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Desensitize advice

943 views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  Femfa 
#1 ·
So my 19 week old puppy, Finn, just got signed up for group classes that he will start Sep 8. In the mean time I'm still working with him everyday (sit,down,place,look,heel) the focus around the outside of my apartment has gotten much better, the walking is considerably better only pulling about 30% of the time and will correct him self. But he still gets way to excited when he sees people or other dogs that are too close to us (within 5-10ft) yesterday I took him to the walking trail for the first time and it wasn't super busy he did ok. He did great walking when we were alone and ok when bikes went by but terrible with the joggers lol he was most interested in them. There was a guy with dogs that he reacted very excitedly towards the second time he came by he asked if they could meet (they were very calm labs) Finn calmed down once he realized the other two were calm and not so excited and So I let him greet the labs and he wasn't overly excited about it just good mannered thankfully. Is there anything I can do to work on desensitizing him before he starts class? I didnt let him stop and greet people besides the labs because the guy stopped to talk to me and Finn calmed down. I brought his kibble as reward for when he focused and walked nicely and it worked for 65% of the walk.
 
#2 ·
I think you are doing great with Finn. He is young and this behavior is normal but you get it that you have to commit to working on it. Keep doing what you are doing. Repetition is key. Bring higher value treats... hotdogs, etc. Then you can really reward for good work. He will just continue to calm down. And the class will help with that too.
 
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#3 ·
Joggers to chase and dogs to greet is so much more exciting than you and a piece of kibble:)
Higher value treats like bits of real meat will keep his interest.When you see someone approaching,and BEFORE Finn gets excited it's "Look at me,look at me!" as you hustle on by giving out bits of treat.If he looks away or lunges,a firm enough leash pop to get his focus back.
If a jogger comes from behind and passes,turn the other way if possible for several steps to help Finn not dwell on excited chasing.
If you want to allow him to greet occasionally make sure he's not excited and lunging.He has to calm down and wait for you to release him.
Sounds simple in these few paragraphs,huh?This is the point where strong leadership is needed with your pup as he moves toward adolescence and wants to make his own decisions.
 
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#4 ·
Teaching him to lay quietly on a mat will be a big help during downtimes during a class when either the instructor is explaining something or another puppy is working. It gives a puppy a task to focus on. I rewarded heavily for eye contact during classes and staying on his mat when other people and puppies went by. Whenever something distracting occurred I'd reward so after a couple classes distractions became a cue to focus on me. I also agree you need some very high value treats whenever you are going into a distracting environment, kibble is fine for at home, but often isn't valuable enough in new places with new distractions.
Focus on training and rewarding the behaviors you do want more so than the ones you don't. Also try to set him up for success rather than continual failure. A busy trail with joggers and bikers and other dogs may be too much for him at this point. Pick a quieter time or place where he is more likely to succeed. I like to alert mine to an oncoming distraction by saying what's that, make sure they see it, then reward for good behavior. If they start to lunge or bark I move away until I find the distance where they can succeed then build upon that rather than stay where we are and let them continue to fail and rehearse an unwanted behavior.
 
#6 ·
Yeah I'm at point where around my apartment complex he's been doing very well so I thought I'd transition to trail way. But I agree it may of been a tid bit too busy for him. But that was the emptiest I've seen it. I'm trying to get to a more distractive environment that he can handle but where I live there's people everywhere all the time. So I'm tying to do the best with what I got while still trying to set him up for success. I'll have to try going earlier in the mornings hopefully that's better, and thanks for tips for the classes!
 
#8 ·
There's an empty field by my building I usually put the drag line on let him roam around. Practice just following me around and commands. We were playing tug until he started teething. When we went to the trail yesterday we went off the paved pathway and did some exploring in the woods where there's no people I hooked his drag line and he followed along on his own and got his zoomies out. Or there's another open field by my school where no one goes and he runs around out there. And then when were home he'll play with the older one. I don't let them rough house but they play nicely.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Update: so I switched out kibble reward for something better like beef hot dogs cut up into tiny pieces and success! We had a much better time on our walk at the trail. I practiced off to the side at the beginning when bikers or joggers came by and he listened and started to focus on me. Then we actually started walking and he did very well! Walked in a perfect heel for awhile with people and bikes going by (we did make it at a time that was less busy so that helped) hopefully we keep building off of this.
Thanks for all the useful tips :)
 
#10 ·
Such a beautiful pup! Good to hear about your success - will keep this in mind for the future for myself.
 
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