Building Confident Dogs
EARLY PUPPY EXPOSURE!
Starting age 8wks
GOAL: frequent positive experiences with as many unique places and new people as possible
PLAY PLAY PLAY!! - playing your pups favorite game with new people or new places helps build an assumption of fun and friendliness instead of suspicion
Example Exposure:
Owner plays tug or chase & catch with pup in public area off to the side. No people are allowed to pet or approach Puppy. Puppy is not interacting with strangers only Owner who is consistently playing with pup.
People Interaction:
Owner: “Hi, my name is ___ and I’m here training my puppy ___ would you be willing to help us?”
Stranger: “yes! I’d love to”
Owner: *hands Stranger a treat* “Please act normal (or crouch/sit) and give pup a treat”
Children Interaction:
Owner: “Hi! I’m helping my pup meet nice people…would you like to throw the ball for my pup?” kid throws ball, pup brings it to owner, owner hands it to kid (like a triangle) and repeat
OR with treats
Owner: “Hi kids, I’m training my puppy to be friendly, could you help? I’ll show you what to do”
Kids are asked to sit down and each given some kibble or treats. Whenever pup approaches them they can gently “scritchy scratch” and feed puppy treats with a flat open hand. *show them HOW before allowing puppy to approach*
Owner: “can you show me what you’re going to do when you meet the puppy?”
The key is to take what would otherwise be a “neutral” or “bad” experience and make it positive, usually through food or play. Puppy does NOT have to directly interact with the person, place or thing, but should have positive, food or play based experiences in the area. For example, feed puppy lunch near a construction site. Or go play games and give treats near a loud kids soccer game. Find what your dog loves, plan a field trip and make sure to take pup’s favorite thing with you. Ideally you also prevent puppy from having bad experiences, for example a strange kid who runs up and hugs them tight, pulling their ears or poking eyes. All of a sudden “strange kids” become dangerous in your pups eyes. You have to be your dog’s advocate. Tell other people how to help, and if they won’t listen they can’t pet your dog.
You cannot overdo the number of new places you take your pup. Be creative!! Think of this like a game of Bingo (see attached example). Keep in mind dogs view the world through their noses, ears and last their eyes. People or places we consider the “same” may smell or sound different to a dog.
I constantly stop before I leave the house and ask “is there a way I can take my pup to this?” I will often combine multiple errands to “dog friendly” places so I can take my dog on all errands. Or I plan coffee with a friend or dinner with family at outdoor seating areas. Think of ways to include your dog in your life.
People generally want to help and have good intentions. If you tell them exactly how to help your puppy have good experiences they will, or they can leave. Don’t allow lots of manhandling, high pitched squealing, neck hugging, and face to face contact. All of these things are often stressful for dogs. You are not obligated to fulfill the public’s obsession with cute puppies. If you wouldn’t like to be treated that way by a stranger, neither does your dog. You can say NO to people.
Also, don’t reward your pup for bad habits you will have to fix later- like leash pulling, jumping up on people, nipping, demand barking. Build good habits not bad ones. Stopping unwanted behavior will be covered in DogSpeak puppy foundation classes.
The “ignore strangers and focus on me” is especially good in situations you can’t trust the strangers to “act normally” AND is very useful with strange dogs. NEVER approach a strange dog…it only takes one second and one bad experience for your puppy to develop a phobia. Plus, it’s rude to the other dog. Please socialize with known dogs, this avoids infectious diseases and bad experiences. Trust your INSTINCTS! If you’re not sure about someone, or their dog then say NO. You’re not being rude, you’re setting boundaries.
AGAIN your puppy does NOT have to interact with new people or dogs to have a good association with them. Feed and play with your pup around the crazy and crazy will become acceptable.
These protocols can also be followed for adult dogs that lack confidence, but at a different pace.
And hey, keep in mind, even one or two really well done sessions can have lifetime results for you dog. Every little bit helps. So give yourself a break, do the best you can. You’re already a caring dog owner by even reading this. Give yourself a break, enjoy your dog, and enjoy doing life with your dog. Go out and ADVENTURE!!