Absolute Dogs is who I got my PRODOG Certified Dog Training from. In this blog they mention many of PRODOG fundamental Games. My clients all loved these games I hope you do too!! I thought I share it with you today. if you Enjoy text me and learn how these and other games are changing Dog Training.
Fixated Fido: When Your Dog Just Can’t Let Go
by absolute Dogs July 31, 2019
Have you ever found your dog staring at the washing machine?
Has your dog ever chased a cyclist?
Does your dog cry when you leave the house?
Does your dog have trouble greeting other dogs appropriately?
If so, they may have difficulty with disengagement.
The ability to disengage is key to your dog living a happy life. A dog that can’t disengage will have trouble with responding appropriately to stimuli such as dogs in the distance, the movement of vehicles, a squirrel running across their path, kids playing with a ball, anything that attracts their attention as they become fixated. Dogs that are fixated lose the ability to think rationally, the ability to make good choices goes out the window, their ears switch off, and they do things that really aren’t in their best interests.
Dogs with disengagement issues will:
stare
lunge
bark
growl
whine
become anxious
stalk
resource guard
stop listening
become unresponsive to cues
The item of interest be anything. It can involve movement, it can be a static object, it can be food, it can be a person - there is no rhyme or reason to it other than it is something your dog finds absorbing. And such items can pop up anywhere. It doesn’t even have to be something your dog particularly values, like a favourite toy or their food bowl: it is just something they have taken an interest in.
Even a game with a beloved tug toy or tennis ball can turn into a problem if your dog cannot disengage. So what do you do when your dog literally cannot let it go?
Staring Eyes and Cloth Ears
The trouble with disengagement difficulty is that it can often prompt extreme reaction in your dog when you try to get them to disengage, from full on ignoring you to explosive screaming and lunging as you try to direct them away, or biting if you try to remove the object of their attention. These reactions can be embarrassing if they happen in public, frightening, even harmful. In all such circumstances, you know your dog is not in a good place mentally and that is upsetting.
You need a toolkit for getting out of such trouble fast. Your dog isn’t in any place mentally to be learning in that situation so having an action up your sleeve that will allow you to get your dog out of the situation, that will put you back in control and able to operate as your dog’s guide and protector first and foremost, is crucial. There is plenty time to work on disengagement when you and your dog are in the right frame of mind for it. That moment is not it!
A to B: Our Go-To Disengagement Tool
A to B is our favourite disengagement trigger. It is your dog’s cue to disengage from something that is attracting their attention. So how do you A to B? As you walk toward whatever your dog is interested in, slide your hand down the lead towards your dog, turn around and walk away. As you do so, feed feed feed your dog.
The motion of your hand sliding down the lead is the trigger for your dog to disengage from what’s ahead. You can put this on cue but in situations when your dog is actively engaged and having trouble disengaging, a verbal cue is not likely to register with them. The motion of your hand sliding down the lead is a physical cue that your dog can react to instinctively and thus it is more likely to prove effective in a sticky spot.
So You’ve Gotten out of Dodge, What Next?
Once you’ve given you and your dog’s buckets a chance to empty, it is time to start working on disengagement. Remember, we Gamechangers don’t try to work in the problem, we work for the problem. And there are tons of games for that!
The mouse game is a fantastic disengagement game that you can play anywhere. (It also makes a really fun game to play for your dog’s breakfast if you are ditching the bowl!) 😉 All you need are a few pieces of food and your hand.
Place the pieces of food in a pile on the floor. Cage your hand over the food, spacing your fingers so your dog can see and smell the food but not reach it. Your dog will show interest in the food. They may try to access the food by licking, nibbling or pawing your hand. Don’t let them get it!
Don’t tell them to leave or give them any instructions. Allow them to make their own decision to move away from the food. You are waiting for that split second when your dog takes their attention off your hand. That can mean they look away or they stop pawing or nibbling - just look for that moment when they stop actively trying to access the food. Some will even make a very obvious move to back right off. Whatever form it takes for your dog, mark it with a yes or nice, then flick a piece of food from the pile out as a reward.
You can take this game on tour - if you can’t place the food on the ground, hold it in your hand and cage your fingers round it. Play it in the garden, on walks, at the beach: get practising disengagement while out and about to get your dog making great choices in novel situations. Wherever you play, your dog will love it!
Building Disengagement Skills
Playing boundary games is a great way to take your dog’s disengagement skills to the next level. Boundary games teach your dog to work independently of you and to make great choices.
You can add boundary fun to the Mouse Game. Pop your dog on a boundary (raised beds are great for this game) and place the food on the floor. You want to try to tempt your dog to leave the boundary to come towards the food. Your dog’s job is to resist!
If your dog remains on the bed, take your hand off the food and slowly deliver bits of food to your dog on the bed.
If your dog leaves the bed, cover the food with your hand. Don’t re-cue them back onto the bed. Let them make the choice to disengage from the food and return to the bed. As soon as they return to the bed, uncover the food and start to give them pieces of it once more.
Periodically, and as frequently as you need to keep your dog excited and interested in the food, release your dog directly onto the food with a release cue.
Remember not to cue your dog to leave the food or to stay on the bed - let them make their own choices. Make it challenging for them in training: use super tasty, super smelling treats and let them see them, let them want them - the harder they find it to disengage, the bigger the win when they manage!