Posted by Empyre Collaborator posted on December 03, 2018
Empowerment
The concept of empowerment aims to increase the degree of control and self-determination. It is the process of becoming stronger and more confident that enables the dog to overcome its feelings of powerlessness and lack of influence that lead to increased stress, fear and anxiety.
It is therefore important that you strengthen your dog's empowerment throughout his life.
Giving your dog more control in everyday life so that it has the opportunity and is allowed to make its own mark on its own everyday life. It can be something as simple as going the way your dog prefers on the walk, playing with those you want and being able to choose the others from.
Being involved in one's own process, such as cutting nails, when to be lifted up, and when to be brushed, is something we call voluntary handling.
Here we teach the animal to use a Start and Stop signal so that they decide when we start and end, which significantly increases their empowerment and strengthens the dog's trust in us.
Make your own sound
A really fun exercise that increases the dog's empowerment is the "Make-Your-Own Sound". Here you can teach your dog that making sounds can be fun and that it is something that he does himself. This helps increase their tolerance to loud and frightening sounds.
Depending on how sensitive your dog is to sound, you should always start where it is fun for your dog. So to ensure that the sound does not scare your dog to begin with, start with the absolute minimum and on a carpet.
How to do it:
Place a thin plastic cup or similar on your carpet As soon as your dog looks towards it, mark it with a treat (or other marker such as a clicker) and give your dog reinforcement in the form of a delicious treat.
Repeat it many times….
Gradually increase the criterion so that you only say good and reinforce when it is on its way towards the object.
Repeat it many times….
Next, you increase the criterion for your dog to touch the object and then knock over the object for your mark of good and reinforcement.
You can break the training process into smaller chunks according to your dog's needs.
If your dog becomes afraid of the sound, you must lower your criteria to where it is fun for your dog.
Once it's fun, there are endless possibilities for you to be creative and increase the criteria for your dog, building several cans next to and on top of each other and metal buckets with rocks or things that rattle inside. Only your imagination sets the limits.
Video 1: Here you can see how you can start the exercise "Make the sound yourself". Please note that my dog Pippi is not afraid of these sounds and therefore we start with a metal can on the tiles. You may need to start with a thin plastic cup on a thick carpet for success.
Yourownbehavior Your own behavior and handling of your dog is at least as important to your success and getting through this together. Be there for your dog, don't leave him when you know he is scared.
You are welcome to comfort your dog. Speak calmly and pet it. You are not reinforcing the dog's anxiety or fear by comforting and providing care.
I assume that your dog normally enjoys your presence and touch, so it is already positively conditioned to something nice and soothing, something your dog enjoys. However, be aware that some dogs can become touch-sensitive during severe anxiety and can therefore react with increased stress.
You can quickly see it in your dog if your petting makes your dog calmer - then continue. If your dog becomes more stressed out by your petting - then stop but continue to speak soothingly to him.
There is no reason not to do sound training, even if you don't have a dog that is afraid of noises. It can always happen that a loud and sudden sound becomes negatively conditioned with fear and the more you have done sound training with your dog, the more he will care 😊
Really good workout Bettina
Betina Sabinsky, professional behaviorist & animal instructor.
On a daily basis, she drivesDogWiseand has been helping dogs and their owners with behavioral treatment, counseling and training for the past 15 years. Betina is a BAT expert and also regularly gives a number of popular lectures on noise anxiety, home alone, BAT, etc.
Mini guide part 4 - Dog's fear of noise
Empowerment
The concept of empowerment aims to increase the degree of control and self-determination. It is the process of becoming stronger and more confident that enables the dog to overcome its feelings of powerlessness and lack of influence that lead to increased stress, fear and anxiety.
It is therefore important that you strengthen your dog's empowerment throughout his life.
Giving your dog more control in everyday life so that it has the opportunity and is allowed to make its own mark on its own everyday life. It can be something as simple as going the way your dog prefers on the walk, playing with those you want and being able to choose the others from.
Being involved in one's own process, such as cutting nails, when to be lifted up, and when to be brushed, is something we call voluntary handling.
Here we teach the animal to use a Start and Stop signal so that they decide when we start and end, which significantly increases their empowerment and strengthens the dog's trust in us.
Make your own sound
A really fun exercise that increases the dog's empowerment is the "Make-Your-Own Sound". Here you can teach your dog that making sounds can be fun and that it is something that he does himself.
This helps increase their tolerance to loud and frightening sounds.
Depending on how sensitive your dog is to sound, you should always start where it is fun for your dog. So to ensure that the sound does not scare your dog to begin with, start with the absolute minimum and on a carpet.
How to do it:
As soon as your dog looks towards it, mark it with a treat (or other marker such as a clicker) and give your dog reinforcement in the form of a delicious treat.
Repeat it many times….
Repeat it many times….
You can break the training process into smaller chunks according to your dog's needs.
If your dog becomes afraid of the sound, you must lower your criteria to where it is fun for your dog.
Once it's fun, there are endless possibilities for you to be creative and increase the criteria for your dog, building several cans next to and on top of each other and metal buckets with rocks or things that rattle inside. Only your imagination sets the limits.
Video 1:
Here you can see how you can start the exercise "Make the sound yourself".
Please note that my dog Pippi is not afraid of these sounds and therefore we start with a metal can on the tiles. You may need to start with a thin plastic cup on a thick carpet for success.
Your own behavior
Your own behavior and handling of your dog is at least as important to your success and getting through this together. Be there for your dog, don't leave him when you know he is scared.
You are welcome to comfort your dog. Speak calmly and pet it. You are not reinforcing the dog's anxiety or fear by comforting and providing care.
I assume that your dog normally enjoys your presence and touch, so it is already positively conditioned to something nice and soothing, something your dog enjoys. However, be aware that some dogs can become touch-sensitive during severe anxiety and can therefore react with increased stress.
You can quickly see it in your dog if your petting makes your dog calmer - then continue. If your dog becomes more stressed out by your petting - then stop but continue to speak soothingly to him.
There is no reason not to do sound training, even if you don't have a dog that is afraid of noises. It can always happen that a loud and sudden sound becomes negatively conditioned with fear and the more you have done sound training with your dog, the more he will care 😊
Really good workout
Bettina
Betina Sabinsky, professional behaviorist & animal instructor.
On a daily basis, she drives DogWise and has been helping dogs and their owners with behavioral treatment, counseling and training for the past 15 years.
Betina is a BAT expert and also regularly gives a number of popular lectures on noise anxiety, home alone, BAT, etc.
References:
https://www.livescience.com/51477-anxious-brains-are-inherited.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201509/the-nature-and-consequences-noise-sensitivity-in-dogs
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180320100719.htm
Karolina Westlund, PhD
ILLIS ABC