Control Unleashed

1. Understand your dog's state of mind to build a stronger connection

Connecting with your dog requires understanding his state of mind.

Read your dog's body language. Pay attention to muscle tension, movement patterns, eye expressions, tail position, and vocalizations. These cues provide valuable insights into your dog's emotional state and level of comfort in various situations.

Recognize stress signals. Look for signs such as:

• Yawning or lip-licking when not tired or hungry
• Excessive sniffing or sudden disengagement
• Scratching when not itchy
• "Shake offs" when not wet

By understanding these signals, you can adjust your training approach and environment to help your dog feel more comfortable and receptive to learning.

2. Use passive attention exercises to promote relaxation and focus

Passive attention exercises are designed to help the dog and handler feel relaxed and able to focus on each other in a stimulating environment, and hence help prepare them for more active work.

Start with bodywork. Incorporate massage, TTouch, or other calming techniques to help your dog relax. Focus on areas like the ears, jaw, and back. This not only promotes physical relaxation but also strengthens the bond between you and your dog.

Practice breathing exercises. Synchronize your breathing with your dog's, and reward calm behavior. This helps create a positive association with relaxation and teaches your dog to remain calm in various environments. Use these exercises as a foundation before moving on to more challenging training scenarios.

3. Employ active attention games to enhance engagement and impulse control

These exercises emphasize handler focus or impulse control, switching your dog to a more active level of interaction and preparing him to work.

Implement targeting exercises. Teach your dog to touch various objects or body parts on cue. This provides a focused task and helps maintain engagement in distracting environments. Progress from stationary targets to moving ones, and eventually to remote object targeting.

Practice impulse control games. Use exercises like:

• "Doggie Zen": Teach the dog to look away from treats to earn them
• "Leave It": Strengthen the dog's ability to ignore tempting items
• "Go to Place": Send the dog to a designated spot and stay there

These games build self-control and focus, essential skills for agility and everyday life.

4. Implement the "Look at That!" game to change reactions to triggers

When we click dogs for looking at their triggers, we are aiming to change their motivations.

Reframe trigger experiences. Instead of trying to prevent your dog from looking at triggers (other dogs, people, objects), teach them that noticing these things is part of a game they play with you. Click and treat when your dog looks at the trigger, then back at you.

Build positive associations. This game helps change the dog's emotional response to triggers from anxiety or reactivity to calm interest. It also teaches the dog to check in with you in the presence of potential distractions, strengthening your bond and communication.

5. Utilize the "Give Me a Break" technique to increase enthusiasm and focus

The goal is to increase the dog's attention and eagerness to work with you.

Structure short, rewarding sessions. Work with your dog for brief periods (e.g., 10-30 seconds) with a high rate of reinforcement. Then, give a verbal dismissal cue and disengage.

Allow the dog to choose. During the break, let your dog decide whether to continue engaging with you or to do something else. If they re-engage, immediately restart the training session. This builds enthusiasm for work and strengthens the dog's desire to interact with you.

6. Master the "Off-switch" game to teach calm behavior amidst excitement

The purpose of this game is to allow a dog to reach a certain level of arousal and then reward him for calming down before resuming activity.

Alternate between excitement and calm. Engage your dog in an exciting activity (e.g., tug, chase) for a short period. Then, ask for or wait for a calm behavior (e.g., sit, down, or even just a moment of stillness).

Reward the calm state. Immediately mark and reward the calm behavior, then resume the exciting activity. This teaches the dog to think and control impulses even when aroused, a crucial skill for agility and everyday life.

7. Apply parallel games to improve comfort around other dogs

For dogs that are uncomfortable working near other dogs, CU's parallel games give them a job to do or a game to play and focus on while they are near other dogs, without any pressure to interact directly with another dog.

Start with structured exercises. Use games like parallel racing, where dogs run alongside each other separated by barriers. Gradually decrease the distance between dogs and remove barriers as they become more comfortable.

Progress to more challenging scenarios. Advance to exercises like the "Car Crash" game, where dogs pass closely while focused on their handlers. These games help dogs learn to remain focused on their task even with other dogs nearby.

8. Personalize and combine exercises for maximum effectiveness

Creatively combine the games to personalize them.

Tailor exercises to your dog's needs. Observe your dog's specific challenges and preferences, then adapt the CU exercises accordingly. For example, if your dog is easily distracted by scents, you might combine the "Look at That!" game with targeting exercises to help them focus in scent-rich environments.

Mix and match games. Combine different exercises to address multiple issues simultaneously. For instance, you might use the "Off-switch" game in conjunction with parallel games to help a dog that gets overexcited around other dogs learn to remain calm and focused.

9. Integrate Control Unleashed principles into daily life and agility training

Think inside the box.

Apply CU concepts beyond formal training. Use the principles learned in CU in everyday situations, such as walks, vet visits, or when guests come over. This helps generalize the skills and makes them more reliable in various contexts.

Adapt for agility training. When facing challenges in agility class or competition:

• Imagine a "ring-gate box" around your working area to help focus your dog
• Use targeting exercises to guide your dog through sequences
• Employ the "Give Me a Break" game to maintain enthusiasm during long training sessions
• Apply the "Look at That!" game to help your dog cope with distractions at trials

By consistently applying these principles, you can help your dog become a more confident, focused, and successful agility partner.

Last updated: October 2, 2024