Evan attended another class at CaninePhD last Saturday. It was a big day for all the dogs and humans involved. We have moved from the indoor classes to the great outdoors and this week we took a walk, as a group, around Inman Park. This is a big deal for Evan who is commonly frightened in new settings.
We began work in the parking lot by practicing BAT training. This is a positive and confidence-building technique that teaches dogs to respond to fearful situations in a calm and healthy manner. The handler is essentially teaching the dog new ways of responding to a variety of situations. For example, if a dog barks and pulls at the leash every time a dog walks by this type of training works to teach him/her to respond in another way, adverting their gaze, yawning, shaking off, showing calming signals. In the case of an anxious dog, like Evan, distance can be used as a reward. If he sees something that he finds frightening from a safe distance, he gives a calming signal, and he is rewarded by the handler who retreats with him. He is learning that calmness in the face of fear gets him what he ultimately wants, which is a sense of safety. It is a great way of building a bond/trust between animal and human. It also increases the dog's self-confidence and makes them braver, as well as more able to handle real life situations. In Saturday's class Evan met, at a distance, a tall man wearing a hat that was unknown to him. This is a situation that might make him shake or bolt in another setting, but he is getting better and bolder with each new lesson. He was nervous, but he did fantastic and responded with several calming signals.
After BAT training, we took our walk around the park. Evan had a rough start, but near the end of the walk he was resting and chewing on blades of grass. He seemed to enjoy his time away from the chaos of shelter life, and he made us all very proud. His next class is this upcoming Saturday, and we are excited to have yet another chance to teach, learn, and brag about our boy.
This picture was taken about 2 months ago. It shows Evan, resting calmly, as a volunteer group works on the kennels behind him.
We began work in the parking lot by practicing BAT training. This is a positive and confidence-building technique that teaches dogs to respond to fearful situations in a calm and healthy manner. The handler is essentially teaching the dog new ways of responding to a variety of situations. For example, if a dog barks and pulls at the leash every time a dog walks by this type of training works to teach him/her to respond in another way, adverting their gaze, yawning, shaking off, showing calming signals. In the case of an anxious dog, like Evan, distance can be used as a reward. If he sees something that he finds frightening from a safe distance, he gives a calming signal, and he is rewarded by the handler who retreats with him. He is learning that calmness in the face of fear gets him what he ultimately wants, which is a sense of safety. It is a great way of building a bond/trust between animal and human. It also increases the dog's self-confidence and makes them braver, as well as more able to handle real life situations. In Saturday's class Evan met, at a distance, a tall man wearing a hat that was unknown to him. This is a situation that might make him shake or bolt in another setting, but he is getting better and bolder with each new lesson. He was nervous, but he did fantastic and responded with several calming signals.
After BAT training, we took our walk around the park. Evan had a rough start, but near the end of the walk he was resting and chewing on blades of grass. He seemed to enjoy his time away from the chaos of shelter life, and he made us all very proud. His next class is this upcoming Saturday, and we are excited to have yet another chance to teach, learn, and brag about our boy.
No comments:
Post a Comment