Counterconditioning and Desensitization for Fear of Fireworks
It’s that time of year again and if your neighborhood is anything like mine fireworks have already been going off for weeks now. It’s no surprise that dogs can be afraid of the sound fireworks make so we’re here to help your dog understand that fireworks aren’t so scary.
What is counterconditioning?
Counterconditioning means changing the dog’s emotional response, reaction or approach toward a stimulant, whether it be other dogs, skateboards or in this case fireworks. In other words, by feeding your dog delicious treats while you’re playing fireworks on the TV your dog will start to associate fireworks with yummy treats and so fireworks aren’t so scary.
What is Desensitization?
Desensitization is the slow introduction of your dog to it’s phobias at a low level. Starting slowly you can over time build up your dog’s exposure to its triggers, in this case fireworks. Ideally this would be done so that your dog never has the opportunity to react towards fireworks so you’ll need to find that sweet spot where they can hear the fireworks and not get upset.
How does counterconditioning and Desensitization work?
Counterconditioning and desensitization works by exposing your dogs to their triggers (fireworks) while rewarding them with high value treats. Starting at home with you and your dog you play fireworks on the TV at a low volume while simultaneously giving your dog treats like say hot dogs or chicken. Over time you’ll gradually increase the volume so that you can work your way up to almost real life.
How do i know if I’m doing it right?
You’ll know you’re doing it right if your dog is not reacting to the stimuli (fireworks on TV) in the background. However, if your dog starts to show any signs of stress you need to go back to the level where they’re comfortable.
Okay but my dog isn’t food motivated!
That’s okay, not all dogs are pigs like mine (who will sneak off to eat the garbage any chance she can get). Some dogs have a favorite toy or crave affection. You can use any of these things. Does your pup have a favorite ball? Then you can teach this with their ball. You just want to make this as positive experience as possible.
Can I use this for other things as well?
You can absolutely use counterconditioning and desensitization for other things too. The world can be a scary place for dogs. Counterconditioning and desensitization can be used for police sirens, car backfires, skateboards, bicycles, barking and even other dogs. There are a myriad of ways that counterconditioning and desensitization can help your dog live a long, stress free life. Using counterconditioning every chance you get, you can give your dog confidence. It is not necessary to wait for fears, phobias and anxiety to start showing.
Does my dog have to sit to get the treat?
No. There’s no reason that your dog should need to sit to get the treats you are offering during your work. You just want them to be calm and relaxed and if that means they need to stand then that’s okay too.
See it in action
Here’s a great video of counterconditioning and desensitization for fireworks. Note that while he has his dog sit it’s not a requirement for your dog to be sitting.
Benny: June's Meetup Member of the Month
How to Find the right Dog Trainer for your pup
It’s no secret that finding the right kind of dog trainer for your pup can be a daunting task. There are so many out there in an unregulated field that it’s hard to know which one to chose. Yup you read that right, the dog training field is completely unregulated. So we’re here to help you know what to look for in finding the right trainer.
What do they say about the way they train?
Before singing up with a trainer you want to look at their website and social media to see what they say about the way they train. You want clear statements about the kind of training methods they use. Look for dogs in flat collars, harnesses or martingales.
Ask questions
Ask the trainer about the methods they use and make sure you’re comfortable with their approach. Look for trainers who only use positive reinforcement and reward the dog for correct behavior and teaches the dog different behaviors in place of improper ones. Positive reinforcement is based on the science of animal learning and strengthens the bond you have with your dog. Ask them what happens if your dog gets it right? Ask what happens if your dog gets it wrong? How do you ensure that your dog is not inadvertently being punished? You want make sure that the trainer is not using positive punishment as a way to train your dog. Ask them about their mentors and who they look up to. Ask about what professional organizations they belong to.
Observe them
A good trainer will let you visit a class and interview them. You’ll get an in-person view of how they train dogs. If you are uncomfortable with what you see in person then it’s not the right trainer for you.
WHAT TO AVOID
You want to avoid anyone using aversives such as a prong collar, choke collar or shock collar (also known as an e-collar, buzz, tens collar, and many other names). These are all punishment based methods and only serve to suppress unwanted behavior and not correct it. You’ll also want to avoid trainers who talk about alpha, or dominance theories and trainers that say things like we use the tools to fit the dog. Those trainers go right for aversives and don’t train any other way. You also want to avoid any trainer who guarantees success. Don’t fall for it when trainers say these tools don’t hurt the dog, they absolutely do and science has shown this to be true.
Resources
Here are some sources to help guide you in your search for a force free trainer.
Pet Professional Guild
http://www.petprofessionalguild.com/
Pet Professional Accreditation Board
http://credentialingboard.com/Professionals
Academy for Dog Trainers
https://www.academyfordogtrainers.com/find-a-trainer
Helpful Terms
We know that there are many different types of dog trainers with different degrees/certifications so here are some helpful terms to ask about. But as a reminder these terms are only a guide and that you should speak with any dog trainer before employing their services.
Professional Canine Trainer - Accredited (PCT-A) certification for professionals who believe there is no place for shock, choke, prong, pain, force or fear in pet training and behavior practices. The Board also offers the only psychometrically sound examination for Training & Behavior Consultants who also support these humane and scientific practices.
Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC and Associate CDBC) are trainers who meet the requirements of the IAABC - International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.
Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed & Skills Assessed (CPDT-KA/CPDT-KSA): Train with the Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) training and behavior work.
Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) or Associate (ACAAB): A CAAB is a certified professional with scientific training in animal behavior. A CAAB works with people and their pets to modify pet behavior that has become a concern for owners. Our recommendation for a behaviorist is Dr. Terri Bright from MSPCA-Angell.
Veterinary Behaviorist (DACVB): The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) is the certifying board for veterinarians who are specialty trained to advance the behavioral health of animals through clinical practice, research, and science-based behavior education.
Shyla: May's Meetup Member of the Month
Top eight ways to keep your dog busy during quarantine
During this challenging time of shelter in place and stay at home orders, we're all looking for ways to help our dogs stay engaged and active, not to mention ourselves. A sudden new routine can be hard on everyone, especially our dogs. We need to make sure there's enough stimulation to help them deal with boredom and anxiety because our being home is simply not enough. To help you find fun ways of making the most out of quarantine with your pup, we’ve put together a list of the best dog toys and enrichment games that they’ll love.
Trixie Windmill Activity Strategy Game Dog Toy
Credit Petco.com
If you’re looking for ways to keep your pup entertained while you’re trying to work from home, look no further than this windmill activity toy from Trixie. With four tubes and two different sets of tube covers for different levels of difficulty, it really keeps your dog entertained. My dog loves this game! They have to figure out how to move the windmill blades in order to get the treats to fall out, whether it be using their paws or their mouths. The more the blades move the more treats fall out, so they’re rewarded for creating a winning strategy.
Shyla loving her likimat, credit BTB
Hyper Pet LickiMat Boredem Buster Slow Feeder Dog & Cat Mat
Two likimats are better than one, credit BTB
These likimats area huge hit in our house. Designed with different ridges likimats engage your pup’s senses when they lick the tasty treats off of them. Repetitive licking has been shown to produce a calming hormone therefore reducing your pup’s stress. My dog loves to lick things and the more she licks the more tired and relaxed she gets. You can spread peanut butter, yogurt or even some bananas on these mats to give your pup something to do while you’re taking that work conference call on Zoom. Throw these in the freezer to make them last even longer. If your dog is a chewer or a puppy who is still teething then you’ll want to get the Likimat Solmo. The Solomo is virtually indestructible and can be cleaned in the dishwasher after use.
Nina Ottosson by Outward Hound Dog
There are a variety of different toys by Nina Ottosson for Outward Hound Dog that can keep your pup busy while also giving them the mental exercise they need. Each toy has varying degrees of difficulty from level 1 to level 3. You can start at level 1 and if you find it too easy for your pup then you can up the level of difficulty by locking certain features of the toys. Here are a few of our favorites.
Credit Outwardhound.com
Dog Brick: You can hide treats inside and the dogs have to use their paws or nose to slide the bricks in order to reveal the treat. You can also make this activity even more difficult by adding white blocks in the middle therefore making the ability to slide the bricks even harder. This a great intermediate level toy.
Credit Outwardhound.com
Twister Interactive Dog Toy: This interactive toy is challenging and fun for your dog. Your pup will have to find the hidden treats by moving the blocks in different circles. As with most of these toys by Nina Ottosson you can increase the difficulty by locking the blocks with bone-shaped blocks, which are placed in the hollows of the game. Dogs have to learn to unplug the blocks by lifting the pegs one by one in order to be able to move the blocks and then find the treats.
BTB Member Luna trying to figure out how to get the treats out of her Dog Casino
Dog Casino: The Dog Casino is a great game for you and your dog. Hide treats in the appropriate slots and watch your dog look for treats using their nose or paws pulling out the flaps. Like most of the Nina Ottosson toys you can increase the level of difficulty by locking the flaps using the bone-shaped pegs on top. Even BTB member Luna can’t figure out how to unlock the pegs on this toy.
Trixie Activity Poker Box Interactive Dog Toy, Level 2
Credit Trixie.de
Your pup will have to use all their smarts to get the treats out of this toy. With four different boxes you can hide kibble or treats inside them. Your pups will really have to challenge themselves as the activity uses lids, flaps, knobs, ropes, and drawers. Your pup will have a blast trying to figure out how to pull the ropes in order to gain access to the hidden treats. They’ll challenge themselves trying to work the knobs and flaps. If your dog is anything like mine, they’ll do just about anything to get at the hidden food.
Towel Treats and Nose work
If you're thinking, ”ok but I have plenty of toys already,” then give towel treats a try. Towel treats are a great way to keep your dog active and having fun. Did you know that dogs have 200 million olfactory cells? It’s true! This is the reason why dogs are used to sniff out contraband at airports and work with police. Nose work is really great for dogs it helps bring out their natural ability to hunt. Putting treats in a towel and rolling it up for your pup to uncover the treats is a great way of intellectually stimulating your dog and tiring them out in a good way. If you want to know more, Whole Dog Journal offers a great step-by-step for nose work and scent games.
Scavenger Hunt
From our Halloween meetup, credit Brendon Curtis msitphoto.com
Who doesn't love a scavenger hunt? This is fun for dogs, kids and even adults too. The first step is to have your dog stay in place while you hide treats around the house. If your dog is like mine and won’t stay that’s okay too, you can have someone hold your dog while you hide the treats. The second step is to bring your dog out to where you have hidden the treats let them try to find the treats on their own. Don’t worry if they don’t find them all right away that’s totally normal even with a hyper food motivated dog. You can bring the dog around to the different places where you’ve hidden treats so that they get them all. This is a great way to bond with your dog. They’ll look to you for guidance and to show them where the food is hidden.
show us how you’re keeping busy
Peach: April's Meetup Member of the Month
How to Adopt a Boston Terrier
Ponch on his adoption day
It’s no secret that we are huge rescue fans. Having been through the process with Shyla we wanted to share some tips on how to go about adopting a Boston Terrier.
Know the Rescues
Currently there are two main rescues that serve Massachusetts that deal with Boston Terriers and Boston Terrier mixes. The first which is dedicated to all smooshy faced dogs is SNORT Rescue. SNORT not only has Boston Terriers but they also have Frenchies, Pugs and English Bulldogs. The other main rescue that serves Massachusetts is Northeast Boston Terrier Rescue. NEBTR primarily deals with Boston Terriers and Boston Terrier mixes.
The next rescue organization that oftentimes has Boston Terriers is Friends of Homeless Animals. FOHARI is a general rescue that rescues all different breeds of dogs. While FOARI doesn’t specialize in Boston Terriers they do have them on occasion.
The third rescue organization that deals with Boston Terriers is Paw Paw Boston Terrier Rescue of Korea. Paw Paw does amazing work rescuing dogs from Korea. The catch with Paw Paw is that they fly their dogs directly from Korea so you’d have to be willing to travel to one of the airports they fly into. The closest airport that Paw Paw flies into is New York City.
Know the approximate age of the dog you want:
Age is everything. You’ll want to know if you’re looking for a puppy, a middle aged dog or a senior dog. Rescues often have a variety of ages when it comes to dogs. While I understand that most people want puppies adopting an older dog is also really great. They’re usually housebroken already and can be left alone in the house without destroying anything. You’ll want to ask yourself do I have time for a puppy? What is my schedule like? Who will take care of my dog when I’m not there?
Sign up to Foster
One of the best ways to know if you're ready to adopt and get to know the dog you would love to bring home is to foster. Not only does this help increase the chance that the dogs you foster will find their forever home because they get a break from the shelter and experience a loving home environment, but also it gives you a chance to practice being a pawrent and seeing what really works for you. If you foster a dog you really want to adopt, then you also get put at the top of the list for that dog.
Stalk the Websites
Really, that’s what I did. If you don’t see a dog you like right away then keep looking. Boston Terriers are a highly desirable breed and go fast. Every day I’d go on to the SNORT site and look at Shyla’s pictures wondering if she was ever going to be put up for adoption. Then one day she wasn’t there anymore and I had a mild panic attack. Turns out she was just moved to the adoptable page where I could quickly put in an application to adopt her.
Don’t get Discouraged
Finding the perfect dog for your home is not a quick and easy process. It often involves lots of patience because sometimes the right dog isn’t ready to be adopted or sometimes it’s not the right fit for your house. Keep looking and keep applying for when you see the right dog. You may get turned down but it doesn’t mean there’s anything specifically wrong with you it could just mean that the rescue felt someone else was a better match. There is no perfect person or perfect dog, you will always need to get to know and understand your unique dog (which takes time), give yourself and your dog consistent training, and understanding that this is a lifelong commitment.
Take on a Special Needs Dog
I know this isn’t for everyone and that’s okay but if you have the time and inclination take on a special needs dog. Whether it be a bonded pair of seniors in diapers or a dog that needs a wheelchair. Special needs dogs are often overlooked because of they don’t fit into the typical vision most people have of dogs.