![]() We love feeling focused, undistracted, purposeful and disciplined, making so much progress that we don’t have time, attention or energy to wonder and worry about what else we might be doing with ourselves. Happiness is finding your deep and groovy groove. It’s not a comfort zone, it’s a comfort channel. We’re grooving down it, as exhilarating yet safe as a water slide, a groove we count on to carry us safely into the future. That’s the idea behind the now-famous psychological concept of flow. What’s often overlooked about flow though, is the walls or railings that hold us in it. The dreaded expanse: Insecurity arises when we feel groove-less.The opposite of flow is not stagnation so much as the dreaded expanse, being lost in some flat, desolate prairie not knowing which way to go. Experiment with each of these techniques, individually and in combination with other techniques, to find out which will work best for your dog.When we don’t know what we should do, when no matter what we do, we wonder and worry that we should be doing something else. This technique is fantastic for dogs who tend to be too distracted to take even high-value treats.īe aware that these techniques are not mutually exclusive -– I may decide to throw my dog a hand target and increase my speed and body block. She can check out the gopher hole, but only if her leash is loose on the entire approach! Here is a great video from my friend Pamela Johnson on how to use the Premack Principle. If her leash goes tight approaching the gopher hole, I stop, wait for her to come back to my side, and then begin reapproaching. This asserts that more probable behavior (sniffing gopher holes) can be used to reinforce less probable behavior (leash manners). No treat or toy can possibly compete with the excitement of this particular event for Her Royal Chowness, so we use the Premack Principle. Premack it! Mokie, my Chow mix, loves sticking her nose into gopher holes.This only works if the behavior of hand targeting has already been taught and proofed for reliability around distractions. I often use a well-taught hand target (“Follow my hand with your nose”) to get my dogs past distractions on a walk. Body block! Dogs who are taught skills like hand targeting or “go around” can easily be cued to walk on the other side of your body, which makes you a physical and visual barrier separating your dog from the distraction.If you come across a huge distraction, like a biker, you may choose to reinforce your dog with a high-value treat for every step during the training stages to get him past the distraction without pulling. In less distracting environments, your dog may no longer need frequent treats while out and about. Save the kibble for rewarding your dog on calmer portions of the walk. While your dog may tune out you and your kibble when traffic is heavy, you might find that he will work wonderfully around traffic for higher-value treats like a favorite squeaky toy, cheese, chicken, or bits of leftover steak. Increase the value of your reinforcement.Dried-out nasty chicken bones on the sidewalk? Your dog may make a beeline for them if you walk past at a snail’s pace, but many dogs will happily run past an item they could otherwise not walk past. It can be helpful to teach a “Let’s go” cue, so that you can create distance quickly without yanking on your dog’s leash. ![]() If you are concerned about passing a distraction without pulling, create distance as quickly as possible. It may be a challenge for your dog to pass another dog at a distance of 10 feet, but he may be able to pass another dog at 30 feet with no trouble. Reactive dog owners should be intimately familiar with this one. This week, we round out the series with tips on dealing with distractions (Squirrel! Bicycle! Other dog!) you may encounter.ħ Tips for Dealing with Distractions on a Walk We’ve been discussing techniques and strategies for improving your dog’s behavior on a walk, covering leash manners and perfect loose-leash walking.
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