Do you have trouble training your dog outside? Are you finding great success when training your dog inside or in low-distraction areas but outside they are absorbed by all the distractions?
Our behavioral cases involve working a lot with thresholds. This is a common term in behavior modification work and is a great way to address fear, anxiety, aggression, and stress in your dog.
Threshold means the distance your dog needs to be away from the trigger or stimuli that alerts them where they can notice the trigger but not be upset by it.
The distance required is dictated by the dog. With some dogs, the distance is only a few feet until they feel stressed. For some, it needs to be great distances. We start out at whatever distance is required and slowly shrink it over time. We refer to the times the dog can not contain themselves to be “over the threshold” and the times they can maintain calm they are “under the threshold.”
The reactivity the dog does when over the threshold does not always mean just barking and lunging. There are more signs such as:
- The dog absolutely can NOT focus on you at all. They just can’t stop staring at the trigger.
- Excitement manifests into mouthing, leash biting, and jumping at you.
- Shutting down and/or pancaking on the ground.
- Inability to take a treat even though they are normally a food-motivated dog
These are all signs you are over the threshold and need to create more distance in order to get success. Train as far away as you need where the dog will still take food, give you some attention, and can focus and process your commands.
Click here to watch a video example of working with a dog within their threshold.
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