Every now and then I get a hankering to talk about dogs.
If you dont know, I was a dog handler in the Marine Corps for about 10 years.
I spend time training bomb, drug, attack, tracking, and long-distance off-leash detection dogs.
My final job before retiring from the Marine Corps was as the Chief Marine Military Working Dog Instructor.
That being said, let’s answer some questions.
First up, Eric’s question.
This one is SUPER common.
In lots of training, I kinda view dogs as children who are underneath 8.
Imagine if you were 8 years old and chillin on the couch.
You got all kinds of energy and are ready to go.
The next thing ya know, the doorbell rings and it’s some friends to play with.
You go absolutely bonkers because you are so excited to play.
That’s what happens with the pups.
They are just too damn excited to breathe let alone behave, so here are some things to try.
Positive Reinforcement: Use positive reinforcement to reward your dog when they display calm behavior around strangers.
Whenever your dog remains calm and doesn’t bark, provide treats, praise, or affection.
This will associate positive rewards with calm behavior.
Even if they are only calm for about 5 seconds, praise that 5 seconds.
If they start acting crazy again, ignore.
Rinse, wash, repeat.
Rinse, wash, repeat.
Make the breaks longer and longer.
Everything in dog training is baby steps.
Desensitization: Gradually expose your dog to strangers in controlled environments.
Start with a distance where your dog doesn’t bark and reward them for staying calm.
Gradually decrease the distance over time, ensuring your dog remains calm at each stage.
Counter-Conditioning: Change your dog’s emotional response to strangers by pairing their presence with positive experiences.
This will help your dog associate strangers with positive experiences.
Say it slow and in a calm way.
If they start hypin up, it’s possible for you to make it sharper to grab their attention.
Like a little off ramp of sorts.
When your dog starts barking, use the cue, and when they stop barking, reward them immediately.
Consistent practice will help your dog associate the cue with being calm.
Identify Triggers: Observe the situations that trigger your dog’s barking.
Understanding these triggers can help you avoid or manage them better during training.
Training Sessions: Keep the training sessions short and positive.
Regular short sessions are more effective than infrequent long sessions.
Initial Dog training should last 5-10 minutes at the most, pause for about 5-10 minutes and then continue.
Dogs have something called spontaneous recovery so you’ll be manipulating that natural behavioral tendency to your advantage.
Avoid Punishment: Avoid punishing your dog for barking, as this may increase anxiety and fear.
Positive reinforcement and patience are more effective training methods.
My dog Gussy Boy From Heaven Above has started doing this at my new place.
After three times, I’m pretty sure it is intentional.
I haven’t figured out why.
The grass here is green.
It could also be thinking like a different fertilizer.
That being said, I’ll get back to you on that one once I figure it out.
Gus is leaving too big of boulders to just let this one go.
If you’re reading this Gus, sorry for putting your business out there.
