Control Unleashed Reactive To Relaxed

1. Understand and assess your dog's anxiety using the FLIRT Behavioral Assessment

FLIRT Behavioral Assessment uses a 1-10 score, 1 being lowest or "cold" and 10 being highest or "hot."

FLIRT elements. The FLIRT assessment evaluates five key aspects of a dog's behavior:

• Frequency: How often the problematic behavior occurs
• fLexibility: The dog's ability to respond to cues and generalize learned behaviors
• Intensity: The severity or strength of the behavior
• Recovery: How quickly the dog returns to baseline after a triggering event
• Threshold: How easily the dog reaches the point of reaction

Practical application. Use this assessment to:

• Identify specific areas of concern in your dog's behavior
• Track progress over time as you implement training strategies
• Determine if professional help or medication may be necessary

2. Build a foundation of essential behaviors for a calm and focused dog

All of these foundation behaviors help teach the mechanical skill set that goes with the concepts behind CU that are so important to me to teach and talk about.

Core behaviors. Essential foundation behaviors include:

• Default behavior (e.g., sit or down)
• Off-switch game
• Whiplash Turn and reorienting
• Mat work
• Look at That game
• Chin rest

Conceptual framework. These behaviors support two key concepts:

1. Conversational training: Creating a dialogue between dog and handler for easy feedback
2. Empowering the learner: Allowing the dog to direct their counterconditioning process

By mastering these foundation behaviors, dogs learn to communicate effectively with their handlers and gain confidence in various situations.

3. Teach your dog to Take a Breath for instant relaxation and focus

Before asking your dog to do anything else, ask this question. "Can you focus on me and take a breath?" If his answer is no, then you need to adjust things for him until his answer is yes.

Teaching the behavior. To teach Take a Breath:

1. Hold a treat near the dog's nose to encourage sniffing
2. Wait for signs of inhaling (nostril flare or sides of nostrils moving)
3. Reward the inhaling behavior

Applications. Use Take a Breath:

• As a reset during training sessions
• To help calm an anxious or reactive dog
• Before entering new environments or situations
• To improve focus and attention

Incorporate Take a Breath into other behaviors and routines to create a calming effect throughout your dog's day.

4. Use voluntary behaviors to empower your dog and improve communication

My grandma used to say, "Children should be seen and not heard!" which meant she expected me to look cute, sit down, and be quiet. CU training is the opposite of that: Dogs should be seen and heard and responded to and empowered.

Voluntary behaviors. These are actions the dog chooses to perform without a direct cue, such as:

• Chin rests
• Default behaviors
• Orienting to the handler

Benefits of voluntary behaviors:

• Establish trust between dog and handler
• Foster cooperation and engagement
• Give dogs control over their learning process
• Improve communication between dog and handler

Implementation. Incorporate voluntary behaviors into training by:

• Allowing the dog to initiate interactions
• Responding consistently to the dog's chosen behaviors
• Using start-button behaviors in counterconditioning exercises

5. Master the Look at That game for better environmental engagement

The clicker wizard known as Ken Ramirez refers to the Look at That game as "counterconditioning with an operant base."

Core concept. Look at That (LAT) teaches dogs to:

1. Notice a potential trigger in the environment
2. Look back at their handler
3. Receive reinforcement for this sequence

Benefits of LAT:

• Helps dogs process potentially stressful stimuli calmly
• Improves focus and engagement with the handler
• Builds confidence in various environments

Advanced applications. As dogs become proficient:

• They may offer subtler indications (e.g., ear flicks) instead of full head turns
• Handlers can use LAT to normalize novel environments
• Dogs learn to "report" interesting things to their handlers voluntarily

6. Implement pattern games to create predictability and reduce anxiety

It's easier to countercondition a dog while he is already engaged in a predictable, safe pattern when he is exposed to the trigger. He can process the trigger from the context of being in his happy place.

Pattern game characteristics:

• Safe and predictable
• Repetitive
• Voluntary
• Normalizing for the environment

Popular pattern games:

1. 1-2-3 Walking: Count steps and treat on "three"
2. Give Me a Break: Use reset treats to build motivation
3. Chair Game: Use a chair as a visible station for treats
4. Superbowls: Create a line of treat stations

Benefits of pattern games:

• Help dogs process triggers while in a comfortable mental state
• Create a portable, trustworthy system of cues
• Allow dogs to direct their own counterconditioning process

Customize pattern games to fit individual dogs' needs and specific environmental challenges.

7. Consider medication in conjunction with training for severe anxiety cases

Meds do not fix everything, you still need to train, but they sure cut down on the suffering of generalized anxiety.

Medication benefits:

• Reduces overall anxiety levels
• Allows for more effective training
• Improves quality of life for severely anxious dogs

When to consider medication:

• High scores on multiple FLIRT assessment factors
• Persistent generalized anxiety despite consistent training efforts
• Recommendation from a veterinary behaviorist

Holistic approach. Combine medication with:

• Continued behavior modification training
• Environmental management
• Regular reassessment of the dog's progress

Remember that medication is a tool to support training and behavior modification, not a standalone solution. Work closely with a veterinary professional to determine the best course of action for your dog.

Last updated: August 23, 2024