How to Desensitize Your Dog to New or Scary Situations

DOGGY DAN'S

HOW TO DESENSITIZE YOUR DOG TO NEW OR SCARY SITUATIONS

DOGGY DAN'S 1 HOW TO DESENSITIZE YOUR DOG TO NEW OR SCARY SITUATIONS

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Sometimes, you don't have a choice but to expose your dog to something that might 4 make him nervous or confused. 5 For example, you may have kids that are loud, like to run around/rough-house, and play

with remote control toys. 6 You can't get rid of your kids, and you certainly don't want rehome your dog. For this

reason, you need to find ways so both parties can live in peace together. 7

I'm here to tell you that with a little training, it certainly can be done! 8

Here are my training recommendations for desensitizing your dog to large crowds, scary noises, or nerve-wracking situations. 9

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DOGGY DAN'S HOW TO DESENSITIZE YOUR DOG TO NEW OR SCARY SITUATIONS

STEP 1 ? FIND THE STARTING POINT

1 The hardest part of dog training is often figuring out how to get started. In fact, that's a

2 big reason why so many people struggle to curb their pet's nervous behaviors. 3 For me, I've discovered that the most effective starting point is calming your dog and

setting up the easiest situation for him to relax. It's like anything in life...start on the lowest 4 setting. 5 There are many different ways you can do this, including: 6 ? Blocking your dog's view of what's scaring him by putting yourself in front of the dog.

? Moving your dog in front of a parked car or tree if you're outside. 7 ? Bringing your dog inside to get away from the irritant. 8 ? Moving to a different part of the house where the sound is less obvious. 9 ? Moving further away from the factor (you may have to start on the other side of the

park). 10

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DOGGY DAN'S HOW TO DESENSITIZE YOUR DOG TO NEW OR SCARY SITUATIONS

Once you've removed your dog from whatever situation is causing him stress, you can use 1 a technique that I call the Calm Freeze to relax your dog.

Simply hold your dog under the collar and sit with him until he begins to relax. 2 3 It's important that you ignore your dog?no talking, petting, or eye contact. Just transfer

your calm energy, and once your dog relaxes, let go of him and move to step 2. 4

It may take a few tries before your dog completely relaxes. That's ok...repeat the Calm 5 Freeze until your dog has settled down.

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STEP 2 ? ONCE CALM, ASK YOUR DOG FOR A NEW BEHAVIOR

7 Once you've calmed your dog down, you may ask her for the behavior you're looking for. 8 For example: If your dog goes crazy every time someone rings your doorbell, getting her

to calm down in the back room and then asking her to relax and lie down would be a 9 great goal.

This step often entails replacing a dog's old behavior (barking at the doorbell) with a new 10 one (lying down calmly).

? Copyright - The Online Dog Trainer. All Rights Reserved.

DOGGY DAN'S HOW TO DESENSITIZE YOUR DOG TO NEW OR SCARY SITUATIONS

1 To start, you may need to involve distractions such as treats, a ball, pats, or cuddles just to distract your dog's mind before she begins to relax totally on her own.

2 3 Do whatever you need to do in order to relax your dog and get her focused on a new

behavior, and then see if she will just relax on her own. 4 5

STEP 3 ? REPEAT STEP 2 SEVERAL TIMES

6 Repeat step 2?removing your dog from a situation and calming him by redirecting him into a new behavior?until you get the dog behavior you desire.

7 Be sure to keep this process simple and don't rush things. 8 When you repeat step #2, you're creating a new pathway in your dog's brain. The more

time you spend creating this new pathway, the faster your dog's brain will understand 9 "this is the normal way."

Eventually, it will become his natural behavior. 10

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