TOP TIPS for Canine Clients
Every plan we develop for a canine patient is individualized to that specific dog and the home/environment in which they live. That said, there are some initial recommendations we make so frequently that we could consider them nearly universal. We decided to share those here so new clients, potential clients, and non-clients could start finding relief from their dog’s behavioral challenges ASAP.
Think of these tips as ways to break ground and to start pouring the foundation upon which your dog’s behavior plan will be built. Every tip may not apply to every dog, but you certainly won't make things worse, and will likely improve your situation quite a bit, by taking at least some of these actions.
Ok, heads up – this is a long one. For our clients, part of our job is to prioritize strategies and recommend the actions that will have the biggest impact on their situation. But this is a blog post, which means that we don’t know you. So we decided to just deliver the whole shebang of common recommendations we give when starting with new clients.
To help buffer the information overload, we created a simplified, downloadable checklist to accompany this post. We recommend having the checklist with you as you read.
As you progress through this post, use your checklist to scratch out recommendations that don’t apply to your dog or your situation, and put a big check mark next to ones that you’re already done. Once you get to the end, pick one or two strategies from the remaining items on your checklist to implement.
So download your checklist, make yourself a snack, and let’s get started.
Photo by devn on Unsplash
Top Tip #1 – Learn to Listen
Dog communications, particularly ones that could help us avoid problematic situations, are often lost in translation. Learning to listen to your dog allows you to stop putting them in situations where they feel the need to escalate to more intense behaviors in order to find comfort or escape what they perceive to be an unpleasant or threatening situation.
Here are some of our top resources for learning to listen to your dog:
While reading dog body language is about listening to what your dog is saying in the moment, there is also much that can be learned by objectively observing and recording your dog’s behavior over time. Keeping a journal of your dog’s behavior is a great way to do this. Here’s the information we typically recommend capturing:
Date, Time, and Situation
Triggering Event (what happened immediately before your dog’s behavior)
Dog Behavior (describe objectively using verbs that represent observable actions - e.g. barking)
Intensity of Behavior (low, medium, or high)
Human Response to the Dog
Dog’s Response the the Human
Photo by Brianne Hadley on Unsplash
Top Tip #2 – Change the Environment First
Trying to teach your dog a new behavior while they’re surrounded by triggers is a recipe for failure all around. It’s like you trying to learn to play a new instrument while on stage in front of an audience.
To avoid this we recommend that you remove access to as many of the triggers for unwanted behavior as you can (we call this management), while simultaneously using training in easy environments to start building the skills your dog will need.
The ultimate goal of your behavior plan may be to remove or lessen some of these management strategies, but oftentimes they change behavior so quickly, and with such little effort, that many of our clients prefer to keep at least some of them in place indefinitely.
Here are the top management strategies we recommend to our clients:
Block your dog’s view from inside your home of triggers outside
You can do this by closing doors, putting up gates, or installing static-cling window film to dog height (when standing on back legs). Closing the blinds sometimes works, but often dogs will just paw or nose them to the side.
FYI – Window film is a recommendation that clients often resist, but then see a huge benefit from when it’s finally installed. (If your dog is barking at things outside your windows, you can expect us to insist that you block their view.)
Limit your dog’s access. Closing doors or putting up gates can be a simple way to keep your dog away from situations that trigger unwanted behavior. There are many gate options in varying types, widths, and heights available.
Use background noise. Reducing the intensity of sound stimuli can go a long way toward reducing your dog’s stress and helping them rest. For some dogs background noise may be enough to eliminate noise-related barking, but for most of our clients we use it as a way to reduce intensity and thus make training easier. Here are some specific background noises to try:
White noise machines are one popular option – our favorite is the Dohm, and we recommend that you put it near the source of the noise (e.g. just inside the door).
Sometimes though, white noise isn't the best, or just isn't enough, for a particular dog. This web has over 200 sound generators that you can use for layering sound on top of the white noise. We recommend you experiment and see which sounds tend to work best for your dog.
Through a Dog’s Ear psychoacoustically-designed music is another option.
Television or radio may work for some dogs, but we don’t often find it to be enough on its own.
Keep your distance. Here are our most common suggestions for this:
Avoid approaching your dog when they are resting
Avoid approaching your dog for petting – call them to you instead
Avoid staring at, leaning over, or reaching toward your dog’s head when interacting with them
Avoid direct interactions with unfamiliar people and/or dogs on walks by crossing the street, changing directions, or moving to the other side of parked cars. You can also change the time of day or location of your walks to avoid high traffic times and areas.
Signal for Space. Bright leash sleeves with bold text can communicate messages clearly from a distance. Many of our clients have found this helpful in managing/avoiding interactions with other people.
For the strongest impact, we recommend a yellow leash sleeve reading “CAUTION” in bold letters. This is a widely used symbol that most people are able to interpret in a fraction of a second without having to fully read and interpret.
Leash Sleeves (sold on Amazon)
Customizable Sleeves (sold on Etsy)
Either can be wrapped around any leash
Ask for space. When someone appears out of nowhere, or sometimes even when you see them coming, it can be hard to get the words you need in that moment to come out of your mouth. Having one or a few specific scripts/gestures that you’ve rehearsed can be incredibly helpful in these situations. Here are some of our favorites:
Turn your dog around and move quickly away (you’re under no obligation to interact with strangers). Added tip: The sooner you do this the easier it will be for everyone, so your best option is to leave before you know that you need to.
“Stay back! My dog is contagious!”
Stranger: “My dog’s friendly!!!” or something similar. RESPONSE: “Mine’s not! Thanks for asking!”
Stranger: “Can I pet your dog?” RESPONSE: “No petting, sorry. They’re not comfortable with strangers outside. Thanks for asking!”
“Sorry, we’re in a hurry!” while avoiding eye contact and moving quickly.
Using a stop signal (hand up, palm facing out), while saying “Stop!”
Avoid the pleasantries that often invite interaction, such as eye contact, smiling, and saying hello. (Again, nothing requires you to interact with strangers.)
Photo by Alice Cullen on Unsplash
Top Tip #3 – Avoid Corrections
Corrections include but are not limited to:
Yelling
Hitting
Yanking or popping the leash
Spraying with water or citronella
Using a pinch/prong or choke collar
Using an electronic collar (sound, vibration, “stim”, or shock)
We understand that your dog’s behavior can be frustrating, stressful, and possibly even dangerous. And it’s true that corrections MAY stop your dog's behavior in the moment and give you a much needed sense of relief (which then makes you want to keep using that method in the future).
However, corrections have many side effects including making anxiety, fear, and aggressive behavior worse. If you are currently using, or considering using these methods, we recommend that you review these articles to educate yourself on the potential risk:
Dog Training Aversives: What Are They and Should You Avoid Them?
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's Position Statement on Humane Dog Training
We know it’s hard to stop using corrections, especially when they sometimes result in immediate (albeit temporary) relief. However, a more constructive and long lasting approach is to decide what you’d actually like your dog to do in that situation and teach that behavior instead.
Photo by Cookie the Pom on Unsplash
Top Tip #4 – Train Smart
Train new behaviors with high-value treats. This transfers the excitement felt for the treat into the desired behavior. Later you can move to kibble/lower value treats for training known behaviors in easy situations, and reserve the high-value stuff for challenging situations. Here are some treats that most dogs find to be high-value:
ZiwiPeak and RedBarn Food Rolls are 2 options that are both a balanced food and extremely high value to most dogs, so you could ask your vet if it's ok to replace a small portion of daily calories with one of these if there is any concern about your dog’s weight.
Cooked meats (e.g. hotdogs, boiled chicken), cheese, liverwurst, or braunschweiger.
Tricky Trainers (cut for small dogs), Pupperoni (needs to be broken or cut), or Bil-Jac (cut for small dogs) training treats
Use small treats. The goal is for your dog to be able to take the treat, swallow, and immediately come back for more. A general rule of thumb is that for a dog the size of a Labrador, the treat should be about pea-sized. For small dogs the treats can be even smaller.
Squeezable Treats are typically very high value, with the added benefits of being easy to continuously feed (if you need to distract your dog) and easier to use while wearing gloves during cold-weather walks.
Bark Pouches (premade and come in a variety of flavors)
Baby food pouches (no onions or garlic)
Kong brand Easy Treat
Squeeze cheese or cream cheese
Churu Lickable Dog treats (available in a variety of flavors)
Tiki Cat Stix (also delicious for dogs)
Wet dog food, cat food, baby food, or a homemade mixture in a silicone travel tube/bottle such as GoToobs or WeeSprout Reusable Food Pouches
Carry treats on walks.
A treat pouch with a magnetic closure such as these lets you get a treat out and quickly feed your dog one-handed.
Stash treats around your home.
OXO POP containers seal securely while still being fast to open.
Prepare for training sessions in advance. Have everything ready to go before you call your dog.
Train in short bursts. In general aim for 5-10 reps or 1-3 minutes. If you get 2-4 near perfect reps, then end your session there.
Train daily. Add sessions into existing routines (e.g. before mealtimes) and incorporate reps into the flow of your daily life.
Video your training sessions. And then watch them. Often what we think we’re doing isn’t what we’re actually doing – or – your training may look better from the outside-in than it feels from the inside-out. Using a tripod for your phone can be helpful for this.
Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash
Top Tip #5 – Start with Attention
Attention is the most foundational skill for training success because...
Attention is needed for Listening, and Listening is needed for Learning.
Attention on request is good, but building your dog’s desire to offer you their attention, as opposed to you cuing (or nagging) them for it is less work for you in the long run.
We have a series of Offered Attention exercises that we use with many of our canine clients – click here for instructions and demonstrations of Step 1 in the series – The Offered Attention Game.
Whew! That was A LOT!
We are aware, and we applaud you for having read this far.
Now that you’re at the end, look at your checklist and pick one or two strategies from the remaining (non-crossed out) items to implement. When those are complete, or have become habitual/part of the flow of your daily life, then go ahead and pick 1-2 more!
And if we do see you as a client in the future, we’ll be able to get right to building on the strong foundation you created by taking the actions above.
Interested in becoming an Insight Client? Click here to learn about our process.