0:00

This is the Puppy Training Podcast , episode 165

0:03

, just Turn and Walk Away . This

0:10

podcast is designed to help you on your

0:12

journey of becoming best friends through love and

0:14

learning , as you train your own dog from

0:17

home , and I'm here to help you every

0:19

step of the way . This is the Puppy Training

0:21

Podcast , and I'm your host , amy Jensen

0:23

. Welcome

0:29

to another episode of the Puppy Training Podcast

0:31

, where we talk about all things puppy . It's

0:34

one of my favorite things to do . Today , we'll

0:36

be focusing on an important topic helping your

0:38

dog feel better about triggers

0:40

, things in the environment that they might

0:42

react to . Now , instead of reacting

0:44

, we'll discover how to teach them to turn and move

0:47

away Just walk away . That doesn't

0:49

always come naturally to a dog , so we need to teach

0:51

them how . Now dogs , much

0:53

like humans , can have triggers that make them uncomfortable

0:55

or anxious . Does your dog have any of these

0:58

triggers ? It's important to first

1:00

identify them before addressing

1:02

them , so make sure you know what they are . There

1:04

are common triggers like loud sounds

1:07

, strangers , a person on

1:09

a bike . Maybe it's very specific , maybe

1:11

this person has a hoodie pulled over

1:13

their head , or maybe they

1:15

have a beard , or maybe they're very tall , or maybe it's

1:17

a small dog , or maybe it's a big dog . Dogs are going

1:19

to have certain triggers and it's going

1:21

to vary for everybody , so

1:23

every dog is unique and different . It

1:26

might be other animals , like cats , or

1:28

small prey animals like squirrels , things like

1:30

that , that are super exciting to your dog . So we

1:32

want to pay close attention to your dog's behavior

1:34

in different situations and then pinpoint

1:36

what is causing them stress or

1:39

over excitement . I like

1:41

to keep a list with as many specifics as possible

1:43

to really narrow down what triggers I

1:45

need to help my dog practice being around

1:48

. The more specific you are , the

1:50

more time you will save yourself . Now

1:52

that we've identified triggers , let's talk about creating

1:55

distance . Distance is a magic

1:57

formula here . It is important to add

1:59

to your notes how far away your dog can

2:01

be from said trigger and

2:03

not react . Does that make sense ? Now

2:05

? You might need to experiment with this until you know where

2:07

your dog can think and focus and at what point

2:10

you've stepped too close and their brain

2:12

is now just reacting . We are going

2:14

to work behind that line where your

2:16

dog can still think and focus . So

2:18

if you're so close to the trigger that your dog won't

2:21

take any food from you , they won't look at you . They

2:23

really can't think in the moment . They

2:25

are just reacting to what they're seeing

2:27

. You are too close . I need

2:29

you to create distance . This

2:31

is a place of learning . So

2:33

if I'm too close and my dog's too close to

2:35

the trigger , they can't and nothing's

2:38

going to happen . That's effective for their brain at that moment

2:40

. They are just reacting . I need to move them away

2:42

, create that distance so that learning

2:44

can take place from a safe

2:47

area , a safe distance that they can

2:49

again focus and think . All right , so

2:51

learning can take place from this distance , whereas if it

2:53

can't , if you're too close and that's how you

2:55

know you can identify whether your dog can focus on

2:58

you or they can't . And if they can't focus on you , I need

3:00

you to create distance . Next

3:02

, be sure , when working with reactivity

3:04

, that we are using positive reinforcement

3:07

. When your dog encounters a trigger

3:09

but remains calm , reward them

3:11

with food or praise and then turn away , because

3:13

that again just gives them some space and

3:15

it helps them keep themselves under control

3:18

. Now , this helps create positive associations

3:20

because gradually we're changing their perception

3:22

of the trigger and we're showing them

3:24

what to do in that situation . We're not just leaving

3:26

it up to them to decide what they need

3:29

, what they think they need to do , right , dogs are just going to

3:31

react . So if they see a trigger and they

3:33

feel stress , or they feel anxiety , or

3:35

they feel fear or something whatever that is

3:37

, they're feeling maybe overly excited , right

3:39

? Maybe they don't know how to handle their excitement . We

3:42

need to help them turn and walk away . So

3:45

we're going to gradually change

3:47

their perception of the triggers and show them what to do . It's

3:49

important to teach our dogs what to do , not

3:51

just leave it up to them . Now you're

3:54

going to repeat that over and over and over

3:56

again from a safe distance where your dog can

3:58

learn , their brains can think

4:00

and focus and learning is taking

4:02

place . We're not doing it from a distance that they're

4:04

so close that they're just reacting , because then no

4:06

learning is taking place and we're both frustrated

4:08

. So keep those distances and

4:11

we'll work gradually to get closer and closer

4:13

and closer to the triggers until we don't need to

4:15

stay far away . But initially

4:17

, yes , create that distance and then we're going to turn and

4:19

walk away . Turn and walk away . That's

4:21

the thought I want running through your head when you

4:23

see your dog alert to something . I

4:26

want you to turn and walk away . Rewarding

4:28

your dog as you walk away will reinforce

4:30

that behavior . We are creating a new

4:33

pattern for your dog to follow . I see something

4:35

, we walk away . I see something . We walk

4:37

away . Instead of see something , I

4:39

bark , pull , lunge , cower , whatever it

4:42

is that they did before . So

4:44

start teaching your dog to turn away by using

4:46

a cue like let's go or this way , just

4:49

some simple phrase that just lets your dog know

4:51

we're about to change direction Anytime

4:54

that you notice a trigger approaching . So if

4:56

you start to see a trigger , let's go . We just turn

4:58

and walk away and reward our dog as we turn and

5:00

walk away . So they're getting reinforced for that good

5:02

behavior of not barking , not

5:04

pulling , not lunging . It's really important that we're

5:06

turning and walking away before

5:09

they're reacting . The timing is important

5:11

. In the sequence , gradual

5:14

exposure again is key . We're going to slowly introduce

5:16

your dog to the trigger in controlled environments

5:18

. I love to set up these training sessions . Again . By

5:20

making that list , you know what

5:22

you need to work on . Now I can really

5:25

set up these sessions so that my dog's going to

5:27

see their trigger repeatedly and

5:29

that I get to then work on helping

5:31

them move away from it by

5:33

rewarding them with positive reinforcement and

5:35

we're creating that new pattern of behavior

5:38

. If it's other dogs , start with

5:40

a distance and then we're gradually going to decrease it as

5:42

your dog becomes more comfortable . So let's say that your

5:44

dog needs to stay like a football field away

5:46

from the other dog . That's how far away

5:48

we need to be for your dog to focus . I want

5:51

them to see the dog across the football field immediately

5:53

. Let's go . We change direction , walk away

5:55

. I reward my dog and you know , once

5:57

they calm down and they're focused on me , maybe ask

6:00

them for a few other simple behaviors , like a touch

6:02

or a trick , like a turn or a shake or a high

6:04

five . Then go back and

6:06

start to head in the other direction . We see the dog

6:08

again about a football field away . Oh , we see

6:10

that trigger again . Let's go turn and walk away

6:12

. We reward our dog and over

6:14

time we get to gradually get

6:16

closer and closer and closer to a

6:18

dog Until finally we can walk past

6:21

that dog on a sidewalk and our other , our dog

6:23

, is just fine that there's another dog there , no big

6:25

deal . This is going to take time , so

6:27

this is not something that happens in one session or

6:30

two . This is a process . We are creating

6:32

a new feeling in our dog . So

6:34

anytime I'm changing an emotion in my dog

6:36

, it's going to take time . It's not

6:39

like I can just teach them to sit in one session

6:41

and yay , we're good to go . Okay , so

6:43

be patient . Again . In that notebook , jot

6:45

down your successes . That will keep you going

6:48

and focused on what

6:50

is working and what to keep doing . This

6:53

step by step approach also prevents our

6:55

dogs being overwhelmed . We

6:57

don't want them to be overwhelmed , right , we want them to enjoy

7:00

their walks , just like we want to enjoy our walks

7:02

, and so doing this kind of desensitization

7:07

and counter conditioning is really important . If

7:11

you find that your dog's triggers are too challenging to

7:13

handle on your own , please don't hesitate to

7:15

reach out . We here at Backstreet Ramballa are certified

7:17

dog trainers and we can provide personalized guidance

7:20

to address your dog's specific needs . We are

7:22

happy to talk with you via phone

7:24

or a zoom video session and

7:27

really help you brainstorm and create some

7:29

good training sessions . And

7:31

there you have it . That , you guys , is a roadmap

7:33

to help your dog feel better about triggers

7:35

. Remember just turn and walk away , that's

7:38

okay . It is okay to just turn and

7:40

walk away by using positive reinforcement

7:42

, counter conditioning and teaching them to turn and move

7:44

away . You are fostering a happier

7:47

and more confident dog , and that's our goal . Thanks

7:50

for tuning in . You guys have a great week and

7:52

happy training . If

7:54

you have a question about anything you heard on this

7:56

podcast or any other puppy training question

7:59

, visit my site backstreetramballacom

8:01

to contact me .