Last week I discussed what it takes to pass the Canine Good Citizenship Test. But you might have noticed I mentioned that it is not for fearful and shy dogs. But what if you have a shy dog? Shy and fearful dogs are just as smart and amazing as other dogs, they just need a little more help to learn that they are safe and do not need to control things around them. To help them learn, here are five games you and your shy or fearful dog can play that will help it build confidence in this crazy human world.
Engage Disengage
The first game is a great game that comes from Emma Parsons’ Click to Calm books. She is well known for her work with dogs who struggle with fear-based aggression and this game is one she plays all the time with her clients. The game goes like this, dog looks at trigger, dog looks back at handler, dog gets a click and a treat. This game does take some training and it is extremely important that you start out very far away from the trigger, so far back in fact that your dog does not react to it any more than just seeing it and watching it. You may need to take this game slow if your dog is shy and fearful and please do not rush your dog. If your dog has ever shown signs of aggression, please contact a positive reinforcement trainer who works with dogs who struggle with fear aggression and work on this game with them. You can also find this game in Emma Parson’s “Click to Calm” books.
Object Equals Treat
A precursor to the engage disengage game that is great for dogs who are not reactive, but just shy and maybe a bit scared, is the “object equals treat” game. This game goes like this, every time your dog sees something it usually finds stressful, it gets a treat! Its that simple! The idea here is that your dog learns that seeing this thing it is fearful of begins to change meaning to the dog. Whereas at first seeing the object meant the dog felt scared, the game's goal is for the dog to see the object and immediately think of getting something yummy or fun! This process is called counterconditioning and helps the dog learn that seeing certain things means good things are about to happen.
Back and Forth
Back and forth is a game I play mostly with puppies. I started using this technique with puppies who were fearful of leaving the end of their driveway and it has helped a lot. First, please do not approach this game as a way to trick your puppy or dog into doing things. That is not the goal. The goal of this game is actually to give your puppy an extra layer of reinforcement by being asked to do an easy behavior to do in between the harder ones. Back and forth in the driveway looks like this, walk the puppy to the end of the driveway, click and treat. Do this until the puppy is comfortable with going to the end of the driveway. Now that it is comfortable with that, walk out of the driveway, clicking and treating as you exit the driveway, return to your starting point on the driveway. The reinforcer for exiting the driveway is the treat. However, rather than asking your puppy to do something even harder and go farther from the driveway, you will just go back where you started and repeat until the puppy is comfortable with that stage of training. Continue this until your puppy is comfortable with the process of leaving the driveway. This game can also be helpful for going in and out of doors and other situations your puppy or dog may be fearful of moving through. That being said, please do not force your puppy or dog to do something it is afraid of. If it is afraid to walk through a doorway or out the driveway, find a slower approach that will help it learn comfortably.
Targeting Fun
Another fun game that can help nervous dogs interact with objects is to use their targeting skills! To do this, your puppy or dog must know how to target with at least its nose or paw. Once it knows how to target with one of these body parts, you can introduce it to new and safe objects by asking it to target the object. Just as before, make sure you do not ask your puppy or dog to do something it is not comfortable with and if it decides not to target, that is okay, you will just need to find a different way to get started. But many dogs who love to target will learn to see this as a great way to interact with something new. However, it is important that your dog’s targeting skills are on cue! When a behavior is on cue, your dog will not only perform the behavior when asked but will not perform it unless asked to do so! This requirement is important because your dog may begin to interact with new things by targeting them. If your dog runs into something it shouldn’t have, you do not want it targeting without permission. So be safe and make sure you have that targeting cue trained and proofed!
Treat Hunt
The treat hunt is great for socialization! This one is simple and does not require any previously trained cues. All you do is find something new and safe for your puppy or dog to interact with and leave some treats there for them to find! They will go at their own pace, and you can make the treats harder to find as they learn to be more comfortable with the objects they are searching through! Finding great yummy prizes among new objects is a great way to boost your canine’s confidence!
As always, please make sure you go at your dog’s pace, not your own. We tend to want dogs to learn things faster than they want to and this can backfire when you are training dogs who are fearful or lack confidence. Please go slow and listen to your dog and respond as needed. If you or your dog need help, hiring a positive reinforcement trainer can make a huge difference! And, in some cases, make things go a bit faster too! Have fun!
This December I will be taking a break, so there will only be two posts. Make sure to come back and check those out before going off on your holiday season adventures! Have a wonderful holiday season, stay safe, and I will be back next year!