![]() ![]() When using petting for praise, keep in mind that whether your dog sees petting as praise will depend on her temperament, mood at that moment, and whether she’s focusing on her work (and therefore unlikely to appreciate the distraction of being petted). Use this kind of touch to reward whatever level of self-control your dog is capable of in that situation: a simple Sit, rewarded with a quiet voice and calming, massage-like strokes is an effective way to help your dog gain composure in difficult situations. Whole hand, light to medium pressure, slow strokes on the chest and shoulders will help calm and steady the dog who is either over-excited (“busting out of her skin”, wanting to go see and do everything at once), as well as the dog who is nervous and uncomfortable (wanting to get out of the situation if at all possible). This touch promotes calm and encourages the dog to remain still. Slow, light finger or thumb strokes on the dog’s head and forehead are wonderful for physically praising any stationary position (for instance, Stays) where the dog is focused on you. In general, when you wish to use physical touch as praise: That said, certain types of touch and petting work well to communicate approval and appreciation to your dog during training. Praise and petting are two distinct things, and there are certainly times when a big smile on your face and sincere verbal praise is the best, most effective way to let your dog know how pleased you are with her behavior. Prepare to spend some time helping your dog and honing his ability to respond precisely while amped up. Just keep in mind that encouraging intensity and excitement during training usually results in less accurate behavior from the dog, at least in the beginning. Heartier, faster, “whole hand” pats, playfully pushing your dog away from you, roughing up the fur, all tend to encourage movement and active engagement. In that case, try a different way of touching and petting. ![]() Sometimes we want a faster, more energetic response from our dog. ![]() When your touch is acting to calm, you should be able to feel her body, heart, and breathing relax and get in sync with yours. Pay attention to how your dog responds to your touch. Try this – as you stroke your dog, imagine that your hands have the ability to actually slow your dog’s breathing and heart rate. To use touch to promote calm in your dog, the key is to use slow, gentle strokes, rather than quick pat-pat-pats or hearty rubs. Even (maybe especially) high-energy, high-intensity working dogs are better off for having the ability to be calm when required. A calm dog is a more thoughtful dog – composed, and able to take life’s little challenges in stride. While “calm” is just one emotional state we might want to encourage in our dogs, it is a very useful one. Puppies raised in sterile environments with little early handling may be so unsure of how to deal with human touch that they panic, become aggressive, or get overstimulated when handled. Prior abuse may have easily convinced your dog that being touched is not safe, and something to fear and avoid. Previous rough handling or physical punishment can make any dog uncertain or even fearful about being touched. It’s important to remember that prior experience will affect how your dog responds to any touch, calming or otherwise. (Such as when a dog is taught to sit when her hips are touched). If the dog is touched in a calming way, and if he’s in a frame of mind that allows him to be receptive to your touch, physical contact can be a wonderful way to calm your dog.īut, while touch may be calming to your dog, it really depends on type of touch, context of the situation, and even your dog’s temperament and prior history.ĭepending on the context, human touch can be seen by dogs to be: ![]() Dogs can view touch in a variety of ways, depending on the situation and past experience (or lack thereof). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |