What do we do when our dog shows resistance? What happens when your dog appears to be stubborn, and what does that tell you? You might even see resistance in toddlers, teenagers, your spouse, or a co-worker. We're looking at how you can overcome resistance and build a relationship of trust.
In the episode you'll hear:
- Why we want to move from resisting to a willingness to try.
- What creates resistance in dogs, the sights, scents, sounds, feelings.
- How the unknown and fear relate to resistance.
- The importance of conditioning.
- The signs your dog is resisting and what that tells you.
- About resistance and lizard brain.
- What happened with my puppy Shelby in the ’80s that hurt my heart.
- Why our dogs might not just get over something and how it creates emotional walls.
- The 5 elements that will melt resistance and create confidence.
- The most important thing for me when I am conditioning a head halter and how I start.
- What’s different from Ruff Love in what I do today in relation to head halters.
- What seat belts have to do with dog training.
- The importance of building trust rather than breaking trust with your dog.
Resources:
- Podcast Episode 7: You, Your Dog, Maslow and Lizard Brain
- Podcast Episode 4: T.E.M.P. (Tail, Eyes/Ears, Mouth, Posture)
- Podcast Episode 38: 3 Keys to a Confident Dog
- Game: Learn How to Play ItsYerChoice (IYC)
- Crate Games Online
- Book: Ruff Love by Susan Garrett
- Hand Targets in the Video Blog: How to Train Your Dog to Stand on Cue
I have been working on the head halter for ages, started with the “put your nose in it” game, very slowly conditioned the click as one of my dogs was afraid of this. Now my dogs willingly put on the head halter which is great! As long as they are engaged both dogs will happily wear the halter and I have been extending the time with treats, games, and a licky mat. But one dog always reverts to try to pull off the halter after a little while (or sometimes quickly) if he is not engaged in an activity. I was thinking about adding a platform to the halter routine so that it always gets removed on the platform. My hope is that in this way he could make a choice to have the halter removed (by going to the platform) rather than scratch at it. In this way I hope keeping it on becomes a game of “its yer choice”. Is that a crazy idea? Am I over complicating things? Should I just reduce the time he has it on for and slowly increase it again (We have been doing that for months already)? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you for all of the information in these podcasts and the reasoning behind your approach. I know each dog is an individual so it’s difficult to give a specific answer here, and we need to listen to the dog as to when we move from one step to the next, but just wondering if there is a general time frame I can expect for the conditioning to move forward from beginning with the games to achieving the goal of using a head halter or being able to clip her nails?
Excellent information. You always help me understand things more clearly. Love the examples.
I really enjoy all your podcasts! I appreciate and need the ideas you present as I am not an out of the box thinker. For example, using a funnel to start getting a dog used to putting his nose into something that never would have occurred to me. I have so much to learn and am glad I have found your resources.