We were eating dinner the other day.  The dogs should be laying down and not bugging us but one seemed to have forgotten what to do.  I asked for a down but the dog in question was looking everywhere but at me, all the while “ignoring” the cue.  I don't know if she looking for a spot to lie down since all the good spots were taken? Maybe she was focused on the smell of the food or heard a noise outside.  I didn’t give her time to follow thru, instead I repeated my request a second and then a third time.  That’s when I caught myself and realized I wasn’t giving her what she needed, time to hear, process and follow thru on the cue.  This time, after I asked for down, I remembered to count in my head to 15.  On 14 she lay down. 

The tagline is 15 seconds to failure.   Why is it so important?  If someone says your name while your brain is engaged elsewhere does it take you a moment to process and then respond?  She wasn’t ignoring me, she needed that same opportunity:  to hear, process and respond. We also reinforce giving her the chance to make good choices.  If we keep repeating the cue, often getting louder each time, the dog will either tune you out completely and you become background noise or decide that “down down DOWN” means down and will literally wait for you to say it 3 times each time. 

​You may even find that you stay calmer and won’t get as frustrated when counting to 15. Glaring at a dog and waiting for them to follow the cue that, like a machine gun burst  of shots, repeats “down down down down” doesn’t give a clear direction of what we want.   Keep the cue short, say it once and then wait for the dog to process and respond.  The dog will be happier and so will you.  

​Is your dog reactive to other dogs while on walks? You know what I’m talking about.  That sweet, furry love of your life, who turns Cujo-like when he sees certain dogs (or all dogs). You aren't alone, it happens much more often than you realize. When it happens to you, tho, it seems much louder, much worse than when you see another dog react. This is normal because you aren't emotionally invested in someone else's dog but your dog can skewer your heart with this behavior..

You ARE  emotionally invested in your dog and this affects how YOU react to your dog's reaction. Embarrassment, nervousness, fear, shame...these are all normal feelings. That's when we typically begin to yell, cajole, threaten, plead for the dog to behave. "It's no big deal" "STOP IT" "C'mon, you know better than to act like this" "ENOUGH already!" Maybe throw in a prong collar or e-collar for good measure to punish the behavior in hopes that it will fix the situation. 
 
Instead, tho, the behavior eventually begins to escalate, getting worse.  The first step in addressing the behavior is not punishment or bribery but identifying what the dog is trying to tell you.  What they are trying to say is usually either “I’m so excited I don’t know how to control my behavior” or “I’m scared and need some space”.  Either way your dog is over threshold which means that learning is not going to happen.  Trying to yell or beg or bribe will not affect how the dog will react next time
 
 So what is a frazzled handler to do?  Take a deep breath, step to the side and say “lets go” while turning around and heading the other direction, increasing distance to that which they were reacting to.  Once the dog has calmed down and giving you good attention you reward this behavior.  Now it is important to make a plan that avoids these situations until your dog is ready and able to handle them. 
 
Contact a professional who is experienced and educated in science based methods to work with you and your dog.  One who understands that the research is very clear on how to best address the challenges for best results long term and has the experience to teach you and your dog.  No flooding, no forcing, no punishment.  Solid behavior help instead.  Your average dog trainer is just that, a dog trainer.  They aren’t educated or experienced in dealing with behavior issues in the best and most modern ways possible.  This isn’t about cookie pushing but in timing rewards so that counter conditioning occurs by changing the emotional response to the stimulus (the other dog).  Timing is everything, and must occur at precise moments with a high enough value reward while at the same time preventing over threshold or flooding situations where learning does not happen. 

If you can’t afford a behaviorist there are also online resources, such as CARE For the Reactive Dog, that can help the dog owner learn skills to address their dog’s challenges.   Beware of any trainer promising fast fixes…these fixes typically require use of punishment which may  suppress the behavior but does not fix the emotional response.  This can lead to even more challenging and dangerous behaviors later because the dog is still reacting but with a new level of fear added on. 
 
If a friend tries to help you because something worked with their dog remember that not all dogs are the same.  Educated and experienced trainers and behaviorists have spent countless hours learning about animal behavior and how to address these things in the best and safest way possible.  While your neighbor or friend may mean well, they haven’t put their heart and soul and wallet into learning the best methods to make your dog better.

With the warmer weather (or on rainy days) your dog may not be getting as many walks or even playing in the yard as much.  Adding mental stimulation (also called enrichment) to their day can be a big help in curtailing unwanted (and often destructive) behaviors that can be caused by boredom. A few suggestions:​

Teaching your dog the "find it" game is an easy one to do.  Initially you'll do this while the dog watches from a "wait":  toss a few treats on the   ground and then say "find it".  As the dog gets the point of the game hide a few treats in easy to find spots. Then up the ante and hide the treats in harder to find spots and move the dog out of the room.  You can also do  this game with a favorite toy. 

If you have a "stufficidal" dog that can destroy even the toughest of stuffy toys this works great: Use paper towel or toilet paper cardboard inserts. Put a couple of treats in them and then fold
the ends. You can also use small boxes or paper bags for this. 
Lick mats and Kongs are great.  We fill them with kibble or treats
and then put peanut butter or plain yogurt (be sure it's not sugar free
as the sugar substitutes can be dangerous to dogs) and then freeze or chill them (soft drink kosies are great to hold them ​upright so they don't make a mess in your fridge). This makes the Kong experience last longer. 

​Freezing ice cube trays or cookie cutters filled with  mixture of plain yogurt, canned pumpkin, broth, canned dog food, even blueberries in water are great treats in the heat and interesting to the dog. 

Hide and seek.  One person hides and then the other tells the dog to go find.  When the dog gets to the person hiding be sure to ask for a sit before rewarding (in this case you are the reward with big praise and attention.)  In addition to alleviating the boredom this also helps your dog learn to give wanted behaviors even when excited.

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