Trainer Roundtable Q&A Session (Part 2)
Hello everyone, and welcome back to a brand new episode of Dog Sense!
Today's episode is another suuuuuper special one.
Why is that?
Because .... *DRUMROLL* .... It's part 2 of our Q&A!!
If you've been following us then you know that two weeks ago, we had a Q&A session with all the NJ KSDT senior trainers where we answered your most burning questions!!!
Well, good news for you: There's more where that came from!
So, are you ready?
Let's dive in!
“I've been noticing my dog is scared by things more frequently lately. How do I handle this?”
If your dog is scared l, here are a few things you can do (as per our amazing trainer, Nikki Miller):
- If your dog is a little bit scared or reluctant about being around something, make sure that you have enough distance away from the trigger.
- If your dog is afraid of an object, change the way it’s standing up. For example, if it’s a tree or a vacuum cleaner, put them on their sides and see how your dog reacts.
- Make sure to do a lot of confidence building and training. This way, there's a little bit more predictability in your dog’s life and he’s building confidence in other areas.
- Don’t YOU freak out too much. If your dog’s a teenager, then it’s pretty normal for him to be a bit jumpy every once in a while. It will pass, but still, tackle it the same way you would any other fear.
“My dog likes to loudly bark at us when he wants to play. What is the best way to change that?”
Here are a few solutions to this issue, brought to you from our very own brilliant trainer, Stacey Samela:
- If your dog comes up to you and starts barking because he wants your attention, remove yourself from the situation. Either ignore him OR walk into another room (if it’s not a puppy or destructive dog, you can even close the door).
- If your dog has a good level of training, use the command “Place!” whenever he starts barking at you, leave him there for 10 minutes, and go on with what you’re doing. Your dog will learn that when he barks like this, he doesn’t get what he wants. In fact, he gets the opposite of what he wants.
- Finally, always make sure not to respond to your dog’s ‘demand’ barking (some types of barking need your attention) . Don’t tell him to “be quiet” or “stop!”, as that may cause him to bark more.
We answer more questions in the episode above, so, if you’d like to learn more, make sure to tune in now!