Practice Makes (Progress) Isn’t Linear

This year has been a crazy one so far, but definitely one for focusing on training. Looking back as some of the resolutions I set back in January…well…I clearly didn’t keep them very long…seeing as this is our first blog post since that resolutions post…

I think between myself and Brodie, our biggest goal was training and focusing on Brodie’s reactivity. We started off pretty strong, changing up some of Brodie’s training protocols and working around more and more distractions. We focused on some barrier frustrations at the fence in the yard by using Engage-Disengage. This became extra important when our neighbors brought home a new puppy!

Keeping treats and toys at easy reach when out in the yard, we would mark when he saw something on the other side of the fence and reward him for coming to us to get his reward. We are progressed in the yard to Brodie seeing a trigger and either just looking at it or looking at it and running to us for a reward! The ultimate goal of the Engage-Disengage Game!

The yard also played a big role in helping Brodie work on his basic obedience skills with distractions around, like the animals in the woods and people out walking their dogs. We worked on place at a distance in the yard, a cue for going to the deck from anywhere in the yard at the drop of a hat, and strengthening his “wait” cue!

A few months ago we had a big set back when Brodie had an outburst of aggressive behavior that was out of the ordinary for him, which set us on a different path with training. A path that we wish we would have thought about or known years ago, but has been helping us see improvements drastically over the last few months.

The number one place to start when there is a sudden change in behavior is a dog’s health and that’s where we started. We planned to see a Veterinary Behaviorist, but first we did a full health screening with our primary vet. Lo and Behold, Brodie had hypothyroidism and it had probably been going on for a while. He’d been gaining weight for some time, but because he’s so young, hypothyroid was not on our thought process until his behavior change.

Since starting the medication, he’s been more energetic and in general happy! But we didn’t stop there. We saw Dr. Modes with Behavior Vets and found Brodie to have Generalized Anxiety, Fear based behaviors, and Sound Sensitivities. So we also started him on some anxiety/behavior meds and that has made the biggest difference in Brodie’s life!

We’re seeing him actually relax, both inside and out in the yard. He’s happier and enjoying life so much more! He’s not jumping up every time someone moves, less reactive to things outside the house, and so much more responsive to training around fear triggers! For Brodie, his health and anxiety being treated has been a game changer when paired with his behavior modification plan!

Even though I train dogs, training your own is a whole different board game and much different than the training I focus on. So we chose to work with Erin, who is a behavior consultant for Behavior Vets. We set in place a plan that she and I formulated that would help us boost Brodie’s training and get him to where we would like him to be!

Our overall goals are neutrality with guests coming over, neutrality when passing dogs and people on walks, and an overall calmness with less reactions. Aka neutrality is the endgame!

We started muzzle training and got Brodie a custom muzzle from Trust Your Dog that has the perfect amount of pant room and comfort for Brodie. We focused more on Engage-Disengage in a variety of environments, including out on walks. When walking, we keep distance from triggers and use management techniques like sniffing and having a leash wrap to remind people to keep their distance.

Our biggest chance has been our Dog Den (aka our dining room). We finally feel comfortable leaving Brodie out of his crate, but gated in the room his crate has always been in (also where his FAVORITE chair is) and he’s been extremely successful! When guests come over (or we need to open the front door), Brodie goes into the Dog Den. We practice waiting and relaxing, coming in to the living room and ignoring guests while chilling on place, and taking more breaks in his Dog Den!

I’m excited to see how far our training gets over the 2nd half of the year! He’s already improved so much, so with added training and behavior modification, I have high hopes we’ll reach our neutrality goal in the future!