Verbally marking success

Humans are a very verbal species. We are chatty and communicative, using words and descriptions to get our point across.

Dogs are equally as communicative, but are not so verbal. Their primary way of communicating is through body language and scent. So they have to learn to focus on our verbal output for information. 

 

The use of your voice in raising and training a guide dog is important to be aware of. It can be easy to talk too much at certain times, and too little at others. It’s common to witness raisers (as well as pet owners!) cheerleading a puppy through an obedience exercise, giving a constant stream of praise and information, only to switch to radio silence and reliance on the leash when the puppy is distracted on an outing.

So there is a fine line between talking too much and giving too little information. The downsides to too much “cheerleading” are that the dog learns to only pay attention if you’re constantly chattering, and/or he learns to tune out your voice. Then when you find yourself in a real-life scenario where you need the dog’s attention, he fails to comply either due to the lack of verbal encouragement or because he has learned that what you say is not of importance.

Praising and encouraging the puppy is, of course, a good thing, but there is a little trick that can add clarity to training. Use of a short marker word, such as “Yes!” or “Good!”, the moment the pup is successful is a clear and concise method of teaching. After the marker word, you can heap on the praise.

Establish the marker word by pairing it consistently with a treat. So if you tell the puppy to “sit”, mark the moment his rear touches the ground with a “Yes!” and immediately deliver a treat. What is so wonderful about establishing a strong response to “yes” is that if later you are delayed in delivering the treat, or if you don’t have treats on you, that marker word still allows you to give very clear information to the dog.

I often use “yes” when the dog just makes a conscious choice that I like. So if we are at group obedience, and the excitable puppy I’m handling stands by my side watching a dog go by instead of lunging, I’m going to tell him “yes” and possibly deliver a treat.

Some things to be careful of when using treats:

• The marker word doesn’t mean anything other than “you were successful and that behavior will likely result in a treat.” It is not used to get his attention or to get a specific command, such as sit.
• If the puppy changes positions after you say “yes”, do NOT give the treat. For example, it is very common for a puppy to default to a “sit” in order to get a treat. So if the puppy was laying down or standing at your side when you say “yes”, do NOT deliver the treat if he moves into a sit. Either wait until he gets back into the desired position or give him another cue. This is EXTREMELY important for guide dogs, as we do not want “sit” to become a default behavior. This can result in sitting at curbs or at obstacles, which is not good guide dog behavior.
• For lower energy dogs, a perky, excitable “YES!” can be a good choice to help boost them up. For higher energy, distractible dogs, keep your “yes” low and steady.

When you have established a marker word, keep it in mind when you are out and about. If you find that the puppy is misbehaving and that you are struggling to control him, be sure to give a clear, concise command and use your marker word if your dog makes any effort towards the behavior you want. Do not keep nagging or repeating commands. Give a command, pause, and see what the puppy does. Give him help if necessary by moving him away from the distraction, or even take a deep breath to calm your own energy. When the pup turns towards you, relaxes the leash a bit, or slows his efforts, mark that with a quiet, calm “yes”. It can be akin to playing the “hot and cold” game; the “yes” lets the pup know that he is on the right track.

Excusing behavior

We all know that every one of us is raising the best, smartest, and most talented puppy in the world.

Excusing behavior is an easy habit to fall into, especially when dealing with behaviors that are perceived as negative for a potential guide dog to exhibit. It’s important to remember that we are not making judgments on the quality of the dog as an individual; if he doesn’t make it as a guide dog, he is not a failure or a “bad” dog. He just isn’t a match for the type of work guiding requires.

One common scenario is the fearful or uncertain puppy. It can be tempting to try to pinpoint a particular event as the cause for fears. However, fearful tendencies don’t just appear out of nowhere. A single event might be enough to bring out the more obvious signs of fear and may intensify future responses, but the foundations for a fearful response were already present, and the previous signs may have been more subtle.

The leash commonly masks concern or uncertainty, especially with a dog that is particularly willing to please his handler. So a dog may walk into a crowded mall dozens of times and appear to be okay. However, his pupils may be dilated, his breathing increased, and he may have a change in pace (slowing because of uncertainty, or speeding up in a “panic pull”). He also may change his personal space boundaries, either by staying close and constantly touching the handler, or wanting to keep a steady distance. He may curl up into a tiny ball when you stop to sit on a bench, or he may have trouble settling. All of these are subtle signs of discomfort. So when the puppy later has a mall exposure that results in him fleeing from a sudden noise, it can be easy to attribute it to that single noise event. But in reality, that noise was just the final straw that resulted in a more obvious behavior response. 

While not every startle or jumpy response from a dog is cause for concern, be careful not to dismiss it either. Try to take notice of the dog’s behavior, posture, and movement before and after the “scary” event. Many dogs who end up afraid of loud noises, children, or other common “canine concerns” show early signs but soldier through the discomfort; often, it’s because they rely heavily on the handler for confidence. This becomes a problem (and often surprises raisers) when the dog is asked to make decisions without handler input and lead as a guide dog. Without immediate feedback, the dog’s stress increases and they choose avoidance or flight.

Negative responses to people or other dogs are often blamed on single events as well. This is most commonly seen in rescue dogs (“He was clearly abused by a bearded man in a hat, because he is afraid of bearded men who wear hats.”), but we hear similar assumptions in the raising world as well. Dogs will react to strange or novel silhouettes simply because they haven’t had exposure; however, their temperament will determine how fast they recover, if at all. If a puppy spooks at a bearded man, watch for the puppy’s entire reaction. If he will approach for a treat and then leans in for a snuggle, he is probably recovering well. If, however, he streeeetttches in for a treat, keeping his feet planted at a distance, and then retreats, he has not recovered. He may accept petting or an approach, but if he is not soliciting attention or willingly approaching, he has not recovered. This is important to note and modify future greetings to offer the puppy support and a positive experience.

It also can be confusing if a puppy presents as confident, bold, and feisty most of the time, but then has a few incidents where he appears fearful. Remember how some puppies “activate” in the presence of stress? Don’t excuse responses that concern you just because you are used to a revved up dog.

I’m not immune to this type of excuse-making, so don’t think I am excluding myself here! My border collie Scorch and I encountered our worst nightmare on a walk when four dogs burst out of a house and attacked him. It makes it easy to dismiss his fearful, snapping responses to dogs, especially of a certain breed. However, the event did not CREATE his fearful response to certain dogs. As he became an adult dog, long before the attack, his tolerance for pushy, in-your-face dogs was very low. He inherited that tendency from his father, who was also a dog with little tolerance for “rude” dogs.

In contrast, a graduate that I trained encountered a similar situation, where her dog was attacked on a route. He was always stable and extremely tolerant of other dogs. After the attack, he remained tolerant and stable. The incident was enough to briefly slow him down or make him hesitate, but he remained friendly and confident.

So if you are seeing a behavior that concerns you, or if you want to see how your puppy is reacting to a particular exposure, there are a few ways to verify what you are seeing: 

• Start training yourself to observe behaviors, NOT interpret behaviors. “He loves children” calls up a different image than “he approaches children with a low-wagging tail, lowering himself to the ground and crouching, then leaps up, rapidly licking at their faces.”
• Bring in an objective eye: have another raiser handle the dog while the AC observes. Adding the stress of an unfamiliar handler will often uncover hidden behaviors and responses.
• Handle your dog on a long leash. Give the dog the option to approach or leave from the exposure. Do not correct or try to direct the dog. For example: if the puppy has spooked at men, have a male neighbor approach you on your walk. Give the puppy enough leash to back up or move forward. Shake the neighbor’s hand and have a conversation and ignore the dog. Then have the neighbor offer a treat. It will be the puppy’s choice to approach, without the leash or handler influencing him.

Recording the dog’s reaction effectively allows us to come up with a plan for helping the dog to progress. It also allows you to keep a log of reactions, and possibly identify a common trend. The dog may react to sudden movement, or loud noises, or crowds. Understanding who the dog really is can help you and your AC manage an exposure schedule for the puppy to set him up for success.

The Power of Negative Language

Within the dog world, there are a few words and phrases that just refuse to expire. Many of you have heard me lament the use of the words "dominance" and "alpha"; my issue is that the terms are usually misused, and do not necessarily describe what is actually happening.

But I have another word that I would like to see eliminated from our vocabulary when talking about dogs: STUBBORN.

The dictionary definition of stubborn is "unreasonably unyielding". I have been uncomfortable with the use of the word to describe dogs for some time, but when I actually came across the definition, it became clear where my discomfort stemmed from. Describing a dog as "stubborn" implies that the dog is "unreasonable" in his failure to comply with your commands.

As I've discussed before, there are numerous reasons why a dog may not comply with a command you've given: he doesn't understand it fully, he doesn't understand it in context, he is distracted, he is overstimulated, he is stressed, he is hot, he is irritable, he is tired... or he just plain doesn't feel like it at that precise moment. None of that sounds particularly unreasonable to me, especially since many of our commands are extremely unnatural to dogs. How many dogs do you know that freely walk along the sidewalk in a straight line, without pausing to sniff or socialize? Or who wait patiently and quietly at doors?

 

This morning on my way to work, my attention wandered and I drove through a questionably yellow light. I know that the intersection has a red light camera, but I did it anyway. Now I am worried about the potential consequences (an expensive ticket in the mail); however, that was clearly not enough to deter me from making a poor choice at the time. I had the briefest moment of "should I slam on the brakes or chance it?" I took the chance. Sound familiar? A dog may "know better", but when faced with a choice and having only moments to decide on an action ("Do I lunge and try to play with that dog, or sit here quietly?"), it's not "unreasonable" that a dog will impulsively choose a behavior that lines up more with his instincts.

So when someone tells me that their dog is "stubborn", that does not give me very much information as a trainer. A better description might be, "He has a hard time following commands when other dogs are around." Or, "He doesn't like to be 'drilled' in obedience and will get bored after several commands in a row." Or, "He's going through adolescence and he's more interested in checking out the environment." Or, "When his nose hits the ground, he tunes me out." None of this is "bad" behavior. It just means you have to get more creative with your training. The traditional use of consequences may not be enough to convince a dog to ignore his instinct to get excited when a stimulus presents itself.

Understanding this is an important step in training a dog effectively, and with understanding. Give the dog a clear choice, but make the decision a bit easier for him if you can. So if you're practicing "stay", and you know your dog is distracted by tennis balls, don't try for a long "stay" all the way at the end of the leash while tennis balls are being bounced. Practice a brief "stay" with the pup at your side, so you can give effective feedback. GRADUALLY introduce duration and distance, rewarding the dog for successful efforts. If the dog breaks the "stay", make it a little easier, rather than correcting repeatedly. The dog isn't stubborn; he just finds bouncing tennis balls to be highly exciting and it is hard to concentrate on something as boring as a "stay".

If your dog gets "stuck" on smells, he may have a genetic predisposition to find smells extra-fascinating; he is not stubbornly ignoring your commands. Instead, he is so absorbed in odors that he forgets that he is attached to a human. Get his attention off of the smell when you can, and practice a heavily-rewarded "Let's go" around the scent-y area. Simply correcting him and moving on will not convince him not to smell next time; walk back and forth a few times in front of the odor to teach him what TO do instead. This will take a lot of repetition before he understands that he cannot be driven by odor alone, but through fair, consistent training, he can learn to turn his attention elsewhere.

If your dog looks at you blankly after the fifth "sit" command he's had to do, he may simply not see the point. Some dogs will go through commands 500 times, but others grow bored of repetition and don't find it particularly enjoyable or rewarding. For a dog like that, make obedience a game. Weave obedience and play together, giving the dogs lots of breaks and interacting in a way that the dog finds enjoyable. Use a toy or encourage the dog to chase you a short distance. Pat him on his side or roll him over for a fast-paced belly rub. Let him get a little worked up, then try some obedience again.

But above all, try to avoid thinking of your dog as "stubborn". Try to get to the root of why the dog is behaving the way he is, and modify your training technique to help the dog succeed. If I can't be trusted to be perfectly behaved at traffic lights, I'm not going to expect my dog to always make the best choices. Because of my mistake and it's consequences, I am going to be very conscious of my approach at traffic lights from now on... but will I eventually slip back into some yellow-light-running habits? There are certainly enough people with multiple speeding tickets who clearly didn't learn their lesson the first time. It's unfair to hold dogs to a higher standard than we hold for ourselves. In order to train a dog, we need patience, consistency, and rewards, not judgmental, unhelpful labels.

Attention, attention!

Anyone who has raised a puppy is familiar with how short their attention span can be; puppies usually have brief moments of brilliance and clarity interspersed with distractions, zoomies, and daydreaming. The ability of a pup to maintain attention in the face of distractions is part genetics and part training. Some pups will naturally be in tune with their handlers and are very agreeable, while others may be more engaged in the world around them. Either way, you still want to be sure that you are focusing on the dog’s attentiveness, and making sure that you are training with clear, consistent, and effective communication.

It is your responsibility as the handler to ensure that you encourage attention, but also that you check for attention before giving a command. It is not fair to give a “sit” command when your 6 month old puppy is excitedly straining at the end of the leash towards another dog. It also is not fair to expect a 9 month old, people-distracted pup to hold a sit-stay as a guest approaches him while cooing in an excited tone. Knowing your puppy’s highest distractions, and also what it looks like when your pup has tuned you out entirely are the keys to successful training.

The protocol of saying the pup’s name before a command exists to ensure that you get the puppy’s attention before giving them a command. The way that you say it matters. It is not “Wolfiesit!” Rather, the name is meant to check for or to get the pup’s attention: in a happy tone, you would say, “Wolfie”, followed by the command “sit” when the pup acknowledges you. If saying “Wolfie” does not get a response, do not give the “sit” command. Instead, figure out why the pup is not paying attention to you. Are there too many dogs or people nearby? Is the pup drifting off because he’s had a busy, activity-filled day? Try changing the environment or giving him time to decompress before you try again. 

Sometimes, just working on attention and “four on the floor” is a good way to build a pup’s confidence and to get them in a thinking frame of mind. Stand at a distance from the distraction, say your pup’s name, and when he responds, call him to “come”. Give him a treat when he responds. Repeat until you are easily able to get his attention. The rewards will motivate him and bring his attention back around to you. Once your pup is able to stand on a loose leash, with four feet on the floor, and is responding to his name, THEN you can start asking for more, like a “sit/stay” in the heel position, or a “down”.

Your pup may also look at you when you say his name, but may be slow to respond to your command. If you have attention, but not an immediate response, resist the urge to repeat the command or correct him. Sometimes these dogs operate on what we call “retriever time”: “She told me to ‘sit’… I know that means something… oh yeah, to put my bottom on the ground… oh she means right now?... OK, guess I better sit.” If your dog is looking at you and the wheels appear to be turning in his head, give him some time to respond. If we move faster than the dog does, they end up getting dependent on the leash to tell them what to do, instead of thinking through what we’ve asked them to do. If he’s looking at you and still not responding, do not give him a harsh correction; instead, give him help by lightly touching him or gently tugging on the leash. For example, if the pup is looking at you, but not responding to the “sit” command, save your correction for another time. Give him guidance rather than immediately choosing to tell him “no” paired with a collar pop. He could be confused, overwhelmed, or just not processing what you’re saying at that moment. Correcting him could potentially confuse him further and discourage his attentiveness.

The same can be said for other commands: if you call him to “come” and he looks your way, put some light pressure on the leash. Then, as he starts to move towards you, verbally encourage him. If you had corrected him when he looked at you, even if you meant to correct the lack of the recall, you would actually be discouraging his attention.

Corrections are more meaningful when they occur less often. Retrievers in particular can quickly become immune to most corrections, especially if they don’t truly understand why they are being corrected. It is important to have a good foundation of attention established so that you know the dog is attentive and thinking; we want the dog to be working too, not just the handler.

Treats in training

When using treats in training, there are several factors to be aware of. It takes some skill to be able to give a treat properly and at the right time, but it truly does pay off.

1. Marker word

Sometimes it can feel like a juggling act trying to manage the puppy, the leash, and treats, especially out in a distracting environment. Using a short, consistent “marker word” can help bridge the time between the dog’s good behavior and your ability to deliver a treat. My preferred marker word is “Yes!”, because it is concise and easy to say happily. If you consistently pair the word with the reward, the pup will understand that he is correct the exact moment you verbally mark his behavior. You always have your voice; you may not always have a treat immediately handy.

A marker word doesn’t negate the use of praise; after a “Yes!”, you can certainly lavish the pup with “Who’s the best puppy in the world??? Such a good dog!” type praise. However, marker words can also help with dogs who have a low praise tolerance (meaning excited praise sends them right out of their skin). It calmly lets them know that they did a good job.

So when you are teaching “Let’s go” to your puppy, start saying “Yes!” when the pup is walking nicely by your side, then deliver a treat. Say “Yes!” when he responds to the “Come” command and touches your hand. Use “Yes!” when he successfully follows you instead of paying attention to another dog.

2. Timing

Timing is important in training, especially when you are trying to get a behavior to repeat itself. Be sure that you are marking and rewarding behavior as it happens, not after the fact. (Again, the marker word can act as a bridge if you don’t have a reward immediately available) So if your puppy is walking nicely by your side, but you reward him after he has lost interest in walking with you and has started sniffing, you are reinforcing the sniffing behavior. Withhold the reward if the desired behavior ends before you can deliver the treat.

The good news is that poor timing with a reward has fewer consequences than poor timing with a correction. If you accidentally reinforce the wrong behavior, you still have a dog with confidence and who is still trying. Poorly timed corrections can result in a dog who is confused and inhibited from making decisions. So practice with food until you feel comfortable with timing; if you accidentally reward an unwanted behavior (like jumping up to get the treat), anticipate next time and be resolute in giving the treat only when 4 are on the floor. When you understand timing with rewards, it is easier to utilize appropriate timing with corrections.

3. Puppy's behavior during the reward

When giving the puppy a treat, be sure he is in the desired position. So if you’re rewarding the pup for loose leash walking, and he walks in front of you, do not treat him until he moves back to your side. That may require making a u-turn and walking for a while before delivering the reward. (You can also turn INTO the puppy to help encourage him back into position)

4. Taking the treat gently

Some puppies are naturally pleasant when taking treats; others may take your fingers off along with the treat. Rough mouth behavior around food indicates a high level of arousal in the puppy. This may be caused simply by the presence of the food; however, if your dog is normally nice taking treats, or has learned to be gentle, the appearance of a rough mouth indicates that the dog is stressed or excited by something in the environment. Dogs lose fine motor control when they are over threshold, and this is most obviously evidenced by their manners around food.

Start early with only giving your puppy a treat when he is under control of his mouth. If you know you have a rough puppy, hold the treat between your fingers in such a way that the pup cannot easily get it. If he gently attempts to take the treat, you can release it to him. If he is rough, you have a few options. You can simply remove the treat and try again; you can hold the treat in a fist until he calms his efforts; you can push your closed hand INTO his mouth to back him off; or you can give him a tug on the leash along with a firm, low “no”. The idea is not to scare him off, but rather to teach him to exert self control. Release the treat when he is making an effort to be gentle.

5. Enthusiasm (or lack thereof) about the treats

If bringing out treats results in a whirling maniac, make it a habit to walk around with treats. Do not give them to the puppy; just bring them on your walks and outings. Eventually, the pup WILL attend to the rest of his environment; you will have to be more patient and stubborn than your puppy! When you have successfully outlasted him and he has turned his attention to other things, tell him “Yes!” and reward him. This will probably cause him to renew his efforts to receive a treat, during which you should ignore him. You can correct him if he is a particular pest, but what you’re really hoping to achieve is a puppy who CHOOSES the right behavior. Eventually, rewarding the quiet behavior will make that behavior more likely to occur. You are teaching patience, and establishing that rewards only happen when the pup is mannerly. If you have this kind of puppy, require the same behavior at meal times.

If, on the other hand, your puppy is not interested in the treats, you may have to determine whether your treats are not motivating enough, if the puppy is too distracted/overwhelmed to function, or both. You may have to widen the box of acceptable behaviors and just ask for the puppy to stand or walk calmly with you, without too many rules or expectations. Watch for signs of stress: is the puppy breathing heavily, straining to get to something, yawning/licking his lips repeatedly, or shedding/producing dander? His lack of interest in food may indicate he needs to get to a calmer state of mind before he is able to function.

6. Luring vs. shaping

There are two main techniques for utilizing food training. Both are useful and can be beneficial. Most of what we focus on is shaping, or capturing the behavior. That means we try to make it likely that the desired behavior will happen, then mark and reward the behavior when we see what we want. So for loose leash walking, you might suddenly change direction and pat you leg; when the puppy catches up to the heel position, you mark it with a “Yes!” and deliver a treat. You helped create the behavior, and the dog CHOSE to do it (even if he wasn’t conscious of it at the time). You also may reward the dog for choosing to leave a particularly difficult distraction, such as another dog. This rewards choice and conscious thought, which is what we want in a guide dog.

Luring is using the treat specifically to guide a behavior. We use this in the early stages of the “Come” command by showing the puppy the treat and using it to move him towards us (and to encourage the hand-target). Luring can also be helpful in managing specific situations. I often use the example of the puppy in the mall: a raiser had to walk a puppy through a crowded food court with tidbits all over the floor. This puppy was a known scavenger, and that situation was asking a lot of him. The raiser was able to show him a treat to help keep his head and focus up off of the ground. He received a treat after successfully working through the food court with attention on his raiser. In later passes through the food court, just a light tap on the treat bag would be enough to remind him to focus on the raiser. This helped to set the puppy up for success when repeated corrections were failing (especially if the dog manages to grab a french fry anyway... a dog who manages to get periodically rewarded before his raiser can react will continue the behavior).

7. Progressive rewards

Finally, when using food reward training, you want to be constantly raising the bar. For example, with “let’s go”, you are initially treating frequently and as soon as the dog “recovers” to the heel position. You may end up with a dog who pulls, comes into heel position, takes the treat, then goes back to pulling. This is normal! That’s a sign that the dog is thinking, and he is moving towards our desired behavior. In order to make it clear to the dog that you want more, and that the treat does not end the behavior, start delaying the delivery of the reward. Ask the dog to take MORE steps before you treat. Give several treats in a burst so that the dog wants to stay with you, rather than immediately leave. After a treat burst, ask the dog to keep attention on you and reward only after sustained attention. Make your walks more interesting by making a figure-8 shape or changing directions suddenly. This is more likely to give you attention from your pup than walking in a straight line, and then you will be able to delay your rewards.

When you are seeing the dog make a conscious choice (like walking past a dog distraction), only give them a treat when they behave without input from you. So if they turn away from the dog distraction willingly the first time, but the next time, you have to give a leash tug to get them to ignore the dog, withhold the treat until they succeed again WITHOUT much handler input. Always raise the bar as a training session continues.

You don’t have to be a constant treating machine. Have a training session with treats (“Let’s go” or the “come” command) when you first get to an exposure with your puppy to set them up for success. Then head out on your exposure. You have the treats with you in case you need them, but you don’t have to be constantly using them. You can also stop in the middle of a lengthy fun walk, break out the treats and have a mini training session. Then continue your walk.

Using treats can seem complicated at first, and like there is a lot to keep track of. But the great thing about treat training is that the dog is usually willing to meet you halfway. Even if your timing is off, or you fumble with the treats, or you’re not quite using the leash properly, food rewards help the dog to ENJOY training. We want a dog who wants to work and who thinks training is fun.

Scaredy dogs

Dealing with a fearful behavior from a puppy can be a tricky undertaking. A handler’s goal is to expose the puppy to the fearful stimulus in a positive way and resolve the puppy’s concerns. However, not every technique works for every dog, and sometimes the behavior can worsen despite our best efforts.

First of all, there are several reasons a dog may exhibit fearful behavior. The puppy may have a negative experience and displays caution as a result. Sometimes, the fear may even be misdirected; for example, a raiser recently mentioned to me that her pup, out of the blue, began fear flighting from a particular restaurant. As far as the raiser is aware, the pup never had a negative experience in the restaurant. However, it is possible that the puppy had an overwhelming day or had a negative experience somewhere else, and by the time she arrived at the restaurant, the pup had had it. Now she may associate the restaurant with that feeling of doom and gloom.

Other times, the puppy may develop a sudden fear as a direct result of bad experience. A pup may be well-socialized to the family cat, but when he visits another home, the resident cat scratches his nose and scares him. He may begin giving cats a wide berth, even “his” cat at home.

The dog may also be genetically fearful: his genetic makeup may predispose him to a greater level of caution, a higher startle response, and a poor recovery. You may hear these dogs described as “soft” (in temperament, not fur!) or “jumpy”. These pups exhibit fears at an early age and some never improve, or even intensify as they age. This isn’t meant to frighten you as a raiser if you suspect your puppy may be genetically fearful; if you recognize that this trait may be present, you can be more conscious of taking exposures slowly, being aware of your puppy’s reactions, and working hard to desensitize to various stimuli in a positive way.

A dog may also experience “fear periods” for various reasons. Sometimes it can be related to teething; pain and frustration from teething leads to distrust, and it would also be the age they would be exploring away from the den, so caution would serve a pup well. Hormonal surges also can explain a sudden onset of fears, especially if a female is pre-heat cycle.

Although understanding the reasons why can be helpful, there are also some standard techniques that apply across the board. Desensitizing is generally the preferred method of dealing with fears. This involves exposing the dog to a stimulus at the level he can handle. You want to keep exposures brief and positive; don’t try to push the puppy past his limit. If the puppy slows, you slow; if the puppy stops, you stop. Stopping when the pup shows concern lets the puppy know that you “have his back” and that he has a choice. Try to stop before the puppy gets into panic mode; let him take in what scares him gradually. When the puppy is at a comfortable exposure level, you can use positive, fun commands, such as the treat motivated recall, to help focus his attention on the food (rather than on the far-away, slightly scary thing going on in the background). Do not try to “lure” the puppy to what scares him with a treat. Instead, give a treat for an appropriate response to a command. Trying to get him to follow a treat over to the “scary object” does not generally change the puppy’s opinion about the object; he is just trying to dive in quickly to grab the treat and then get out! On the other hand, using treats in a constructive way (recalls and attention) can help take his focus OFF of the scary object and rewards him for focusing on you instead. Then walk away and try to approach the stimuli from another angle. You have to also be prepared to retreat if it is too much. Increase the distance from the distraction, then try to approach from a different angle; stop when the puppy shows the first signs of discomfort. That is the level of exposure that the pup is prepared to handle.

In general, a puppy displaying fears should have his exposures reduced overall. Continuing with exposures when he has been having negative experiences can be harmful; staying home more gives him a chance to recover and relax.

If the pup shows a sudden onset of fear to something familiar, like a doorway to a familiar location, start with desensitization techniques. Approach, retreat, practice some positive commands. Sometimes that may be enough to help give him his confidence back. However, sometimes pups hit a mental wall and cannot overcome it easily. It may be worth retreating for the day and trying again another day. However, IF (and this is a big if) the pup’s fear is because of a known negative experience, sometimes employing the technique known as “flooding” can be beneficial. For example, the pup may have been to the local Petsmart a dozen times and looks forward to going there. However, the last time he went through the door, a forklift dropped a pallet and knocked over a display, making a terrible racket. So now the pup is putting on the brakes at the door every time he approaches. It MAY be beneficial to reduce the puppy’s options to help him get through the initial step. This can be done by finding the pup’s stopping point, then asking him to take a single step. So the puppy puts on the brakes, and the handler takes another step; now the leash is tight and the pup is frozen at the end of it. The handler should NOT feed into the puppy’s anxiety by chanting or verbally coaxing; instead, the handler should remain mostly quiet, occasionally offering calm reassurance. If the pup relaxes the leash slightly, the handler should THEN begin praising and can even offer a treat reward. The dog is choosing to loosen the leash by taking a step forward. You are not reducing the dog’s exposure to the fearful stimulus; instead you are exposing him in a calm, quiet way so that he realizes that nothing bad is occurring, and he is, in fact, able to function. This can be very effective in getting the dog through a “stuck” fear.

However, if this technique is poorly timed or ANOTHER scary event occurs at the same time, it can make the puppy’s fearful response worse. So when it doubt, talk to your AC about your puppy’s fear to come up with some techniques. Fear and anxiety can manifest in a number of ways (see last month’s Blue Cape Journal for some body language clues); learning how to recognize them and knowing when to slow down will make your puppy more comfortable and confident. Very few dogs are completely “bomb proof”, and most puppies will encounter something scary at some point during the raising period. Be aware of your puppy’s reactions and proceed gently.

Building confidence

Guide dog puppies are exposed to a variety of novel environments throughout their puppyhood. We try to give them a positive experience with many different stimuli. However, part of puppy raising is making sure that the exposures are purposeful, appropriate for the individual dog, and keeping the pup’s confidence up. Building confidence takes time, and recognizing signs of stress is important. Not every dog will exhibit stress in the same way, and sometimes puppies gradually become overwhelmed; knowing how to support your pup and assist him through exposures will help make socialization an enjoyable experience.

When the puppy first arrives home, focus on routine first. Take a few weeks to get the puppy used to your home, the block in front of your house, your family members, the eating and busying schedule, your workplace, and some basic, light obedience. Do not take the puppy to stores, restaurants, or around traffic. Just focus on being at home and bonding with your puppy. You want to know your puppy well and have developed a relationship before you start working on exposures. Your puppy should be used to the leash, responding to some basic commands, and eagerly walking before you start adding potentially stressors. Some puppies slow down or stop entirely when a walk ventures a little bit past your house; if your puppy exhibits this behavior, he is not ready to go on exposures yet. Focus on building his confidence with short fun walks on the familiar area in front of your house and allow him to tell you when he’s ready to move on.

When your puppy has indicated that he is comfortable walking around your neighborhood and he is listening well, begin taking him to quiet exposures, such as a drug store or a coffee shop. Build up exposures very gradually, and develop a routine. Work on attention in the parking lot before you approach the doorway. If the puppy hesitates at the door, don’t worry about a “sit” at the door at that moment. Walk around the building and allow the puppy to get comfortable outside first. Do not go inside until your puppy is willing to approach the door. If he doesn’t seem to be making progress, take him home and try again another day. This applies whether it is his first exposure or his 200th. Your puppy may charge through every doorway, but may suddenly encounter something he deems unusual or he may just be having a bad day; whatever the reason, if you see hesitation on his part, respect his concern and slow everything down.

When the puppy is responding well to your local drugstore and coffee shop, then you are ready to progress to a short grocery trip or a longer meal at a restaurant. If your puppy is not ready to go grocery shopping, leave him at home in the crate. He will benefit from the quiet time and will learn to be alone. Be sure not to push him past his limits; if there is any doubt about his confidence, or if your priority is actually getting grocery shopping done in a timely fashion, the pup should stay home. Set aside time for the first shopping trip where you can focus on the puppy. Practice obedience and attention in the store. Keep it brief and fun, and work that trip into your regular routine. Then longer shopping trips and busier stores can follow.

You or your AC may also feel that your puppy would benefit from a “staycation”. When a dog gets overwhelmed, has a stressful event, or builds stress over time, it can take several days for the pup to return to normal hormonal levels. While cortisol levels are heightened from stress, even regular exposures can become worrisome for dogs. The puppy may need a few days off to just relax and settle down at home, rather than to continue to go on exposures. Even if you’re not seeing a problem, occasional “staycations” can be beneficial.

Dogs show stress in a variety of ways. The benefit of having a relationship established with your pup before taking him on an exposure is that you’ll be familiar with his standard body language and better able to recognize any changes. Some dogs activate when they are stressed, meaning they increase their activity level, speed up their movements, and even may become frantic. Other pups may shut down under stress; they become very still and compress their bodies to appear smaller. It can be easy to mistake activated stress for hyperactivity and disobedience. By the same token, a shut down puppy can appear to be well behaved and accepting. Dogs can also develop physical reactions to stress, such as diarrhea. It is important to take exposures slowly and pay attention to your puppy’s demeanor and body language. If you see some of the signs below, and they are only appearing in distracting or novel situations, you are witnessing signs of stress.

An activated dog will exhibit some of the following signs:
- Increased heart rate
- Panting
- Jumping up on, “climbing”, or pawing at the raiser
- Pacing or weaving at the end of the leash
- Speeding up walking pace
- Dilated pupils
- Facial muscles pulled tight
- Mouthing your hands or grabbing clothes
- Tail wagging rapidly while held low or tucked

A shut down dog will exhibit some of the following signs:
- Compressed body lowered towards ground
- Turning away from stimuli, “not wanting to look”
- Moving to a quiet, confined area (such as under a chair)
- Lowered tail and ears
- Panting or mouth shut tight
- Hesitancy or slowing of pace
- Stopping forward movement entirely
- Dilated pupils
- “Whale eye” (eyes widened so that the whites show)

Because guide dog puppies are generally a willing-to-please bunch (despite how it may sometimes seem!), the leash can often mask a stress reaction. The dog accepts the scary or stressful stimuli because the leash does not allow him to escape, and because he is so conditioned to work with his handler when leashed. Then when the dog has a choice, leading his handler in harness, the handler witnesses a more pronounced stress reaction. So a dog who regularly interacts with groups of children finds them overwhelming, he may simply shut down and get quiet while they pet him. He appears to be well behaved, but he may be panting with whale eye and a tense body posture. The signals are subtle, but he is still in a stressed state of mind. If he continues to encounter those groups of children regularly, he will only be developing a greater stress response and associating them with a tense feeling. Then when he comes in-for-training and begins to truly lead his trainer, he begins to avoid groups of children, making a wide berth around them or shying away.

That is why it is important to take exposures slowly, give the dog regular breaks, and to learn the individual puppy’s signals that may indicate that it’s time to end the exposure. The checklist of exposures is a great guideline to start with, but your central focus should be on developing positive responses to those exposures over time. If you start observing behaviors or signals that might indicate that the puppy is concerned, take a step back and work on the exposures in small increments, at a distance the puppy can handle.