Surprise Party - Clicker Training: helping the reactive dog

[ElliotDMDS]

i recently moved to Spain and there are an awful lot of wild cats strolling around everywhere- I thought Elliot would be fine with distractions on leash, but in fact I wasn't prepared for a severe case like this! Once I wasn't watching carefully enough and a cat passed by and he lunged and ripped the leash out of my fingers. Luckly neither the cat nor he were harmed, BUT he had gained a big reward (= chasing the cat) for his behaviour... Do you think this could also work with cats?

[pamelamarxsen]

@ElliotDMDS I'm sure it would work, but if I were you I would work on building calmness around cats. It would probably take awhile at seeing cats from a distance and then closer etc... I'm sure it would be difficult if the cats are just roaming free and all over. I would work on calmness & surprise party. Calm walking.... etc...

[ElliotDMDS]

@pamelamarxsen Thank you Pamela! I will go give it a try... too bad you cannot ask cats to stay/walk at a distance first ;) I might start on the balcony where he sometimes gets excited about watching the cats too. And then try it outside during the day- and the goal is calm walking when its dark and the most cats are roaming around...i guess this is going to be a hard one...

[pamelamarxsen]

@ElliotDMDS You are welcome! I was thinking that you could also ask for an alternate behavior.  Eye contact, sit, down, walk the other way, but you are right it will be a challenge and take a lot of patience! :) Good Luck!

[ElliotDMDS]

@pamelamarxsen not making any progress... tried to work on an alternate behavior, when outside and surrounded by cats, and he actually is responsive, so he would lie down or sit if I tell him to do so, but without any eyecontact, he would then sit/lay but stay very excited and tense looking at the cats...don't think this is the behavior I should be rewarding...even back home he stays excited for a while afterwards before calming down again... how can I build calmness around cats?

[pamelamarxsen]

@ElliotDMDS I am sure that it is just too difficult to create distance from you and the cats. You are right that you should not reward him for his excited tense behavior. If you clicked him for a behavior around the cats, would he look at you? If he is able to look at you, then he can still at least think around the cats. You could just spend a lot of time out there by the cats and reward calmer and calmer behaviors.

[GreytMusic]

I rescued a border collie x whippet boy, who is now almost 2. I got him in March, and we've been working on his socialization problems. He lived in a yard 24/7 the first year of his life before being surrendered by his owners to a local shelter.

Dolce's a lover, but he's nervous with new/strange things. I've been watching kikopup, reading books, and experimenting with methods similar to the one shown in this video, but the step-by-step demo was vital! Thank you!

[Appy2quarter]

Really like this video - I have a very nervy mini schnauzer who just barks at everything! She is actually very friendly, loves dogs and likes people really but barks out of nerves. i'm going to use this method to build positive associations and hopefully stop the barking as it could get us in trouble!! Thank you for posting.

[pamelamarxsen]

@Appy2quarter I think this method would work really well, because not only will you build a positive association to other things, the other things (distractions) will be a way to earn rewards and focus on you which will be great. :) Good Luck! My puppy used to bark at people, dogs and things he wanted as if his barking would magically make those things come to him.  Funny how dogs think. :) So, with him, when he was not barking (if it was ok with person/dogs) I would let him go play. :)

[pamelamarxsen]

@Appy2quarter Soon he learned that by not barking he could earn the opportunity possibly to play with the person or dog. :) If it was a piece of cheese on the ground, he could have it when he was not thinking CHEESE must have CHEESE and when he was not barking at it. :) I love how different all dogs are. They are just amazing animals! :)

[pwindsor4]

(continued)

He also seems to be fine with dogs he knows (there are 2 others at home, and he has several dog "friends"), it's just new dogs. I trained him to be calm in front of a mall near my house, and I realized that he is almost as calm there as he is in the yard at home unless he sees another dog. I have worked on calming signals with him, but can rarely get him to focus on me long enough to calm him, when another dog is at >100m. I also don't know where to find a neutral dog to train with.

[pamelamarxsen]

@pwindsor4 These dogs he knows, did he meet them when he was younger or as a puppy? The good news is that he has some dog friends. So many dogs that are reactive or aggressive do not have any friends and that is sad to me. What if you were to move him from his settle or "being calm" the second he sees the other dog and prevent him from getting the chance to react. That would help to get him out of the habit. Then from a distance if you could pair those other dogs with something good.

[pamelamarxsen]

@pwindsor4 cont. pairing something good or basically classical conditioning him to like other dogs, because every time he sees another dog great things happen to him. Treats, play, or even getting to leave could be a positive thing for him. I wish that I lived close to you, I would love to help you with him. My dog Isabelle is great for all my reactive dog clients. She is calm and does not react when they do. It is so helpful to have her help me, help them. GOOD LUCK!

[pamelamarxsen]

@pwindsor4 Cont. 2.... If you have more questions please send me an message. It might be easier that way. :)

[pwindsor4]

@pamelamarxsen I can send you a message if you add me as a friend :) it won't let me!

[pamelamarxsen]

@pwindsor4 Sorry! I just added you and subed! :) Take care!

[pwindsor4]

This is really great. I have been reading all sorts of stuff on reactive/aggressive dogs since my boxer seems to be both. It started just after we neutered him last summer (he is now 2 years), and progressively got worse even though we used to go to the dog parks almost every day. I have no idea what triggered it, but I know it needs to stop. The nice thing is that he seems to have no problem whatsoever with small dogs, it's only dogs of a certain size or larger (not always larger than him).

[pamelamarxsen]

@pwindsor4 Has he ever drawn blood, or is the "reactivity/aggression" just scary noise and growling? Is it on leash or off leash (both)? Have you tried curving around dogs in an arc when you pass them? That helps some too! Was your dog ever attacked by another dog? Sometimes a dog that has been attacked will go on the defense and react before the other dogs have a chance. Hmmm just some questions! Take care! Hope this technique helps! :)

[punkchica321]

Thank you! My dogs gone into his adolescent stage and he's become more aware and wary of certain things. I'm going to try this out with him. It just makes so much sense!

[Faustaao]

My GSD/BC mix is great with other dogs, but on-leash he is reactive. Not aggressive, but quite leash reactive. He's unpredictable. Sometimes he is fine walking past the other dog, and other times he reacts, but he will usually do it whether the other dog is calm or reactive.

My dog is extremely food motivated, but I find even when he starts to react, food cannot deter him from reacting at the other dog. Is this because he is above threshold?

[pamelamarxsen]

@Faustaao Yes, when a dog is above threshold, they are too stressed or worked up to eat. That is why it is so important to catch the dog BEFORE he reacts. I know how you feel, my BC Bandit is also leash reactive, however we have not had an episode for a long time (knock on wood, hehe). He is also fine off leash. The whole barrier frustration is really a challenge to help, but with consistency and setting the dog up for success, you can really make changes. During the process, you are also

[pamelamarxsen]

@Faustaao changing the dogs emotional response to other dogs! Dogs are good and = good things. My BC is more leash reactive if he is on leash and other dogs are off leash. However, there is hope! Keep up the training as well as managing the behavior by curving wider when you see other dogs, go the other direction if possible or cross the street. Also, it really helps to teach your dog to calm himself, by teaching him calming signals. I will teach my dogs to yawn and eye blink and mark it.

[pamelamarxsen]

@Faustaao until it becomes so natural. I also teach settle and do a lot of handling, so that my hands on my dog can also calm them down. I hope that helps! Good luck! Hang in there! You are not alone!

[vampiricconure]

HUZZUH! I now have a way to train reactiveness out of my Iggy cross! Most time she's super calm, but other times she's a snapping, growling mess. I don't get her sometimes!

[pamelamarxsen]

@vampiricconure That is ok, my Bandit sometimes does something here or there that I just do not get either. No worries, dogs will be dogs! :)

[weirdness281]

Oddly enough Zooey's only problem is other reactive dogs. She'll ignore dogs that either ignore her or only show a casual interest, but if the other dog reacts Zooey SUPER reacts! I got to start playing this game with her across the street from a pair of super reactive dogs and it was going very well, but then the owner came out and was annoyed that I was making her dogs bark! Now I have to find some new reactive dogs to work with.......

[pamelamarxsen]

@weirdness281 Were the other dogs behind a gate at their house or just passing you on the street on a leash? If they were on a leash you were doing those dogs a huge favor, but I can see how the owner would not understand. I think that most normal dogs would react if a dog is reacting to them. I have a neighbor that hates it when I just walk my dogs in front of her house and I am not doing anything but casually walking. So, I know what you mean! Take care!

[weirdness281]

Oddly enough Zooey's only problem is other reactive dogs. She'll ignore dogs that either ignore her or only show a casual interest, but if the other dog reacts Zooey SUPER reacts! I got to start playing this game with her across the street from a pair of super reactive dogs and it was going very well, but then the owner came out and was annoyed that I was making her dogs bark! Now I have to find some new reactive dogs to work with.......

[DensterNY]

Thanks for sharing this great video. I think you bring together all of the concepts of desensitization and counter-conditioning and show how to apply them in a practical manner. I've been doing this for my German Shepherd and its a great tool to have to deal with situations rather than fear random encounters.

I do want to note to people who are working on their reactive dogs that build the foundation up slowly and practice this everywhere - in the yard, driveway, down the block, etc...

[pamelamarxsen]

@DensterNY Thank you! I agree, it is soooo important to build up the foundation! Dogs are so smart and if the foundation is not there, they will think that the owner only does the surprise party when a scary thing appears or things that trigger the dog (they are not always scary things, I just call them scary things. hehe).

[DensterNY]

@pamelamarxsen I've been working on my dog for a few weeks now and sometimes still in a neutral situation she'll look around for whatever it is that I'm trying to get her to ignore. It does work though, thanks again Pamela!

[apinchofpepper]

This is a really great video! My 4 month old puppy is highly reactive to dogs, probably out of fear than anything else. There's one golden retriever in our neighbourhood that sometimes runs loose on our normal walking path and Pepper (my pup) goes absolutely bonkers when she sees that dog. Lunges at it and barks and growls like mad. Problem is the other dog lunges back sometimes, so I'm afraid something bad will happen soon :-S

[pamelamarxsen]

@apinchofpepper Is there a leash law where you are walking? If so, I would ask the owner in a nice way to please leash her dog.  You could report her, because really it is not a safe situation for either dog. Bummer! My BC hates it when he is on leash and other dogs are off leash. He has been known to go bonkers in a situation like that too! Hang in there! I know it is frustrating. Some owners let their dogs off leash, because the dog can't walk nicely on leash! SAD!

[apinchofpepper]

@pamelamarxsen There doesn't seem to be a leash law where I live (Ireland) and it can be a real nightmare walking my puppy sometimes as there are a lot of stray dogs running around. Although I've come across some loose dogs that have collars and look well fed/groomed, so I'm assuming that some people just let their dogs run the streets as they can't be arsed to walk them. It's annoying as it makes our training SO much harder...

[piefrance]

You mentioned the "look" cue; is that instead of saying "surprise"? So in the video outside w/ the introduction of the other dog, the woman is telling the dog "look" & clicking/treating when he looks, correct? What training treats do you recommend? I'm working on this with my dog, & she practically inhales her treat & continues barking; I'm very worried she's going to choke. I'm using kibble (not too big), but I probably should use something smaller & softer in this case. Thanks so much!

[pamelamarxsen]

@piefrance Yes, for Donald the cue is "look" but you could have the cue be anything, which is why I suggested "surprise", it is like a surprise of cookies dropping from you. I would recommend high value and that would depend on the dog. Chicken, cheese, roast beef, but something that is really worth it. If the dog does not absolutely love the treat the distraction will win every time. You have to practice in the house and get the automatic response of looking back @ you after she eats treats

[pamelamarxsen]

@piefrance Then work with your dog below threshold meaning far away from the distraction, but make sure that she can still see it. Play the game a lot in the house and make it fun BEFORE you add the distractions, because if you do not, then when you say "surprise" she will be looking around for that distraction. You want her to look back at you. She should not get to the point of barking and do not drop treats or reward her when she is barking, just calmly move her away. Kibble is too hard.

[pamelamarxsen]

@piefrance Yes, use something soft and easy to chew. The key is to slowly move the distractions closer. If she reacts at anytime then that was just too close. Set her up to always be successful. So that she has good positive experiences around whatever it is that she wants to bark at. GOOD LUCK!

[blitz95charm02]

FANTASTIC!!! Thanks for sharing :)

[Silivr1]

I train my dog in a similar way. My problem is that he is so "random". =P He is most often reactive to other dogs, but some days totally fine with that kind of distraction. And one day he might be reactive to baby-carriages, but the next day he is not but is instead reactive to wheelchairs or something else... So that makes me confused and I don't really now what to train since he is totally fine with all those things some days.

[pamelamarxsen]

By chance do you have a Border Collie? My Border Collie is the same way, so to make sure he does not react to things that I think he may react to, I just either get his attention the second I see the thing and work with him on things that he knows and likes to do. This way he goes into work mode and does not pay attention to the distractions. I also play the "surprise party" game, look at that game, and do anything I can to prevent him from reacting. I know how you feel! Hang in there!

[Silivr1]

@pamelamarxsen He's an Australian shepherd. He's 17 months old, so he's still quite young. We didn't have these problems untill a few months ago, when he started to get stressed rather easily. =( Today we met up with many people in wheelchairs for example. Totally fine with them, he was allowed to greet the persons, but then another wheelchair showed up and suddenly he started lunging and barking like a maniac. ¤sigh¤ Impossible to know! =P He gets really obsessed about it.

[pamelamarxsen]

You are right, he is still young, but work on it now! I also think that dogs like people have good days and bad days. Days where they may be more stressed than other or did not get enough exercise or who know what, and then they may be more likely to react to things. Just keep up the work you are doing with him. I would also work on calming signals and teach him how to be calm in the house first as well as the settle. Then work on the settle in many locations. My opinion. Take care!

[StacyBS]

Are you starting the "surprise" in response to Donald's behavior, or just the appearance of the other dog? In other words, does "Surprise!" act as another behavior marker for "look at that" or "look away", or is it just classical conditioning?

[pamelamarxsen]

Really, the surprise party is for paying attention to the owner. So, the dog looks at the owner and surprise a few treats drop down. However, in the process, he appears calm and does not notice the other distractions and the owner can get out of sticky situations if needed. It is classical conditioning as well. Not to mention that the dog will associate distractions with good things. :) Thank you for your nice comment! Have a great evening!

Pam & my pups!

[celinha1953]

cool

[AlmondBear]

Great video Pam

[newbear95]

Great tip! I'm sure this will help lot of dogs and their owners! :)

[chihuahuabulldog]

You are just so wonderful to give such great lessons for free so that dogs and their owners can live better adjusted, happier lives. I think you are a great person!! Thank you!

[hdsheena]

It looks like you're only dropping one treat each time. Is that the case? When I've used this game, I've dropped at least 4 or 5 treats..

[pamelamarxsen]

I usually do drop at least 3 or more treats, but I may have been using them sparingly to make sure he would not fill up before I finished the filming. :) When I filmed this we had already had about 4 training sessions. So, he was familiar with the game. I think I said drop a few treats, but if I did not thanks for clarifying that. Have a great day! Pam

[akyramoto]

thanks for posting this. my dog does the 'metldown' at cars passing by on our road - I've had great success with her & cars in other places, but if it's on OUR road she has a fit. Been trying alot of different variations ( all positive) so thanks for another 'tool' for my tool box. I'll try this with her. any tips with the cars? I mean they're gone so fast its really hard to train ( I mean other than having a friend drive by a gazillion times lol - but it just might take that)

[akyramoto]

@akyramoto like tehrenberg said - i like that it incorporated calming signals!!

[tehrenberg]

Excellent video Pam. Very similar to the "look at that" game but I like the way this game combines calming signals. Very smart. *****

[c0boy]

Great video! Now if I can just get clients to step away from their instant gratification mentality all will be great. I will use this with our reactive dog Casey.

[abirdslife]

Excellent Positive Training. Thankyou for sharing !!

[kikopup]

Once again, a very awesome video! ! ! -Em

[MultiAnimalcrackers]

excellent vid....like the idea of placing treats on the floor, have previously just rewarded the dog for looking at the other dog or looking at me, but like this way cause it will take the dog a bit longer to get the treat and during that time the dog is focusing on the floor and hasnt got time to focus on the other dog. Thankyou for sharing

[kikopup]

@MultiAnimalcrackers Me too! I love Pams idea about putting multiple treats, as well as conditioning the game before so the dog doesnt just associate it with arousing situations..

[wmlgts]

I like it! Great video:)

[HechiAsia]

Muy didáctico :)

[maquis69]

Magnifique vidéo, très intéressante! Je vais essayer avec Dubaï :o) Merci beaucoup!

[hunkymonkeykaine]

Great video:)! The game is awesome:)!! I had one question though. Wouldn't it be better to have the reactive dog follow the other dog so that they don't feel like they are being "chased?"

[pamelamarxsen]

Hi Ashley,

Yes, that would normally be the best way to introduce the reactive dog, but every time Isabelle was in front of Donald he would get reactive again. So, he was fine with her behind him and I went with it. I figure that keeping him from reacting is better for now and eventually we will try it again with Isabelle in front. GREAT ?! Thanks!

Pam

[kikopup]

@hunkymonkeykaine - depends on the dog and what stimuli makes them reactive. Splash when she was fearful of other dogs would not like a dog behind her like that, but other dogs might find it less stressful to not be able to see or feel like they can reach out at the dog (or that they are being held back on the leash). Once the dog starts feeling calm, and relaxed you can start proofing for all situations...

[tab289]

Very well done. 5*!

[lnaranjo01]

what kint of treats are you using?

[pamelamarxsen]

We were using chicken and hot dogs. It has to be something high value that the dog does not get on a normal basis.

[musicofnote1]

Great demonstration of "Control Unleashed" principles for working with reactive dogs. Pretty much how I handled Vela's reactivity, of course she was overly-friendly reactive, which added distance at first, because the value of my treats was not as high as the value of the cause of her reactions - another dog or a human. But the basic principle is the same.

[runondreams]

I really appreciate that you remind us that this training takes time and not to expect perfect results the first time!!! Excellent tip along with all the other excellent tips!!!

[redcuprar13]

Excellent video pamelamarxsen - I love that you have explained before, during, and after training in this video - brilliant

[Majoofi]

I do a variation of that we call the "find it game". it's a sort of elongated surprise party where make a little trail of treats to get past another dog. But that I only think of as an emergency management technique.

We do the "look at that" to get a reactive dog to associate other dogs with good things.

[Canislupess]

Excellent video. There's a lady just started at our agility club with a very reactive white GSD and the biggest problem is her confidence because this dog WILL bite. She daren't take his muzzle off to be able to feed him treats for this sort of training. The dog is only 18 months old and she says she can't deal with another decade or so of this behaviour. Whats a good tip of helping her increase her confidence a little more so that this type of training can start?

[pamelamarxsen]

I would suggest to stop taking group agility classes and maybe move to private if she still wants to do agility, but she should work on teaching her dog how to be calm. I have found that when dogs learn to be calm they can adjust to situations much faster. Also, the less they react the better. She should also find a good trainer that works with reactive dogs using CALMING SIGNALS! NO PUNISHMENT AT ALL! The dog needs to learn that amazing things happen when dogs are around. Good luck!!

[Canislupess]

@pamelamarxsen Yes. I advised her to find somebody who didn't use any aversive methods at all. Another thing she said she was told to do was to reassure the dog whilst there was another dog passing...something else that I thought wouldn't help. As I mentioned before, it was the owners lack of confidence that was the biggest issue. She daren't take the muzzle off the dog and so can't reward him for any calm behaviour...plus her anxiety travels straight down the lead.

[AlmondBear]

@Canislupess Why don't you tell your friend to purchase a basket muzzle so she can treat the dog? Also a mesh muzzle should not be on the dog for longer than 20 min. it can restrict the dogs breathing.

[Wizbash]

My dog has a problem of barking at people/dogs if they come out of nowhere on our walks. Will definatly try this. :) Thank you.

(Also, gorgeous dog!)

[JessieTheJack]

I'm definitely going to try this with my dog! She barks at most people. Thanks for the helpful video! =)

[Carinoschatziii]

wow soooo good I'll try it...