Welcome to Day 2 of the FAD Mini-Workshop
Added 2025-03-25 15:00:15 +0000 UTCWelcome to Day 2 of the FAD Mini-Workshop!
On Day 2 we are going to be talking about the emotions our dogs feel, understanding those emotions and applying training sessions correctly to help change our dog's negative emotions into positive emotions. This video is a bit longer, but it's super important to understand how the distractions in our environments make our dogs feel. With that understanding, we can then decide how to best help them be successful in multiple environments safely.
Distraction Marker
The distraction marker is a noise used to bring your dog’s focus back to you, especially in distracting situations.
I start by making an unusual noise.
When the dog comes toward me, I reward, then release again.
It’s important to start in a low distraction environment, then gradually move to more distracting areas.
If your dog goes lots of places with you, I suggest using something other than kissy noises.
Just a quick example of an Attention Noise
Cue Game or On/Off Switch
Here is a video of Azul as an adolescent playing this game. I use this game to help develop Azul's ability to calm or settle in more exciting environments. Since Azul's favorite game is tug, so we develop this game using a tug toy but you can use any toys that your dog loves.
You want to start by amping your dog up just slightly with some play. You want to watch to not get them over-excited, but engaged in fun.
To encourage your dog to disengage, you have 2 options: If you're dog previously knows the cue to drop and item and has good success, you can simply use that cue. However, if your dog does not have a stop or drop cue that is reliable, you can also have a 2nd toy at the ready. When you disengage from the first toy, your dog will tend to look at you. When my dog has disengaged with the toy, I will ask them to sit or down and hold that position.
The goal is to have your dog pause for a brief second between stopping play and then re-engaging when you cue or invite them to begin again. Over time you can extend that time in the stop or hold position. After my dog has held the position for the time I want, I will present the toy in an inviting way and tell my dog to to get it.
Understanding that we may be going into a Challenging Environment is important and finding ways to make sure our companions are prepared is equally important. Here is a great way to prepare them to be in able to settle when in facing those challenges.
For anyone wanting some additional bonus material here is a link to the Yooper Paws Blog that talks about Emotional States
Another great Blog from Yooper Paws that talks about Mapping Emotions
