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Clicker Training

Teaching a Puppy to Listen in Public

Teaching a puppy to listen in public takes time.

It also takes training, patience, and reinforcement.

Rogan is slated to be a service dog when he grows up.

labrador, yellow Labrador, yellow Lab, dog training, service dog, clicker, Smart Dog, FrederickIf you’ve ever seen a service dog working with his parter, you may have remarked “He’s so calm!” Or “”Nothing fazes him.” That’s because from puppyhood, that dog has been carefully exposed to public situations, has learned basic “good manners” behaviors, and has had frequent opportunities to practice in public with a trainer before being paired with someone with a disability.

Rogan went with me to do some shopping today.

I had two stops on my agenda: Dick’s Sporting Goods for some running shorts and Wegmans for groceries. I intentionally chose those two stops today because neither was imperative. If things went south in a hurry, I could abandon ship and head back home without any serious consequences. As opposed to, say, bringing Rogan with me to the dentist where it’s a little harder to just get up and leave.

Getting a young dog used to automatic sliding doors, mannequins, public address systems, fitting rooms, carts, strollers, bright lights, shiny floors — the list goes on — is relatively easy if it’s done early enough in the dog’s life and if it’s done at a pace that let’s the dog adjust and settle into each situation. When I take Rogan in public, I always have small, delicious treats (cat treats work great) and Rogan is always my top priority.

For instance, as we went entered Dick’s Sporting Goods today, I was hopeful I could get some shopping done, but I was ready to leave if Rogan couldn’t handle the excitement and the stimulation that a new store (to him) might bring. Rogan was a rock star — his eyes were alert, his tail was waggy, and he was eager to investigate. As he checked-in with me, I’d allow him to sniff the strange looking mannequin (Rogan wagged so hard, I think he was expecting some pets!). This allows the young dog to go at his own pace, to investigate new things, and to be reinforced when he checks back in with his trainer.

Four new pairs of running shorts are now in my dresser, as Rogan found shopping in the athletic store to be somewhat of a breeze.

Our next stop was Wegmans where I needed to get some basics at the grocery store.

Grocery stores can be a nightmare for a trainer and absolute heaven for a dog in training. So much food is so easily accessible. The bread aisle is almost always the worst place — so many delicious smells right at nose level for a dog. It’s hard to compete with 100 loaves of freshly baked bread! Another challenging area is the bulk food aisle. Rogan scored a gummy bear on the floor — he saw it before I did. It’s hard to compete with free food on the floor! He’ll get better at leaving stuff alone (as soon as I get better at noticing it!) as we progress with training in public.

Some of the hardest tasks for a social dog like Rogan, however, is sticking with me instead of walking up to all the people who say “Oh! What a cute dog!” as they pass us.

I’m proactive, but sometimes the struggle for Rogan is real! Most people ask about what Rogan is doing, what he’s training for, and they ask if they can pet him. If he’s under a reasonable degree of control, I usually allow the person to greet Rogan. It gives us a perfect training scenario — Rogan needs to learn how to greet people nicely and then how to disengage and come back to me when asked. Plus, at his stage of development, it’s always good for him to have positive experiences with strangers in public.

yellow Labrador, clicker training, service dog
Relaxing after a big day of shopping.

Much of what I do is preventing problems before they start.

I spend most of my time watching Rogan and very little time socializing with the people in the store. It’s important to be able to predict what Rogan is likely to do when we go past a family with six kids who are taking the whole aisle. How Rogan will behave when passing the luncheon meat counter? These are all questions in my mind as we’re in public. For the most part, our outings right now involve me getting Rogan’s attention before it starts to wander, keeping him occupied throughout stimulating territory (maneuvering through the aforementioned six kids + a cart
in the aisle), and reinforcing him for all of his good choices.

All the training pays off, though! And quickly!

If I do this for a month or so with Rogan, I will have developed a habit for Rogan: checking in frequently with me. Which means I’m not fighting for his attention. That’ll just be what he does “naturally.” From there, we can progress into more complex and distracting situations more quickly because the basics are installed and working smoothly.

Rogan’s still a puppy and his training is still in the early stages. We’ve got a lot more left to accomplish. Check back frequently — we’ll have more adventures to share!

 

Puppy Training: Walter’s Ready for His Family

Puppy training can be fun. Puppy training can also be exasperating!

black labrador, black lab, dog training, puppy training, clicker, positive, Smart DogWhen you think about it, there’s an awful lot to teach a puppy. And if you’re going to do it right, you need to pack a lot into 8 short weeks.

Why 8 weeks?

Assuming you get your pup when he’s 8 weeks, you have only another 8 weeks to socialize your pup while the socialization window is still open.

Socialization window?

Puppies are able to learn and explore and build positive (and negative) associations very rapidly for the first 16 weeks of their lives. Because they’re with their breeder for the first 8 weeks, that leaves us with those final 8 weeks. And if you’re not sure what your pup needs to see, heart, learn, do, and experience, it can be overwhelming. Well, really, even if you do know, it can still be overwhelming because that’s an awful lot of stuff to put on your to-do list!

Walter’s people knew they didn’t have the time or the know-how to raise the puppy they really wanted: a happy-go-lucky guy who would have some basic manners, be house trained, and could go with them to all the fun places and do all the fun things.

That’s where I came in — my specialty is puppies!

I’ve raised puppies since 2001. The pups I raised were from a service dog organization and it was critical that I socialize them efficiently and thoroughly. And that I installed basic good manners behavior in those pups early (and often). When a friend suggested that I raise a pet puppy (a pup that was going to grow up to be a good, well-rounded family dog [not a service dog]), I was intrigued. I hadn’t ever considered it before. But why not? I had done it 16 times before!

So in came Walter.

His people chose him from the breeder and I picked him up at 8 weeks of age.

I had my work cut out for me. Walter was a scared little guy who didn’t have a whole lot of experience or socialization from his breeder. It took him a week or two to get him comfortable in his own skin, but thankfully he was a curious puppy and loved food, so I could use food to help him enjoy people and places and things.

He was frightened of what I consider “everyday noises” like a plastic Solo cup being dropped, the cellophane envelopes that rattle when opened, and the noise of an empty can being tossed into the recycle bin. He was a bit timid around new people and wasn’t the stereotypical outgoing Labrador. We took it slow and easy, making sure to read his body language to gauge his ability and willingness to learn new things.

After about four weeks, I was seeing a really nice transformation happening.

He was much more waggy, actually pulling me to go see new people! He didn’t try to hide when I took him to the veterinarian, and he was much more tolerant of noises and new experiences.

Fast forward to today and now I have to hold Walter back!

He’s a social butterfly with both people and dogs, but is also quick to read other dog’s body language and back off if needed. He’s willing to trust me in new situations and looks for guidance from me if he’s uncertain.

That’s the foundation that all puppies need if they’re going to continue a lifetime of learning — that foundation of quality and timely socialization, trust and cooperation with people.black Labrador, black Lab, puppy training, socialization, clicker, Frederick, Smart Dog

Now that Walter has some confidence, has had some positive experiences with novel items, and understands that he is part of the team, the sky is the limit for him!

His people will be able to continue the learning that I’ve started, teaching him all the things that he needs to know to live comfortably with them as he transitions to his new life.

People always ask if it’s hard for me to let a dog go that I’ve had a hand in raising.

I do! Every. Single. Time. There are always tears. But the good news is get to watch Walter when his family goes away for vacations and travel! So he’s not really leaving, after all. He’ll be back for mini-vacations and will get lots of lovin’ from us.

He’s grown into a lovely young adolescent Labrador. Who will need more training if he’s going to continue to grow into the dog this family has dreamed of. He’s a teenager and will need guidance and reassurance as he continues on his path of learning.

He’s gotten a good start, though, so any challenges that he faces will be handled more efficiently and effectively using the positive and cooperative training that he’s learned.

 

Is There A Difference Between Heeling and Loose Leash Walking? – Guest Post

Is There A Difference Between Heeling and Loose Leash Walking?

Guest Post by Hannah Branigan of WonderPups Training.

It’s our lucky day, folks. One of my very good friends, Hannah, has written a piece for Smart Dog U’s blog. Hannah’s a self-professed dog nerd, a brilliant trainer, and a wickedly funny person. If you haven’t caught her podcast, Drinking from the Toilet, make sure you head there after you read this. You can thank me later. Without further adieu, heeeeeere’s Hannah!

Is There A Difference Between Heeling and Loose Leash Walking?

Surely, there can’t be much.

Potato-potahto, right?

Not necessarily.

Depending on your goals and needs with your dog, heeling and loose leash walking can be two totally different behaviors with different functions.

Both are potentially useful in everyday situations and also in competition. And here’s the cool part… with training, ANY dog can learn to do both versions. It’s just behavior!

These two behaviors have a lot of things in common.

With both heeling and loose leash walking, the dog should stay (more or less) beside the handler, matching the handler’s direction and speed. You stop when I stop, you go when I go. In both cases, that requires a certain amount of the dog’s attention to stay with the handler, so that he can adjust his behavior based on the handler’s movement.

So in both cases, the handler’s body movements act as cues to the dog. The way you move your body, shifting your weight, turning your head and such, predict which direction you are about to go. And that acts as information, aka a “cue,” to tell the dog what he needs to do to stay close to you. You’ve already experienced this at home anytime you start walking toward the kitchen. Your dog can read the very smallest of movements that indicate you are about to head toward the refrigerator, and that is VERY important information for dogs to have.

The primary difference between heeling and loose leash walking lies in the level of precision, and thus how closely and quickly the dog must respond to those movement cues and adjust his behavior. The relative intensity of these two different behaviors is reflected in the mechanics of how the behaviors are performed (how the dog uses his body to meet criteria). The “heeling” dog is tightly coiled, ready to respond instantly, and so he carries his body differently and changes the way he moves in order to be able to quickly change direction.

As sort of a side note, this means there are also significant differences in the duration of performance… how long the dog is expected/able to maintain the behavior. Typically, loose leash walking is performed for a MUCH longer period of time… 30 minutes or an hour, easily, where heeling is usually performed in shorter, intense bursts of 30 seconds to a minute, maybe 2 minutes, at a time.

heeling, loose leash walking, walking dog, dog walk, loose leash walking, clicker training, Smart Dog University, Smart Dog, FrederickWhen we take the dog for a walk (you know, just a normal dog walk) around the neighborhood, we mainly want to relax and get a little exercise and enrichment for ourselves and our pups. So functionally, we need a behavior that keeps the dog within a 6ft radius of us as we go along, and keeps the dog from tripping us as we walk.

Generally, staying to one side, and responding to turns or stops within a couple steps, is plenty to meet our needs. So the dog needs to have enough awareness of the handler to register a change of direction within a second or so, but the rest of the brain can be in chill-out mode. Since the human is usually in chill-out mode at the same time, this usually works pretty well. We aren’t making any sudden changes that would require the dog to stay particularly vigilant.

heeling, dog training, clicker training, Smart Dog University, Smart Dog, dog training, FrederickHeeling is a lot more “expensive” for the dog because he has to really focus tightly on the handler to maintain a precise position and change direction and speed almost simultaneously. With heeling, we want the dog to stay within a  SINGLE INCH of the same position relative to the handler. So if the dog’s collar is level with the handler’s kneecap, that collar should never drift more than an inch ahead or behind, or closer or further away. It should be as if there is an invisible, 1-inch long bungee cord, tethering the dog to the handler at all times.

In order to maintain this high level of precision, the dog has to REALLY be paying close attention to what the handler is doing, and be physically prepared to change speed or direction at any moment. Visualize an athlete on the balls of her feet, ready to explode when the starter pistol fires. Perfectly balanced, every neuron focused on what’s coming next. It’s intense! You can’t maintain that kind of intensity for long.

My favorite analog for comparison is the trail horse versus the dressage horse. (Remember that time Laurie went to a dude ranch?)

When on a relaxed trail ride, the horse still pays attention to cues from the rider, but his head is down, and he focuses on putting one foot in front of the other. There’s no urgency (I mean, assuming there isn’t a bear or something) and most of the horse’s attention is on the world around him (and under his feet). He may still walk, trot or gallop, but the transitions are more gentle (unless there’s a bear).

Relaxed trail ride.

 

 

When performing in the dressage ring, the horse shifts his weight much further back, so that more of his weight is balanced on his hind legs (this is called “collection”). This allows even a big horse to perform delicate maneuvers on a dime because his body is prepped to move in any direction. He carries his head much higher by comparison, and his responses to his rider are almost instantaneous.

Dressage performance.

Now, this isn’t entirely fair labeling, because (just like with our behaviors above) both types of horses have to perform both types of tasks as they go through life. But generally, a dressage horse performing at high levels has a much higher degree of precision (requiring focus and physical skill) for short bursts, compared to the trail horse who is expected to walk much more casually, and for longer periods of time. Of course, a good trail horse also needs to be able to move with focus and precision from time to time, as anyone who has tried to open and close a gate without dismounting can tell you… inches matter! And the dressage horse isn’t in performance mode all the time, just for short bursts.

The same is true for our dogs.

When is heeling helpful?

Tightly focused, attention heeling is of course part of performing in obedience or rally. But it’s also really handy when navigating tight spaces or distracting environments. Trying to squeeze between parked cars to pass another dog on a walk? Calling your dog to a close, focused heel is really helpful for the few seconds it takes to get by.

Loose leash walking?

Of course, this is the behavior we want most of the time with our dogs. When going out around the neighborhood, we don’t need (or want) to try to maintain focused heeling. Here, more casual “walk with me and be cool” is a perfect fit.

Settle on a Mat: Making It Useful Everyday

Settle on a Mat: Making It Useful Everyday

Teaching your dog to settle on a mat is really useful skill.

When your dog settles on a mat, s/he lies down on that mat, wherever it is, and pretty much chills out. In last month’s newsletter, I introduced the concept of settle and gave you everything you needed to teach the basic “settle on a mat” behavior. After a month to “install” the behavior, now you’re ready to make it “everyday useful.” Here’s how we’re going to go from “installation” to “useful.”

Put a label on it.

The first thing we’ve got to do is put a label on what the dog is doing. Dog trainers call this a “cue.” 

We label a behavior so we can ask for it whenever we want. The cue is a common language that you and the dog share. Ideally, you ask for the behavior and the dog does the behavior. You can use a word (a verbal cue) or a hand signal (a visual cue). There are other types of cues you can use, but for this article, we’ll stick with the two most obvious cues.

When to add the cue.

If you’ve practiced the steps in last month’s article, your dog is probably going to that mat pretty darn predictably now. That’s exactly what we need before we add the cue to any behavior — predictability. I tell people “You’re ready to add the cue when you’ll bet me $100 that the dog will do the behavior.”

So, when you’re $100 certain, start adding the word (or the hand signal) to the process. Here’s how it goes: (1) dog is walking toward the mat; (2) say “settle” or whatever word you choose just as the dog is getting ready to step their paw on the mat; (3) click when your dog goes to the mat and lies down; (4) toss the treat off the mat to reset your dog for the next repetition.

As the dog gets better and faster at returning to the mat, say the word just a little earlier — maybe when the dog is one step away from the mat. Follow all the steps in the previous paragraph. As your dog gets more practice, say the cue earlier. Remember to say (or give) the cue just one time. If the dog doesn’t do the behavior, just wait. Resist the urge to repeat the cue. 

Add the “stay.”

A settle is useful if you don’t need to be facing the mat — in other words, wouldn’t it be great if you could be in the kitchen prepping dinner and direct your dog to settle on his mat which is across the room? If you teach the three D’s (plus Direction) that will be a piece of cake for your dog! A stay is made up of three components: duration (how long the dog can do the behavior), distraction (what else is going on when the dog is doing the behavior), and distance (how far away from you can the dog do the behavior. In this case, we need to add one more “D:” Direction.

Duration

This is the easiest part. All you have to do is delay your click by a second or two. Here’s how it goes, in detail. Cue “settle.” After your dog gets to the mat and lies down, count to two seconds in your head. If your dog is still lying on the mat, click and treat. It’s that easy! You’ll gradually increase the time the dog stays on the mat before you click and treat. Goal: at least 20 seconds on the mat. Training tip: vary the difficulty — don’t always make it harder for your dog.

Distraction

We are going to work on just one element of the stay at a time. This means, if we’re working on distractions, we don’t care at all about duration. This means we’re clicking the instant the dog settles in this part. Make a list of all your dog’s distractions and order them from easiest to hardest. We’re going to start with the easiest — this might be you moving your foot, waving your hand, or bending your knees. You want to be sure it’s easy for your dog to earn a click.

Start your distraction (start waving your hand, for example), then ask for settle. Click the instant your dog lies on the mat. Training tip: if the distraction is too difficult, remember — don’t repeat your cue. Simply reduce the distraction (wave your hand less vigorously, maybe), cue your dog, and click and treat when she’s successful.

Distance

Because distance involves both duration and distraction, we save it for last. Again, we don’t care about duration or distraction in this piece. We’re working only on distance.

Start by asking your dog to settle as you’ve always done. Click and treat when she’s successful. As she’s going to get the treat, take a step backward (away from the mat) and then cue “settle” as she’s coming back. Click and treat and take another step backward from the mat. Click and treat when she’s successful and take, you guessed it, another step backward.

At some point, there will be enough room for your dog to lie down between you and the mat. If your dog lies closer to you, but not on the mat, just wait her out. Look at the mat, but don’t say “settle” again. I’ll bet you she’ll adjust her position backward so she’s lying on the mat. Click and treat!

Direction

Just like before, we’re not going to worry about any of the other “Ds” while we’re working on direction. There won’t be any distractions, no duration, and no distance when you introduce the concept of direction to your dog.

Imagine that you’re standing in the very middle of a clock. 12 o’clock is directly in front of you, facing the dog. This is what “settle” has looked like for your dog (until now). We’re going to use each “hour” of the clock as a new direction challenge in this exercise.

Start at 12 o’clock and say “settle.” This should be super easy, click and treat when your dog is successful. Then you’re going to stand so your feet are facing 1 o’clock. Again, cue the settle, click, and treat when your dog gets it. Continue around the clock, maybe splitting the clock into 30-minute

segments as you near 3 o’clock. That position (3 o’clock) is the beginning of the “hard stuff.” Because at 4 o’clock, you’re actually facing a little bit in the other direction from the mat and the dog. Training tip: Prepare to split your training requests here. If 3 o’clock proves difficult for your dog, don’t jump to 4 o’clock as the next step. Stay at 3 o’clock a few times, then move to about 3:30.

After you’ve installed all four variables of “stay,” you’re ready to begin putting two pieces together at once. Ask for a short duration with a small distance, for instance. Or slight directional change with a mild distraction. When your dog is good at two combinations, add a third combination, then the fourth. Before you know it, you’ll have a solid settle behavior that is not only useful, but it’s pretty darn impressive, too!

Where and when will you use your dog’s Settle?

[updated 23 Apr 23]

Training for a Race is EXACTLY Like Training Your Dog

I’ve been running all spring and summer to get ready for a race: Across the Bay 10K.

It’s this weekend!

All my training is ready to be tested on Sunday when I run 6.2 miles across the Chesapeake Bay. At the highest point, I’ll be almost 200 feet above the water. I’ve run this race before (twice, to be exact) and the view is spectacular.
Chesapeake Bay, Bay Bridge, Across the Bay 10K
We have to tackle this beast!
Across the Bay 10K, running, Chesapeake Bay
Up and over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge!
Across the Bay 10K, running, Chesapeake Bay
In the middle of the Chesapeake Bay!

 

Across the Bay 10K, Chesapeake Bay, 10K, running
At the top of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge — almost 200′ above the bay!

 

Across the Bay 10K, Chesapeake Bay, running
What a view of the Chesapeake Bay!
Across the Bay 10K, Chesapeake Bay, running
I made it!

I certainly don’t expect to run this race without preparing for it.

I need all summer to get ready for this thing. I’ve got a training plan with daily, weekly, and monthly goals. I follow that plan almost to a T. There are some days I swap one workout for another due to weather (rain or fog — I run on the road and it can be dangerous to run in those conditions), but for the most part, I stick to that training plan.
As part of that plan, in addition to my weekly running goals, I ran formal races so I can be as race-day ready as I can be for my goal race, the Across the Bay 10K.  I ran 5 races (4 5Ks and one 4-miler) to practice my race running. Yes, that cost money (and time), but it’s important to practice running a race before the real thing. I got to work out some kinks on those race days (going out too fast, wearing clothes that were too hot, not paying attention to my breathing, etc.) so I could optimize my race day preparation and execution.
One of the things I love about running is that I’m competing against myself. I might come in 974th place overall (that would actually be incredible considering there are 25,000+ runners), but could still beat my PR (personal record). In practice, I might actually run my best 5K pace ever. So the opportunity for reinforcement is always there when I’m practicing or when I’m running a race. Same thing with your dog: you’re not entering a dog show and competing against other dogs — you’re just trying to improve your dog’s behavior from where it is now.

Working with your dog is no different than my running regimen.

You need to practice A LOT before you really need your dog to use those skills in real life. Huh? What does that mean? It means: you’re practicing loose leash walking in your house, not just when you take your dog for his regularly scheduled walks. It means you’re practicing his good dog greeting manners long before you have people over (for the holidays, for example). You’re practicing “leave it” long before he grabs the Thanksgiving turkey. You’re working on stay before you plan that holiday party at your house.
Imagine if I declared “I’m going to run the Across the Bay 10K” and never trained for it. Would anyone be surprised if I failed? I wouldn’t. You wouldn’t be surprised either. Most people would say “Duh! You didn’t train for it yet you expected to run 10K? That was kinda dumb. You can’t expect to run a 10K without practice — everyone knows that.”

So don’t be surprised when your dog can’t walk politely on a leash if you only practice on your walks.

That’s the same thing as my expecting to run a 10K without working up to it through my training program.

And I can’t just run a 10K, then slack off the training, and expect to be ready for my next 10K in April.

Nope. I’ve got to keep practicing! That which you don’t use, you lose. What’s true in running is also true in dog training. Your dog might be great at something now, but if you slack off and stop practicing, that skill is likely to atrophy. Just like my muscles and lung capacity will do if I stop running.

My point is: if you want good behavior from your dog on “race day” a.k.a. “when it really counts” you’ve got to develop a plan and follow it!

You can’t expect to train your dog in the moment and expect good results (or any results, honestly). Good behavior is a skill. It takes time and effort to develop those skills. And if you don’t have a plan — and the time to execute that plan — you’re setting your dog up for failure and yourself up for disappointment.

So now what? So identify those exact problems.

Big hint: “My dog doesn’t listen” isn’t the problem! That is code for “my dog has no idea what to do in the real situation.” Sure, your dog might listen to you when you’re home alone. But that doesn’t mean she can listen to you when there are people at the door, or squirrels on the walk, or when there’s food on the table. You have to teach the individual skills (sit to greet politely, good leash manners, solid settle on her mat, respectively), and then (and only then) will you start to incorporate those skills into real life. That’s like me doing all my daily running on the road — to acquire the skill of running — then registering for a race — to practice my running skills — so that I can finally enter the Real Race — and kick some major running butt in said race!

If you’ve been disappointed in the past because your dog’s behavior fell apart when you really needed it, think of me and my race training.

I’ve spent eight months (logging 425 miles) getting ready for one 6.2 mile race.

Wish me luck on Sunday!

I’ll post some pics from atop the Bay Bridge on the Smart Dog University Facebook page, as well as my finish time! Cheer me on, I’ll need it!

Help Your Dog Through Scary Veterinary Visits

scary veterinary visits, dog training, vet visits, puppy training, scary vet, scared dog, Smart Dog University, clicker, positive, Frederick, Mt. Airy MDDoes your dog think veterinary visits are scary?

If you wish you could make those necessary visits a little easier on your dog, you’re in the right place. Schooner the Great Dane is 165 pounds of muscle. He’s a big boy and — even if I could — I’m not going to make this guy do anything he doesn’t want to do. When we got Schooner back from the service dog agency, I noticed that he was a dog who thought veterinary visits were scary. And we’ve got the best veterinarians — people who know exactly how to accomplish fear-free veterinary visits. They did everything right, but Schoons is a sensitive soul despite his imposing presence.

I was worried that if I didn’t address this budding anxiety and fear, it might ramp up at each subsequent visit. Ramping up how? Well, a lot of scared dogs try avoidance first. That looks like hesitating to go into the veterinary hospital or into the exam room. It can include hiding behind furniture or you, or even sitting in the corner facing away from you. If that’s not successful (meaning: if the technician and/or veterinarian come closer), the dog might escalate his reaction. This could lead to lip lifting, snarling, snapping, or even biting.

Neither my veterinarian or the technicians (or me! or Schoons!) want a bite to happen. No way, no how. So to that end, I took some of my own (sage, if I do say so myself) advice.

Happy veterinary visits

Vet Hospital = Fun
First, we need to make the veterinary hospital itself a fun and cool place to be for the dog. How do you do that? You pack some crazy-delicious treats (chicken, cheese, steak — you get the idea) and you hang out with your dog at the veterinary hospital. I took Schooner’s settle mat, tons of amazing treats, and the clicker.

Our first visit was rocky: Schooner didn’t want to eat any treats for at least the first five minutes. His tail was tucked, he was panting, and restless. He just wanted to leave. I sweet talked him, read a magazine (pretended to, at least) and every so often would offer him a tasty treat. When he began to take treats regularly, I got the clicker out and asked for some easy hand touches.

Our progress began to snowball once I got some training started — I think it’s a combination of (1) taking his mind off of the anxiety, (2) getting his parasympathetic nervous system revved up, and (3) giving him something he knows he can do (and likes to do).

We kept those visits short and light. I didn’t ask him to greet any of the veterinary hospital staff, he didn’t have to get on the scale, or go into an exam room. My only goal was that I get him in the door and get him to relax. Mission accomplished!

Better Living Through Chemistry
To further accelerate Schooner’s progress, we introduced an “event medication,” to help alleviate some of his fear and anxiety. I would dose Schooner with the medication a couple of hours before our visit, he’d mellow out, and our training sessions became even more valuable because we could make more progress at each visit. I added some other adjunctive therapies, too, like Adaptil and Through A Dog’s Ear, to help further prime Schooner for good learning experiences. There are many more medication options available today than were available even a few years ago. And they work better, too. Instead of sedating a dog, the newer anti-anxiety medications actually work on the fear itself instead of putting your dog in a loopy, “out of it” state.

Training Plan
In addition to the weekly fun veterinary hospital visits, I implemented a training plan at home, where Schooner was already super comfortable. It looked to me like Schooner was most nervous when two people approached him, especially if either of those people was holding something that might be used on him. (When my husband and I were giving Tango his weekly Adequan injection [I feed Tango peanut butter while my husband injects the Adequan], I noticed that Schooner made a beeline out of the room — and stayed gone for several minutes.) He would even run from just me occasionally, if I was holding something “suspicious” like cotton balls. [Because cotton balls can be dangerous, of course — everyone knows they are an instrument of terror. Where does he come up with these strange thoughts?!]

So, with some help from a colleague, Laura Monaco Torelli, I implemented a training plan to systematically address Schooner’s sources of anxiety and fear. Here’s what I did:

  • I had some of the typical tools out during a regular, fun-behavior training session. What does that look like? I’d have a stethoscope, otoscope (super inexpensive to buy from Amazon), cotton balls, and maybe some ear cleaning solution on the table when I was teaching Schooner a fun behavior like “speak” or “bow.” I never used those tools on him during the training session, they just hung out on the table with the treats. This made sure the appearance of those tools didn’t predict icky things for Schoons.
  • When the mere sight of the tools didn’t bother Schooner, I made a slight change to the training plan. I would pick up one of the tools, ask Schooner for a fun behavior, then click and treat him when he did the behavior. Still: no real interaction with the tools. They’re still just hanging out with us, I’m not using them on Schooner yet. I’m still building goodwill with Schooner, trying to destroy any not-so-great associations Schooner has made with those tools.
  • After he’s cool with me holding a stethoscope, for instance, I’d touch him briefly with the tool, ask him for a fun behavior, then click and treat it when he offered the right thing. It’s still really easy for him to get this right. I didn’t attempt to listen to his heart with the stethoscope, look in his ear with the otoscope, or do anything to him. I just brought that “thing” into the training session.
  • Next, I needed to add another person to the training session, since this is what seemed to spook Schooner the most. So I dropped back on the tools I was using — the stethoscope and friends were still there on the table, but I wasn’t actually holding them or using them at this point — and then brought another person into the training session. I volunteered my husband as he’s the only other human in the house. To do this, I simply moved the training session to wherever my husband was at the time. Watching tv in the living room? (Sorry, honey, I’m training the dog so turn up the tv if you need to be able to hear over the clicks.) That was a fairly easy bridge to cross, and we accomplished that task quickly. On to the next step, then, which was to have my husband stand nearby. He could still watch tv, I just needed him to (1) be standing (because a veterinarian and/or technician won’t be sitting in the LA-Z-Boy at the veterinary hospital) and (2) close. Again, this was a fairly easy step and we progressed quickly to the point where I had to pull the husband’s attention off the television for some help. I had him put his hands gently on Schoons while I asked Schooner to do something easy (like touch his nose to my hand). Lots of clicks and treats all the way around for all that good progress.
  • So we had all the components added to the mix (except the actual veterinary hospital, but I’m working on that independently with those happy fun veterinary visits I mentioned earlier), so it was time to bring those pesky tools back into the picture with the extra person there, too. As you might imagine, this was accomplished using small baby steps. Husband held stethoscope while I asked and paid Schooner for easy behaviors. I held stethoscope and paid for simple things like sit, down, settle, touch my hand while husband touched Schooner. You get the idea: slow, steady, systematic training

Veterinary Hospital Take Two
In the meantime, I’d been practicing our fun veterinary visits about once a week when my schedule allowed (it’s an hour’s drive, round trip). We moved from “hang out and have fun” to getting a little bit of work done in the veterinary hospital. That meant that when Schooner was comfortable in the waiting room, I then started venturing into the exam room leaving the door open to the waiting room. As expected, this slight change and foray into the dreaded exam room meant we took a little step backward in Schooner’s comfort level. No worries, that kind of backslide was expected and wasn’t worrisome. I simply went back to just feeding him, not asking him to do anything to earn those treats. He hopped over that little speed bump really quickly (also expected) and I then moved to the next step: asking him to do easy stuff in the open exam room. “Piece of cake,” said Schoons! Here are the next steps we went through at the veterinary hospital:

  • Door to waiting room closed, asked Schooner for easy tricks (and paid handsomely)
  • Door to waiting room open, asked a technician to come in and feed Schoons some treats. Predictably, he fell apart a little when a technician came in, but because nothing bad happened (in fact, only good things happened: treats!), Schooner quickly adjusted
  • Took Schooner on a happy veterinary visit with another dog who had to get an exam

Next up, the results of our practice and training are in!

I’ll let you know how the practice veterinary exam went, what worked, what didn’t! Stay tuned for Part 2!

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