Stop worrying about what you can’t do, and start focusing on the things you can do. Not everything needs a trainer.
People may not realize it, but everyone wants a calm dog – moreso, a calm brain. Excitement is always the culprit for what we deem bad behaviours. From pulling on leash, to jumping on people, barking right on up to reactivity and displays of aggression – it’s all excitement. What you really want is a calm brain. A calm brain won’t show aggression or jump on people. So, 2 questions need to be asked.
One, why is the dogs brain in an excited state?
Two, how do we calm the dogs brain?
It’s a simple fact, many people and families can’t meet a dogs needs for whatever reason. Maybe they impulse adopted the wrong dog, or just not capable for whatever reasons. I suspect that many owners don’t even know what the dog needs anymore and that’s frightening. Many don’t realize what they got into until the dog is bouncing off the walls and nothing is working – and everything “training” fails. None of this is about blame. It’s moreso about what can we do about it right now?
I’ll use Pitbulls for example. I find many of the behavioural issues are due to mental stress – an excited brain, and pitbulls need a way to blow out the lines – or they will blow a gasket. Many dogs are stressed day to day, and have no way to burn it off. Throw fear into that mess, and now you have a burning fuse. So many times, I’ve witnessed pits go from crazy to calm and easy going dogs because they are getting their underlying needs met. What’s the harm in trying?
The flirt pole is one of the best tools you can use if you have a dog that likes to chase. It’s a stick, a thin rope and a small toy. Some dogs need hard exercise, they have to blow out the lines, get rid of any mental frustration that they carry. Yes, dogs have mental health too. The flirt will take everything out of them.
Dogs that have prey drive, the flirt pole could help you give an out to the dog. Chasing a flirt, that’s prey drive. Give the dog a time and a place, like the back yard to get it out of their system. Mix it up some too, use the flirt in different places. Show them that they can chase this instead and you might just find a difference.
It allows you to work on impulse control as well. You’re in control, you start the fun, let the dog chase – the dog needs to catch it once in a while. But then you stop and wait until the dog is calm. The fun doesn’t begin until the dog is calm – calm is what you want. This is how you work on getting calm from your dog, they need to choose to go calm to get the things they really want. When dogs make a choice and they get what they want – that’s the best reward they can get – you are becoming the highest value treat. They earned it through choice.
And practice waiting for calm during any moments of excitement that the dog should have some manners. Like feeding time, or going for a walk, people walking in the door – impulse control will help you with that. It’s ok to make your dog wait. Let it choose to go calm, that’s the default state you want.
I guarantee, when you’re dog is calm in the face of the flirt, they are focused on you. Take the opportunity to work on basic obedience for a few minutes. They are having fun, they are engaging you and that’s what they want. Endorphins and dopamine are flowing in the dogs brain, all the feel good stuff that naturally lowers cortisol. Then start with the flirt again. But use it until the dog shows you that they are tired. Do that every time the dog is getting antsy, and you’ll find that the dog will need it less and less.
This isn’t an exhaustive list, but you get the point.
Many dogs today are not getting enough exercise, and they are bouncing off the walls because of it. If you’re not sure if you’re meeting your dogs needs, investigate. If you can’t take your dog for a walk because it’s displaying aggression, the flirt could really help. You have nothing to lose.