The BEST FIX for REACTIVE, Nervous & DISTRACTED Dogs! (Engage/Disengage for Neutrality)
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
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In this video I show you the engage/disengage game. This game was developed to help fearful, anxious, or reactive dogs feel more comfortable around their triggers and distractions. However, I love this game for training all dogs! It works great for teaching your dog that distractions are a cue to engage with you as the handler. Basically, your dog sees a distraction (like another dog or human) and immediately looks up, laser focused on you. And who doesn't want that?
I love this game for both pet, and service dogs to increase handler focus. I credit this game for the excellent neutrality my dogs have out in public.
Engage/Disengage Training Cheat Sheet: / engage-disengage-96731044
Offered Attention: • Get your DOG to PAY AT...
Name Game: • Teach Your Dog to List...
Clicker Training: • Clicker Training: How ...
Byxbee Unedited Engage/Disengage Training Session: / engage-disengage-96733594
#dogtraining #engagedisengage #reactivedog #reactivedogtraining #obedience #obediencetraining #servicedog #servicedogs #servicedogtraining #assistancedog #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainer #positivereinforcement
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@DoggyU would this be good to help my reactive service dog?
@@kinkscoils9636 Absolutely. Anytime you're dealing with reactivity, I would pull them from public access and work on exercises like this one specifically to help them feel more comfortable and confident.
@@DoggyU thank you so much! I have hope! 💛✨
@@DoggyU Freja is non-reactive in public. I would like to work more on distractions when we are out. Freja does get anxious around new sounds and environments. Can you tell me about your service dog 101 course?
@@nicoledelieto1735 The service dog 101 course would not be a good fit for your needs. The service dog 101 course is for people who are looking to learn about service dog etiquette, laws, how to choose a dog, etc.
For anyone reading this: I know that dog training can be difficult sometimes, but you're doing great. Keep up the good work, and your dog (and your own sanity) will thank you for it! ❤️💕
Thank you so much, the community can be so judgmental, I needed the support 😢
@@free2bkittenforever I know exactly what you mean. The negativity can be difficult, but keep loving and raising your pup to the best of your abilities, and don't let it get to you. You're doing great. ❤️💕
Woof
@@APitNamedMARY Arf
@Pedroandkalithemaligator6602 because any training is better than no training. So, if they're here, watching these videos, then it shows they're trying. I'd much rather ENCOURAGE a stranger than DISCOURAGE them, because, even if they're not doing great, that encouragement might be what makes them want to try harder. 😁❤️
Your videos have saved my relationship with my dog. She went from being an unruly, reactive, distracted girl to being my literal dream dog. I can’t thank you enough.
Thank you so much for this comment and the other one. It's comments like these that keep me making videos even on the hard weeks
I do this with my cat Timmy, at least a versions of this. I let him look at the distraction but then ask him to look at me or watch me, after a couple of seconds of looking at the distraction. Whether it's a squirrel, whether it's another cat, or whether it's a dog. Or even a person, he's done really well. And I've been training him since he was about 2 months old. Maybe about almost a year old with this tactic, it has worked really well for me. And one of the things that is really rewarding for me, is I have done this tactic in a very busy hospital. And he did perfectly, any time that he would look at a distraction whether it was someone passing by, or a kid crying. I would always ask him to watch me, and he did. It was really nice seeing my hard work being paid off with this. He is an esa, he is my PTSD cat, and it's very rewarding for me and him that he is this intuitive not only to me but to the training. If I could do this with a cat, you could do this with a dog.
Best comment❤❤❤
this really is going to help my servcie dog in training
I'm so glad!! It's such a useful game to play!
@@DoggyU yes I'm trying to teach him to do check ins so this is helpful!!!
Me and my SDit have had a scary situation in the dark together (dog barking out of nowhere, agressive / guarding tone, while we were nowhere near his yard, and we didnt know if he was on the street or behind a fence)
which resulted in me losing some of my confidence and her being more nervous around other dogs.
Ive been looking for a solid and easy way to get back to where we were, and I think this is the method for us.
Thank you for both sharing the cheatsheet and the video!
This is the perfect exercise for helping her feel more comfortable and confident around other dogs. It's all about changing her CER (conditioned emotional response) to other dogs. Good luck to you both and Happy Training!
I’ve heard about this game before but wasn’t sure all the steps involved so thanks for explaining.
You're welcome! :)
Love this game. As you said it can be applied to so many situations.
SO MANY!
I LOVE engage/disengage! It's helpful for so many different situations
It really is! It's like duct tape for dog training - pretty versatile and helps in so many situations LOL!
I would like to use this game to help Freja with my cats. She has gotten better with the cats, but we’re worried about the landing. I have been doing a lot of recall training on leash.
You’re fantastic at explaining how to train systematically. This protocol is super effective-it helped repair my previous dog’s entrenched reactivity which was caused, of course, by my lack of proactivity. It’s clearly much better to start right! Whip’s neutrality is beautiful to see.
It helps that she’s a cat at heart 🤣
This is so much better than all the other aversive methods and youtubers that promote yanking on a slip lead etc.
And it actually changes the underlying feelings the dog has about the trigger, instead of suppressing the symptom of their feelings
I mean, both can work together in tandem in a healthy way. If they're aggressively pulling towards something because you don't have the ability to work in a controlled environment, a harness isn't going to help much, and there's a good chance of injury to the dog with a flat collar.
I pull out my dog's prong collar or e collar and he's jumping on me with excitement because it means we're going outside. If he hated it, he wouldn't be doing that, and I wouldn't be using it.
This video is why you’re my favorite dog trainer on UA-cam.
So clear, concise, and thorough with your teaching!
Thanks Victoria!
Laura, I love your videos on dog training please never stop supporting the owner service dog training.
Love your videos
Thanks Beth!
Very well explained
This really helped me see how anxious my dog is. Almost 3 years old. My german shepherd can walk by other people and dogs with no problem - IF- they are not moving. ! I'd love to know what that is about. He seems to be a hard core herder.
Herding dogs can definitely be triggered by movement! The best way to work on this with the engage disengage game is to have a friend or family member help you (and get their steps in for the day) by having the friend walk slowly back and forth on a designated path while you play the game, about the width of a driveway. Then have them walk faster, then jog, then more erratic behavior. You can use a friend to start this exercise under threshold for your dog and then slowly raise the difficulty level. Happy Training!
OMGosh! Yes, of course, the movement! Thank You! That really bugged me.
@@DoggyU
This is so helpful! Linus hyper fixates on other dogs and always wants to play so this is really helpful!!
Yes this can absolutely be helpful for that! Happy Training!
@@DoggyU thank you!! U wish you happy training too! And for you to finally get your SD prospect 🤣
Excellent demonstration!
Thanks for the * click treat * @DogGonePositive :)
The infographic for this technique is great, but it helps having a video explainer and example as well. Thanks Laura!
You're welcome! Totally agree - it's always nice to be able to see real life examples/training in action for me too!
Hi there from an Irish woman in Austria! I've literally only just stumbled upon your channel as the title is this video grabbed my interest. How can you practice triggers when it's an unpredictable deer, cat or squirrel 😅? My 8 year old golden retriever, Molly, is addicted to the chase but it's always when something appears out of the bushes unexpectedly (like neighbours' cats😅) and, in forests, we can be going along really well but I know that I can't train off lead to 100% because of the unpredictable factor. How can you do this training for those sorts of triggers. She's brilliantly behaved in every other area of life but I'd love her to be able to go off leash without having a basket of chicken or sausage available🙈! Hope you can help. I've just downloaded your free course. Great to find you 😊😊
I like to start with triggers that are controllable but mimic the issue you're having. So I can use a flirt pole to mimic squirrel/small game behavior like this one: amzn.to/3OTAsnJ
Then you can work on impulse control and engage/disengage around it (it's helpful to have a helper with this one). Then I would also be working hard on your recall as well.
This has worked so well for my dog! Thank you for posting this! The motorized handicap carts in the stores still weird my dog out but we'll get there. Little by little she's getting it!
Excellent!! So glad it's working for you both!
This is great because the dog associates other things positively, but simultaneously practices not caring about them, and caring more about looking at "you". Great game. I used to play it by dropping a treat on my highly terrified girl's nose to build good associations, which did eventually work. We'd build distance and I'd mark and reward for eye contact. But this clicking game instead actually marks the looking at the thing, as good. Not just looking away, which forced my girl to push past fear, rather than learning it's actually a good thing that the scary trigger is around. Though, I think both games would be fine. She turned out to be able to relax and follow my lead well. Thanks for a little different perspective!
Absolutely! I like how this one tends to change the underlying feelings around the trigger very quickly! Glad your pup was able to become more comfortable around her triggers!
Excellent info and explanations!! Extremely helpful!! Would love to see more content geared towards helping easily excitable dogs stay focused and engaged and under threshold. Thanks so much!
So glad you enjoyed it! Definitely check out the eye contact and name game in the video description to get started with more enegagement!
We were doing this a lot prior to staying home more because of the dog respiratory issues and we need to reinstate it because I definitely notice a difference. Thanks for the reminder! ❤
You're welcome! Such a great game to dust off once in a while!
Great, very thorough video!
Marley has a sweet soul! 😊❤
I love that you are using a golden retriever in this video.
Great video Laura. And you broke down the steps really nicely. Well done. Love it!
Thanks Jose! ☺️
I LOVE THISSS ❤️❤️
I’m so glad! 🙂
My dog has terrible anxiety towards the possibility of people hurting me. She watch something happen to me a few years back and since then she has been very protective but also when it’s unnecessary, she doesn’t like people coming over or walking beside people on the street. She’s in defense mode 24/7. Any tips would be so helpful.
Love this video. Thank you so much! This is so helpful
I'm so glad!
Will do this. By the way, lobo has now successfully alerted, but we need to refine his alerts.
wonderful!
Thanks so much for this video! You rock! I can’t wait to play this with my pup.
Yay! So glad it was useful! Happy training!
Thank you for this info! Idk if it will help my certain situation though which is I have a LOT of allergies, many things like perfumes, etc. are a big problem for me and my 1 1/2 old GSD lab mix picked up on this very quickly and will sit and not let me approach an allergen. The issue is, if someone continues to approach me, he'll drag me by the leash away in a panic which usually hurts my shoulder. I really don't want to have to explain to everyone this happens to what the issue is and it really makes him look like a bad service dog. It is one thing preventing me from doing more training out in public. Is it best to give up on him/us being able to be out in public together and try with my other GSD who doesn't alert me to allergens but is much more confident in public or maybe a service dog is not the best option then? Thank you for any input anyone can give!
Hi EC! I can't give you any advice on the nuance of your particular situation. However, I can tell you that training a different response to odor is definitely possible. So you could train a nose boop alert instead of running away. I'd probably want to get professional eyes on the situation though. The response you're describing sounds like it could be a fear response and having a professional take a look in person would likely be a good course of action.
This is a really helpful and well explained tutorial on how to teach this. Wondering if it's appropriate for teaching my Westie not to bark at dogs walking past our home🤔?
You could definitely use a version of this for barking in the home. To be successful, you'd likely need to limit your visual access when you're not available to supervise/play the game. You'd also probably need to enlist a friend or family member to start practicing with a distraction dog that you can walk back and forth, or even start by just having them hang out in the same spot outside your house to get started.
she said a safe distance away from the trigger… so in my house. 😂
Once again a brilliant video!
What would be your advice for my friend - she has arthritis in both hands so finds it hard to control her 2 year old Husky that pulls on the leash. Any advice you have would be much appreciated.
Many thanks
Tina (Dublin, Ireland ☘️🥰)
Could she potentially use a waist leash instead of a leash she needs to hold with her hands? Alternatively, you could set up a tether point to a stationary object on a back clip harness - like to her car for example and park far enough away from a dog park that she can work on the reactivity where the dog is under threshold at all times when they begin to work together. Alternatively, this might be a case where I'd higher a trainer for several sessions to get a jump on the behavior and then transfer it to your friend once the majority of it is worked out, so that she is only working on the maintenance of the skill.
@@DoggyU Thank you so much for your great advice. I will definitely be passing it onto my friend and fingers crossed one or more of your solutions will help.
Many thanks again
Tina
I am actually doing this to deal with my dogs reactiveness and it has definitely helped. Though since I am a wheelchair user it is often difficult to avoid triggers so she still ends up reacting when they come to close. What I would like to know is if it is right of me, to basically just handle her almost silently and wait it out and reward her the second she looks at me. I don't want her to think she is being rewarded for lunging or barking at another dog.
Thanks for creating this video. Instead of using the clicker, what can be another way I train my dog from the distractions?
I find that a clicker really works best for this skill because of the distinctness of the marker. If you can click with your tongue, that could work as well. You *can* use a verbal, but I find it to be less effective generally.
I know this is off-topic to a degree, but could you recommend a book on how to train a guide dog? Great easy to follow video by the way. Thanks for offering tutorials for people training service animals
Not much out there in that regard. The closest you'll find on guide dogs is "forward together" by Christine Bane: amzn.to/3HIVH7x but it's not really a "how-to". Too bad it's not a few years later - hoping to do an entire series on it with my next dog.
good stuff
I was able to keep my dogs under control, but they'd still get excited when other dogs were present. I struggled to figure out what I was doing wrong. I'm looking forward to trying this with my next puppy.
Question. My first dog, I took to Puppy Play groups for early, positive interactions with other dogs. When he got excited, I wondered if that might have something to do with it. So, I skipped puppy play groups and took my next puppy to Star Puppy classes instead. In hindsight, that may not have been the best idea because she, too, was excited around other dogs. The only difference was the additional training during those periods. Puppy play was an important part of the structure of the class. But my dogs are Service Dogs. They have to be able to focus on me while working. So would you recommend ditching both next puppy, or do you think they'll be able to learn better with this game while still being able to enjoy important puppy socialization periods? 🤔
I think having time to play with their own species is vitally important to a dog's overall wellbeing, especially in puppyhood (excluding dogs that actually don't like playing with other dogs). The important part is balancing playtime with work on settling around other dogs, along with clearly defined expectations about what is happening when. Ie. you're on a leash and I"m engaging with you means we pass other dogs. Off-leash with your "go play" cue? Time to play. Within play I also do a lot of calling the dogs back, treating for returning, playing for 3 minutes, coming back, doing some behaviors, then returning to play.
Do your videos go step by step through what a service dog should know? Also, do you have a training log you recommend to keep track of service dog training schedule
Thanks!
I don't have any step by step courses on training outside of my course on Behavior Interruptions and Alerts. Patreon has a lot of deep dives on particular topics that may be helpful. You can check that out at Patreon.com/doggyu . But, like I said, no step by step - do this first. You can follow along with what I'm doing with Denver and use that instructionally. Hope that helps!
(also no training tracker - me and my ADHD suck at tracking LOL!)
@DoggyU yeah im no good at training logs
I find that my dog (18 month old intact Kelpie) loses interest in food when we first get out of the car somewhere, even if we have been there many times. He will usually get his appetite back after he has had a chance to explore the area, usually about 15-20 minutes later. I can't work on games like ping pong treat tosses or engage/disengage at the beginning of our walks because he won't take treats. I wondered what you'd do in this situation? If I do engage/disengage later in the walk when he is more able, will he eventually be able to do it at the beginning of the walk?
Interesting! It's hard to give specific advice over the internet without knowing your dog, but I'd be curious to explore what would happen if you went to the same area every day for a week, and how quickly you might be able to pick up a pattern that he knows very solidly at home, in the driveway etc. I'd want to see if ability to engage gets quicker and then branch that out to other areas once he's able to give attention right away in that one area.
Yes our intact female kelpie 13 months old does not care about food at all when out in the real world when she sees another dog she just wants to go play she is not aggressive put it is still not fun
Leslie McDevitt pioneered this game over 15 years ago..called Look at That
Yes - Engage Disengage is a spin-off of that game. Alice Tong acknowledges that in her write up on the game.
My dog dorsnt like bikes or other dogs on a lead. How does this work if you only see someone on a bike occasionally or a strange dog ..
You'd want to start with a setup (with a helper) that walks back and forth with a dog, or a bike, and then generalize from there.
Thankyou
What do you do if you have a dog who reacts if they can see the thing no matter how far away you are. My dog is petrified of bikes, so much so that he's already hypervigilant, ears up, unwilling to look away as soon as they're in his line of sight *at all*. I don't know if there is a safe distance for him, I certainly haven't found it
Any options for us non-clicker dog owners?
There are few exercises I say this for but for but for this particular exercise I highly recommend using a clicker because the sound cuts through other noises, is novel and more precise. You can use a verbal marker but I find it to be less effective.
This is an amazing and very helpful video! Thank you!
So, to be clear, i can use "yes" as my marker rather than a clicker?
And.....it's they look at trigger "Yes" treat. Level 1
They look at trigger, as soon as they disengage "yes" treat level 2
Moving closer to trigger was level 3?
Does this work for a dog that is nervous or fearful rather than reactive?
Example: my dog is kind of like this looking at cars or lifts inside costco or home depot? Tail tucked sometimes shaking and won't want to take treats.
Hey Candace! Definitely download the cheat sheet in the description to take with you while you practice. It will be very helpful in clarifying.
The game can help address triggers for nervous and fearful dogs as well, with the ultimate goal of changing their CER, conditioned emotional response to the trigger. However, it sounds like your dog is very much over threshold if they are already shaking and not taking food. I would pull them from public access while you're addressing their confidence. You would need to create a scenario where they were under threshold and could move very far away from triggers to start, for instance, with an elevator that is in a public parking garage, or cars on a highway, very far away. Hope that helps!
Great video! Thank you for making it (and for fielding the troll comments with such deft humor). I'm working on this training game with my intact male Anatolian, who is 9mo old and really not food or toy motivated. He likes treats, and praise, but they're not very high value for him when instinct-triggering distractions are around (like a noise in the forest that might be a predator). I do feel like I'm really fighting his instincts here, which are telling him that watching for threats is more important than literally anything else, including food and human interaction. Do you know of any modification of this game where I can provide a reward that would work within his instincts? Movement definitely exacerbates the issue; if we move away from the perceived threat, he feels it's a punishment, but moving towards it increases his excitement and readiness to engage with the threat; he is barely capable of basic commands like sit or down when his brain is in guardian mode. No toy can get his attention, nor even a fresh, juicy bone. The distance of the perceived threat doesn't seem to matter; it can be half a mile across the valley and still consume his brain until he identifies the source and determines if it's not a threat (squirrel or deer, for example) or actually is a threat (wolf; must seek and destroy! Lunge lunge lunge at the end of the leash). I've been doing the "look at it" and attention games, name games, e.t.c since he was 2 months old, and this remains an issue. I am glad, for my flock's sake, that he is a good guardian, but I would love for him to learn other skills as well, since we have other livestock guardians to take care of the critters and this dog is so smart, very socialized and human-friendly. He's otherwise very trainable, and working his way through the AKC certifications. I just need to find a reward mechanism that he would value over perceived-threat-assessment.
First, it sounds like you're doing an amazing job with a very challenging LGB in the most challenging stage of life (adolescence). If you're struggling with finding a reward that outpaces criters and you've been playing this game since 2 months, it may be time to change tactics. As you've mentioned, your dog has been bred for hundreds of year to pay attention to these "distractions". I think I'd advise you to check out "Predator Substitution Training." I have not personally used this method, but have a few friends that have found it incredibly useful with their sighthounds and other prey-triggered dogs. Hope that gives you another path to explore!
@@DoggyU That's very helpful! Thank you
My dog is an adult and I’m training her to be a service dog I know it will be harder do you have any tips
Nothing specific for adults. Most of the content I put out works for all ages of dogs. Check out my full service dog training playlist! :)
@@DoggyU thanks!
this is amazing, but what if my dog doesn’t care about treats/food when on walks?
This video has strategies for increasing food motivation: ua-cam.com/video/YMoZJDawFmg/v-deo.html
That's cool. i have just one concern, if you use the clicker like this you can't use it to teach tricks and stuff... My dog already knows the clicker and is used as a bridge. That being said, if i click while he's locked on a trigger, that's gonna be a reinforce on its own. i dont think i want to communicate with him "good job you looked at that dog". What should i use in this istance?
I’ve learned it as eventually adding the words, look at that, look at me. Putting it on cue. Maybe that helps
I have been looking for a dog that has potential for service, but I have some questions about what I should look for in a candidate. I might have found one, but what can I do to help me decide? Are there simple things to look for? I did help train our St Bernard dogs when I was growing up, but it has been a long time since.
Hey Robin - my Service Dog 101 course would be a perfect fit for your needs! It goes through how to choose a breed, how to find a breeder, and even how to choose a puppy within a litter. You can find the course here: courses.doggyu.com/p/service-dog-101
Patreon members (all paid levels) get 15% off my courses, so if you're a member or are considering joining, and also want to buy the course, I'd recommend doing that, as you'll be able to receive your discount right away.
Choosing a dog is a really personal decision with lots of facets to consider.
Is this similar to CAT or BAT Training? I’m trying to learn more about counter conditioning techniques and desensitization stuff.. thx
While they all have similar goals, engage/disengage is inspired by the "Look at That" game.
What if my fog fors not care about food?
If your dog is alive, it likes food to some degree as it has to eat to maintain life. So, when dogs aren't interested in food as reinforcement, I recommend you work on the skill of eating first, before embarking on training. You might need to experiment with different reinforcers to find what works for your dog, or train eating. You can do things like reinforcing eating a piece of kibble with a higher value reward which creates value for the kibble, you can also experiment with tossing food so they can chase it and activate their play drive. But if the dog doesn't care about food, I focus on that first.
I don’t see any link to the tip sheet.
Hi Maureen - if you go to the description (you might have to click *more*) you'll find all the links mentioned.
Will this work to stop my dog from barking through the fence at neighbors dog? Or is there a different recommendation for that situation?
I mean if they are barking at the neighbor's dog when you are not around.... Then no it probably won't help because the whole point is having the dog engage with YOU instead of the trigger... And so if only the trigger is around and you are not around.... they can't disengage with the trigger and engage with you.
I can’t find any of the links you refer to in the video, such as the step by step instructions pdf/sheet
Hey Snikermom! If you click on the description for the video, all the links are always down there. But here's the direct patreon link to the pdf: ua-cam.com/users/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGV1aGZmTnBEQU9QRDEyMVhPRjNzaW9TQkJ0d3xBQ3Jtc0ttWkZuVU4xbXF6VUd0Z3NCZkdVaHpER1NrTGZfTjhQOGFyNGh1dnhFYjRiMnVsWGU4SDQwZjdEZy14aFBkdzFoOG83QXlOQUFKVzhNTmJxVVJPQlcyVndHaVVtZzFlMlBiZVotTHBDTWtZZHJrc2lHNA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fposts%2Fengage-disengage-96731044&v=M5OANGG342Y
How could I possibly do this to my dog? We got the dog from a friend who had him for 5 years from being a pup, when my friends missus seen how big he grew, he ended up mainly caged away from the family. He wasn't used to going out daily and he pulls towards random people all the time. To train him this, would I need to have a total stranger to stand there as that is the trigger.
Great question - I get this question about dogs as well! So for dogs, I go to dog parks because that is a captive audience. For people, find a bike trail where people walk by frequently. You can step off the trail and practice at a distance that works for your dog. A busy store and a parking lot also works too. Hope that helps!
@@DoggyU Yes that does help, thank you very much.
How about if we don’t use a clicker?
I really recommend using a clicker for this particular exercise. It's a lot more salient for the dog than a verbal marker.
What is the suggestion for a 3 year old dog that is not very treat motivated?
I actually have a video coming out at the beginning of next month on increasing food motivation so stay tuned!
What are some good triggers to start with other than another dog?
A friend or family member walking by can be a good place to start because you can easily coach them to walk further away, slower, faster, looking at the dog, not looking at the dog etc.
Pro Tip for all the clickers within the community:
A sound/word you can speak/do can't be lost (easily) as a clicker =)
Stay crunchy.
I like to have both a verbal marker (in my dog's case it's "yes") and a clicker. But for this particular exercise, I highly recommend using a clicker. The verbal marker is the butter knife to the clicker's scalpel. When we're working with dogs that are potentially reactive or nervous, the clicker seems to cut through the surrounding noise more easily vs. the dog having to pick out the verbal from all the other words we humans tend to say. Plus, our verbals carry emotional weight. We say them differently depending on how we feel (excited yes vs. monotone yes). The clicker sounds the same whether I click it or you click it.
How long do you keep this up for?
My dog only will be obedient if she’s getting treats. She’s very smart, she will do things on her own terms. I think that if this is the method, she will need millions of treats for the rest of her life.
Is that the goal?
The time it takes for an individual dog to change their conditioned emotional response to a trigger varies on the dog. It's definitely not a "treat all the time, forever" thing for the majority of dogs. Here's an example - my dog as a puppy had fear of cars that quickly turned to car chasing/reactivity. It took me from about the time she was 3 months to around 6ish months old of consistency for her to not be afraid of cars anymore. I then started transitioning to other forms of positive reinforcement like praise, toys, and personal play. Now she doesn't bother with cars. If its a particularly challenging one, like a bus coming up behind us on a wet road I'll still praise and occasionally treat her. But again, it really depends on the dog and along with your commitment to working with them.
An important thing to remember here is that even *if* you had to keep it up for a long time, but it made your dog less fearful of the trigger, meaning their life is easier (and thus yours is also likely easier) wouldn't that be worth keeping up?
@@DoggyU thank you for the response :) it would be worth it, of course, I just wondered if there were other effective methods for a stubborn independent-minded dog (though idk why I didn’t say that originally 🤦♂️ mb) I think she might be part wolf, to be honest. We never knew her breed, but she certainly looks like one and doesn’t overly care for reinforcements..
Edit: And also I worry about her health if I feed her too many treats you know?
@@spook6394 When feeding treats, you can take the calories of the "treats" out of her allotment for her main diet. I often make training the way that my dog's food is given, so I choose either a different kibble, or a high quality treat that can be fed as a food. For a dog that is currently less food motivated, you could use something like boiled chicken or hamburger. Here's a video on how to increase your dog's food motivation that may be helpful:
Building Food Drive: ua-cam.com/video/YMoZJDawFmg/v-deo.html
@@DoggyU thanks so much
Hi! I was wondering how you could do this without the clicker? I have a deaf dog who wouldn’t be able to respond. I give her a thumbs up as a substitute for a clicker, but that’s not useful if she isn’t looking at me already. Just wondering if there’s a deaf version, or if this isn’t possible for her
Great question! I would imagine you could do something similar with a different style of marker, like a touch on the shoulder, a flashlight (not shone in their eyes obviously) or a vibrating collar if you condition the vibrate as a marker that predicts food, but I don't have a lot of experience with deaf dogs so this question would be a great for a group that specializes in that. I believe there are a few on facebook.
My dog knows when I dont have treats and just walks off and does whatever
When using food, human mechanics and reinforcement strategy are really important so that you don't develop a "show me the money" dog. If you're looking to improve these skills, I have two different Deep Dives on improving human mechanics and reinforcement strategy, which in turn allows your dog to want to work whether or not reinforcement is immediately present in the environment. You can find them here:
Human Mechanics for Better Communication:
www.patreon.com/posts/january-deep-for-97049998
Food Reinforcement Cues and Strategy: www.patreon.com/posts/may-deep-dive-104734939
How do koolies compare to border collies?
It's hard to make sweeping generalizations since there's a lot of variation between both. But in my experience, Koolies are significantly more independent, with many of them needing to know "what's in it for them" before deciding on an activity. That being said, they are also less neurotic and less sound sensitive than many BCs I've met. They also work livestock very differently. They have less eye. But they're both smart herding breeds. You probably need more patience and more sense of humor for a Koolie.
Freja needs more distraction training out in walks and in public.
My puppy is having these issues right now and since she's an Akita I don't want the excitement of seeing new people/dogs and nervousness of the environment to become something worse 😖
This is a great exercise to work on with her!
Ok but how does one switch from treat to no treats? my dogs very smart and will lesson perfect...if you have treats. No treats? she will just look at you and choose not to lesson
So this is all about reinforcement strategy and how food is used. I have two deep dives on this over on Patreon that you can check out if you're interested here:
Better Human Mechanics for Better Communication: www.patreon.com/posts/january-deep-for-97049998
Reinforcement Cues: www.patreon.com/posts/may-deep-dive-104734939
It’s amazing with these UA-cam videos, seven minutes and 52 seconds and you finally start talking about what the subject matter.
Knowing how to do something without knowing the foundational skills necessary or the why of the thing is not very helpful.
You could go spend a few hundred dollars on a trainer to spend the same amount of time on you that this trainer spent filming and editing this video, or you could be polite and appreciative of the free advice you’re getting and not make pointlessly rude comments
He repeated everything many times, be serious. It’s part of the algorithm to get placement.
Where can I get the “please don’t pet” vest please?
I get my custom vests from Patience and Love. You can check out all my favorite gear with links on this video: ua-cam.com/video/AIcgd5r_IBg/v-deo.html
@@DoggyU thank you sm! 🥰
You're welcome!@@GigiandCibo
omg for my 4 month old gsd the "safe" distance is like 1 mile away. this is super useless
Then… don’t do this
Does not work. Dog sees another dog 1/4 mile away, is immediately psycho. Can't GET farther away than that. Once triggered, no amount of clicker or food has any effect.
Hmmm I’m not a dog trainer but from what I know, I think that maybe you should try to sort of build up in till that point. First start with practicing this indoors with minimal to no distractions, and then move on to something a tiny bit harder, like maybe if you have a backyard, or if not then somewhere outside your home. I’m not sure what your dog reacts specifically too, but if they react to barking then maybe try and first introduce this training with only barking (like playing barking recording on your phone) and then moving on a bit more. Again, I’m definitely not a professional but I hope that helps a bit. If your dog is aggressive to other dogs tho, which was my first impression from this comment, then I think that you shouldn’t be focusing on getting their attention like this an rather socializing your dog WITH A PROFESSIONAL. Good luck!
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Skip the waffle and get to well into 3mins before anything useful.
I would argue that understanding what the game is, what foundational skills you'll need to train before you can start playing, where to get the cheat sheet so you can practice at home, and then how to actually train the exercise are also kind of important, but hey, I'm just the trainer 🤷♀
Theres so many dog trainers on UA-cam, im glad theres a small introductionat the start so i know if im going to waste my time on an uneducated trainer or a technique i have already in my repetoire or interfere with tasks my dog is trained with. Im glad she did that intro!
edit: i dig the video, its a different perspective on a method im familiar with.
Oh good grief, people can't even handle a couple minutes of an intro that may be new information to some, and can even be skipped over FFS. I swear humans are starting to have the attention span of a gnat.
choose even a calmer puppy. What a joke. It shows you have never ever worked with a reactive dog. Treats? Reactive dog? Sure... Just approach a random reactive dog, record a video how you fix that with cookies. WAITING
If you're looking for "The Dog Daddy" you've come to the wrong channel. I don't put dogs over threshold just so I can make more "entertaining" content. Good training is boring.
The GSD in the video was very reactive. In fact, it was given to me to evaluate the reactivity level. I was showing an apprentice how to work with a reactive dog and keep them under threshold so we could build on their success and change their overarching feelings about other dogs.
The golden puppy is not reactive. It's a service dog candidate that we were working on excitability around other dogs. I was showing the handler how we can build neutrality, even for a tiny, excited puppy. This video is all about building neutrality and helping change how a dog feels about their triggers. You don't do that by putting them in situations they are unequipped to handle.
@@DoggyU I am looking for a trainer who uses methods that are effective. Bringing up dog daddy proves you just work with a selected group of easy going dogs. But enough talking. Approach a random dog on a walk and record it. Waiting!
@@DoggyUyour video was great and effective. It’s such a shame when the average Joe (with entitlement issues) say otherwise.
@@alishacuarenta5443 thank you so much Alisha! I appreciate the positive feedback
Too much talk, not enough info.
Couldn't get through it as I became bored long before she got to the point.
I'm so sorry that you're struggling with a short attention span! But, good news! I made a 60 second version that might be right up your alley! ua-cam.com/users/shortsRXvEL6r4dek?feature=share
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The passive-aggressiveness in the response 😂 i love it
@@LittleBarracuda 🙃🤷♀😂
Your Voice is hard to listen to. Slow down pls.
I highly recommend you use the settings function at the bottom of the video to put the video at .75. Here's an explanation of why I talk like I do and what you can do to help process it: ua-cam.com/users/shortsO8JEBUdh5bI