Where Do I Start?
Establishing a Starting Point – Questionnaire
Age, breed, gender/intact/altered, health issues, issues, goals
–> everyone’s goal should be based on a strong relationship between you and the dog AND the maximum freedom possible (safely) for the dog.
Working within the framework of the dog you have
Skills Test: Play, obedience, chill
Foundations
Foundations lays the basis of mutual understanding, good communication, focus, and relationship.
The Layered Stress Model, Clarity, Windows and Blue Ribbon Emotions: providing the best and healthiest baseline for your dog.
The Role Management: Resetting the brain by not letting your dog practice bad behavior. The starting point of the journey.
Your End of the Leash: How your energy affects your dog’s actions. It can even cause reactivity.
The Role of Tools
The Role of Rewards
What is socialization?
Next: Play, Obedience, Free Dog and the Chill Window should all be regular parts of every dog’s life
Play
Intrinsically rewarding activities – The Predatory sequence, other drives
Level 1 – getting play on board – tug, fetch and find it games
Level 2 – building your game: rules boundaries, how to win and lose
Level 3, making play really work for – forcus and obedience and your relationship
Obedience
Externally rewarding activities, or even “chores”. Work can be fun, but it is not optional
Phase 1 – Training with food – luring, fading, conditioned reward, and basic proofing (aquisition). Training Games are here
Phase 2 – Other kinds of reinforcement: communicating through touch, creating default behaviors (fluency), how to reduce behaviors.
Phase 3 – The distraction ladder, distance, duration – Giving space to make choices, generalization
Phase 4 – maintenance
The “Chill” Window
Relaxed freedom is its own reward
Starting with structure, ending with clarity
Exercise 1 – Sit on the Dog
Exercise 2 – The Place Game
Other valuable exercises my include rubdown (massage), stretches and conditioning movements (doga), the box game (dog meditation)
Leveling up – Transitions between windows
Level up again – Calm Liberty (the free range dog)
The “Free Dog” Window
Many things that are “behavior problems” elsewhere are allowed and encouraged here! Dogs need time every day to decide if they want to explore, run, dig, bark, roll, sniff, mark… or just doze in the sun; you get the picture. Many dogs can benefit from spending time with a dog friend or two.
The free dog window also has rules: basically don’t be a jerk. Bullying, fighting, humping, being annoying to others are not okay, and should not be allowed; but this energy can be channeled into other activities.