míry zůstane bez ohledu na to. Nevím, jak lidé žijí se psy, kteří nezůstanou déle než 30 sekund. To by mě přivedlo k šílenství.
Ace ani nevěděl, co znamená „sedět“, když jsem ho dostal. Vzpomínám si na potíže, které jsem s ním komunikoval v ten první den. Musel jsem se držet jeho límce, pokud jsem nechtěl, aby se pohyboval. To byla docela výzva u 65 liber, vzrušujícího psa. A tlapky jsou během Minnesota Springs vždy blátivé.
Poté, co jsem adoptoval Ace, jsme každé ráno šli na hodinovou procházku. Zastavili jsme se na parkovišti kostela u mého starého bytu a znovu a znovu cvičili sit-report. Každý. Singl. Den.
Nejprve se naučil zůstat, když jsem se otočil a čelil mu špičce.
Dále bych mu řekl, aby zůstal, když jsem udělal krok nebo krok jakýmkoli směrem. Jakmile to pochopil, šel bych na půli cesty na konec vodítka. Možná další den se pokusím projít v kruhu kolem mého psa (vždy tvrdý!) A tak dále.
Pokud bychom cvičili v nové oblasti, začal bych po celém náměstí jeden nebo odkudkoli mohl být můj pes úspěšný.
Když jsem ho naučil „dolů“ a „pobyt“, začali jsme znovu.
Prošli jsme spoustou trhaných lahůdek a 100 let malých tréninků.
Cosmo bude moci sedět a zůstat stejně spolehlivě jako Ace. Vše záleží na tom, kolik času jsem do jeho tréninku vložil. A kvůli jeho nízké toleranci ke stresu se musím ujistit, že budu pracovat velmi pomalu a postavit ho na spoustu úspěchu.
Cosmo chce běžet a skrýt, pokud ví, že udělal něco „špatně“. To mě učí skutečně ignorovat jeho chyby a chválit ho, když dělá něco v pořádku. Je to těžší, než to zní! Stejně jako Cosmo, mohu se snadno frustrovat, takže spolu s tolerancemi stresu pracujeme společně!
Nastavte konkrétní kritéria pro každou tréninkovou relaci
Pomáhá mi to zeptat se, na čem chci pracovat během každého konkrétního tréninku se svým psem. Jinak jsem ohromen, protože budu myslet příliš široce.
Ne konkrétní: Budu učit svého psa na patu.
Konkrétní: Přestanu pokaždé, když se můj pes tahá. „Tahání“ znamená, že vodítko je těsné nebo rameno psa je před mým bokem. Pes dostane léčbu pokaždé, když se na mě podívá. Pokud se můj pes táhne, nebudu frustrovaný. Místo toho často přepínám pokyny, chodím v klikatém zag a chodím různými rychlostmi, takže můj pes nikdy neví, na co budu dělat. Budu udržovat procházku zábavnou a zajímavou a odměňuji svého psa jídlem, když dělá, co chci.
Ne konkrétní: Naučím svého psa, aby přišel, když mu zavolám.
Konkrétní: Chystám se chytit nějaké kuře a utéct od mého psa na dvorku křičí: „Cosmo, pojď!“ pevným, ale přátelským hlasem. Můj pes dostane kuře, když sedí přímo přede mnou. K vedení ho použiji kuře. Bude mít dlouhý náskok, abych ho mohl chytit a v případě potřeby znovu nasměrovat jeho pozornost. Zůstanu šťastný a zábavný, i když se můj pes těžko zaměřuje.
První majitelé psů nebo majitelé psů, kteří právě dostali nového psa (jako jsem já a můj pěstounský pes), nemají vždy jasné, co to znamená, že to znamená skutečně rozbít trénink psů do malých kroků. Není to pro nás přirozené. We tend to look at the big picture and expect results right away.
But you typically can’t teach a dog to roll over right away, for example. You have to first teach the dog to lie on his side and then to start shifting in one direction and then to roll completely over.
You can’t teach a dog to stay on his dog bed while you eat dinner unless you’ve already taught him the concept of stay. then you have to practice moving away from the dog and slowly increasing the time he stays. then you can add mild distractions like a steak dinner ?
What are your suggestions for training an anxious or fearful dog?
As for Cosmo and I, by no means do I have him figured out. He has a lot more to teach me – mostly about patience and remaining positive.
For those of you who have worked with dogs with any kind of fear or anxiety issues, I would love to hear your suggestions for how I can build Cosmo’s confidence. I have him signed up for another obedience class since it’s something we both enjoy.
Cosmo is up for adoption with 4 Luv of dog Rescue in Fargo. read more about him in my post American Eskimo dog for adoption in Fargo. If you would like morE Informace o Cosmo, pošlete e -mail na adresu lindsay@thatmutt.com.