Does your dog hate things like grooming, you using the vacuum, getting a bath, you shovelling snow or raking leaves, being held at the vet, getting eye drops or ears cleaned? There can be an endless list of things dogs don’t like! The good news is that we can help our dogs by breaking what they hate down to turn a negative into a positive conditioned emotional response. Helping dogs like what they currently don’t will set them and us up for a life of happiness together.
In the episode you'll hear:
- How it could be the sight, sound, feel, smell, or sensation of your dog’s dislike.
- All the things we expect our dogs to tolerate in daily life.
- The reasons to know the behaviors you will be training.
- How we can create a positive conditioned emotional response (CER).
- About the importance of consent for cooperative care and our dog’s buy-in.
- The training steps to giving your dog eye drops or ear drops so they don’t hate it.
- Why it’s important for dogs to be able to say, “I'm not comfortable”.
- How our time patience can help our dog overcome many things.
Hand Targets and ItsYerChoice:
Resources:
- Podcast Episode 112: Stressed Dog? How Trigger Stacking Might Be Putting Your Dog Over Threshold
- Loon (Drill Monkey) Wikipedia
- Podcast Episode 107: Pedicure Please: 3 Steps To Dog Nail Trimming Or Grooming Success At Home!
- Podcast Episode 130: Conditioned Responses: The Magic Every New Puppy (And Dog) Owner Must Know About
- Podcast Episode 106: Consent In Dog Training: The Misuse, Misunderstanding And Misapplication
- 1-TDC Supplement
- Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube
I went through lots of Susan’s training with my dog so she knows hand touch, etc. She is now blind and is really scared of many things, especially grooming. I stay with her when she is getting groomed and talk to her the entire time and offer her cookies (sometimes she takes it and sometimes she is too stressed to take it). Any ideas on what I could do for a blind dog that is afraid of grooming?
Hi – I really enjoyed this podcast and happily I can say that since it was necessary to give my dog eye drops in her puppyhood, I did learn to teach her to accept it (not exactly the same way, her sitting happily on the freezer worked for us as she was so small) so now if she needs them at any time it’s no problem. In fact, every morning when I put my husband’s eye drops in, she’s lining up to get some, too. She also is wondering why he isn’t getting any cookies! 😄
As for the TDC, at the time I started giving them to the dogs, I hadn’t seen your idea on how to put it on the gums so I thought ,,, hmmm … what can I do because I was pretty clumsy trying to do it and I was stressing all of us out. Well, in their morning breakfast they get some warm water not from the tap but from the kettle (that’s been cooling down a lot since the tea making) over their food anyway. So I squeeze out the oil on top of the food and throw the cap and little top into the bowls, then I give it a stir and the oil melts and distributes through the water. While they are happily slopping around in their bowls eating, the oil is getting all around their gums. So it’s a different approach that works for us, I’ll save your suggestions from this podcast for the many other things that require their permission! Thank you!
I compete with my dog in agility and obedience and have struggled for years with my dog worrying when we go in the ring at a competition. He seems to enjoy training (but does not LOVE it)when it is just us training or in a small class situation. . At a competition he clearly does not like going in the ring- as we go through the ring gates ears go back, pupils dilate,etc. He is wary of the judge (he wants to go say Hi and he can’t,) doesn’t like setting up along ring gate with a lot of people behind him.
What can I do to counter condition him when I can’t mimic this situation, matches have not helped and I usually train alone?
I have a ring entrance routine and do a lot of entering the ring and treating him. However he has clearly learned there are no treats in competition so how do I deal with that?
My dog is a poodle with really hairy ears and I want to be able to pluck them but he starts fighting me the minute he thinks I’m even looking at his ears. I’m not sure if plucking hurts him or it’s just a weird sensation, he had a painful ear infection as a puppy.
I guess my question is would I be trying to shape my dog to do something that is just weird, or something that hurts him? In which case is it something I should even be doing?
I am in Recallers and 360.
I am a huge Susan Garrett fan! Just finished binge-watching ALL of the Shaped by Dog Podcasts. I am also a member of Handling360, Agility Nation and an alumni of Recallers. And, my dogs are AWESOME!
I have a high drive border collie and greatly appreciated Episodes110 (Is Your Over-Aroused Dog Just Over-Faced in Training), Episode 94 (How the Best Professional Dog Trainers Use Reinforcement,) and your interview with Steve White. Tremendous!
Here is my question. I have put together an extensive set of plans to help my dog Seb perform better at big events (USDAA or AKC nationals, EO, UKI Open). In these environments, he is either over-aroused or over-faced.
What are your recommendations to progress Seb so that he can perform in these environments?
PS. My dog Sebastian (Seb) is a Canadian! (Rival Kennels / Margaret Lambkin)
Watch Seb https://vimeo.com/658755125
Hi Cliff, thank you for such an awesome note, we’ve shared with Susan! In your programs there’s some brilliant tips and plans and knowledge with Susan to help. Send a note to us at wag@dogsthat.com and we’ll assist with resources for you and the lovely Seb.