Episode #193 Helping Your Dog Overcome Training Setbacks

Can you pinpoint what’s spooking your furry friend and turning training success into a struggle? Join me, Amy Jensen, on the Puppy Training Podcast as we uncover the secrets to overcoming dog training setbacks. Discover how to confidently identify the root causes of your dog’s training regressions, whether it’s due to sudden loud noises or unfamiliar environments. We’ll explore practical strategies for rebuilding your dog’s confidence through positive reinforcement and the significance of patience and consistency in this journey. Learn how to gradually desensitize your dog to specific triggers without overwhelming them and ensure they can continue progressing with renewed assurance.

Chapters

• 0:00 Overcoming Dog Training Setbacks
• 7:43 Rebuilding Confidence in Dog Training

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This is the Puppy Training Podcast, episode 193, helping your Dog Through Training Setbacks. This podcast is designed to help you on your journey of becoming best friends through love and learning, as you train your own dog from home, and I'm here to help you every step of the way. This is the Puppy Training Podcast and I'm your host, amy Jensen. The way, this is the puppy training podcast and I'm your host, amy Jensen. Hey you guys, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing this with your friends, people you know, getting a dog or a new puppy. We have a lot of useful, quick tips and information that's free to you and to them, so please keep sharing the show. We really appreciate your support.

Speaker 1: 0:44

Now, training a dog takes patience, consistency and dedication. We know this. It takes time, right, it's not really hard, it's just unless being consistent is hard, I guess, which it can be, but it's just time and effort. Right Now it's a super rewarding journey and we work really hard to help our dog develop new skills and behaviors. Now it's not uncommon, though, for us to experience setbacks. Today I want to talk about this. I want to talk about when something unexpected maybe spooks your dog and causes them to regress or lose confidence. Maybe you're out and about and something happens that's scary to the dog and now, suddenly, when you try to go there, it's hard and you feel like you have to start all over. So I know these setbacks can be frustrating. Recognize it's frustrating for both you and your dog, but they are a normal part of the learning process. Now the key to overcoming some of these challenges is to approach the situation with understanding, patience and then having a clear strategy to help your dog regain their confidence so that you can continue progressing with their training.

Speaker 1: 1:43

First, let's talk about understanding the cause of the setback. It's important to identify what started this. What started the setback? What started the regression? So before we take any action, let's identify what it was. Was there a sudden loud noise, or maybe an unfamiliar person or a new environment that maybe caused your dog to get a little spooked? Dogs are really sensitive to their surroundings and something that may seem minor to us can be overwhelming for them. So understanding what triggered their fear or anxiety can help you address the root cause rather than just recognizing the symptoms. If your dog's setback is related to a specific situation, we'll need to work on desensitizing them to that trigger in a controlled and gradual manner, and gradual is really important. We want to take this slowly. Actually, the more slowly you go, the faster we'll see results.

Speaker 1: 2:30

Now, once we have a better understanding of what caused the setback, our next step is to rebuild our dog's confidence. We're going to use positive reinforcement, which is one of the most effective ways to do this, so we want to focus on rewarding small successes, even if they seem insignificant compared to the progress your dog had previously made. We want to celebrate every moment where our dog responds positively to a cue or remains calm in a situation that previously caused them to be fearful. For example, if your dog was spooked by a loud noise, let's start with that one. And now they hesitate to walk past the certain area. I want you to start by rewarding them for just looking at that area, or if they'll just approach that area great, without showing signs of fear. Reward them, praise them and then just turn and walk away from it. So as we start to see body language that yeah, I don't really want to go that way before that point, if we can, we don't want to push them past their thresholds, we want to just turn and walk away from it. So they see it, they're looking at it, maybe they take a step closer towards it and then we walk away. Gradually we'll start to increase the challenge and rewarding our dogs as they get closer and closer until they're finally comfortable walking past it again. This gradual process, which we call desensitization, will help our dogs rebuild their confidence without overwhelming them. That's really important, that we're not overwhelming them, that we're helping them find little wins and successes along the way.

Speaker 1: 3:48

When a dog experiences a setback, remember that it can be helpful to break down the training into smaller, more manageable steps. I'm always asking myself how can I make this easier for my dog? And maybe that's distance. Distance is usually where I start. Can I just move away further from whatever it is that they're anxious about, right? So instead of focusing on the final behavior that I'm trying to achieve with my dog, instead I take a step back.

Speaker 1: 4:12

I work on smaller components of that behavior. For example, let's talk about leash walking. If my dog was really doing great at walking on a leash but is now afraid to even leave the house, then I'm going to start by rewarding them for calmly sitting at the front door and maybe I'll take them outside and we'll just play, so we're not going to walk. Maybe we take the walking out of it. Maybe we just sit outside and let my dog sniff. I'll just sit and read a book and they can just be outside, so we're going to take that walking component out of it. So I'm breaking down, even though I want to work on leash walking. If my puppy is scared to go outside and walk in the neighborhood, let's just plant ourselves in places in the neighborhood where we're not actually moving, because that's adding stress to the situation. We're just sitting and letting the dog be and take it in and start to relax in these areas and then, finally, we can work on. Okay, we can walk from this spot to that spot. So we'll gradually increase the distance they walk, rewarding each small success along the way.

Speaker 1: 5:06

Breaking down training tasks in this way reduces the pressure on our dog and it helps them feel more in control. It also gives them opportunities to succeed and win. So pay them along the way and celebrate those little wins. This is really important for rebuilding their confidence. One of the most challenging aspects of training a dog through a setback is maintaining your patience. It's easy to become frustrated or anxious yourself, I guess, or you're just wanting to get it done right. I just want to get the job done.

Speaker 1: 5:33

When your dog seems to regress after making so much progress, it's essential to remember that setbacks are a normal part of the learning process. Dogs like us have good days and they have bad days, and it's important to stay consistent with your training approach even when things don't seem to be going as planned. Try to maintain a calm and supportive demeanor on your part during the training sessions and be sure to keep your expectations realistic. Progress may be slower than before, but with patience and persistence our dogs will begin to overcome their fears and regain their confidence Again. I know it's so easy to just want to push, push, push, and sometimes we push too much. It will go faster in the end overall if you go slower. I know that seems a little bit counterintuitive, but it works.

Speaker 1: 6:18

Now, if your dog has been spooked or is anxious, they may benefit from a calm, predictable environment during training sessions. We can create a supportive environment. I want to reduce any outside stresses, so instead of working in an area with loud noises and unfamiliar people or crowded spaces, maybe we can help our dogs feel more secure and focused by picking a quiet location, right One with fewer distractions, or even going to a familiar place, right Somewhere where my dog already feels safe, and then gradually reintroduce distractions as they become more confident. Additionally, maintaining a consistent routine can help reduce anxiety in our dogs. They like to just know what's going to happen. A routine, a schedule, those kinds of things helps our dogs be less stressed. So I could set specific times for training, play and relaxation so my dog knows what to expect. That can help. That predictability can help ease their anxiety and it makes them feel more comfortable and in control of their environment.

Speaker 1: 7:15

If your dog setback is severe or if you feel overwhelmed, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We are happy to help coach you through this process. You can meet with us, send us emails, you can attend classes and courses that we teach, but we can definitely work with you one-on-one as needed, even on a week-to-week basis, to monitor that progress for your dog over time. So reach out, join our program. We're happy to help you. My team of trainers is amazing and we love doing our one-on-one trainings with you.

Speaker 1: 7:43

Training setbacks are a natural part of the process when working with dogs, especially when they're spooked by something in their environment. So remember to identify the cause of the setback and then we're going to rebuild our dog's confidence through positive reinforcement. We're going to break the training into smaller steps. Maintaining our patience. We can help our dog overcome their fears and continue progressing. Remember we want to create a calm and supportive environment and seek help if needed. Reach out to us. We're here to help you. With time and effort, your dog can regain their confidence and you'll both move forward with training. You guys are awesome. Keep up the good work. Happy training. If you have a question about anything you heard on this podcast or any other puppy training question, visit my site, baxter and Bellacom, to contact me.