Clean Run - February 2013 - 57

How you handle your developing puppy’s moments of insecurity can have a great impact on
his ability to trust you, his repertoire of behavioral choices, and his future success in life.
Shape a Hand Target
Teach your puppy to touch his nose to
your palm. Start by playing this game in
your home, away from all distractions
and with a hungry puppy. Show your
puppy your open hand.When he orients
toward your hand (looks at it), click and
reward (C/R). Do this a few times in a
row.Then, raise your criteria: looking
isn’t enough, he has to approach your
hand. C/R a few times for approach, then
raise your criteria again: approaching
isn’t enough, he has to touch your hand
with his nose. C/R a few times until your
puppy is actively seeking out your hand,
even if you move it to a different location.Then, raise your criteria: touching it
isn’t enough; he has to pursue your hand
several inches and then touch it. C/R several times.Then, you can add a cue: Touch
is common. Say Touch when you’d bet
$20 that the very next thing your puppy
will do is tag your hand with his nose.
Don’t add the cue too early! C/R that
several times in a row, then try practicing
in different locations, again in areas that
will not cause a fearful response.
Use a hand target in the real world if
your puppy becomes mildly anxious.
Use it to gain his attention, to reward
his attention, and then to move him to
a place where he can relax.

I Spy
Similar to the “Look at That” game in
Control Unleashed, I use a simpler game
called I Spy as a form of classical conditioning. The main difference is there
is no verbal cue. It is important in this

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| Clean Run

game to begin at a safe distance from
the fear-producing stimulus so that
your puppy will remain under threshold.
Teach this game at first with a neutral,
novel object—a traffic cone or an empty bucket, for example. Place the object
on the ground in an unusual place like
your living room. With your puppy on
leash, walk into the room and stand quietly until he notices the object. When
he sees it, click and reward with a food
treat (C/R). Stand quietly again, waiting for him to orient again toward the
object. C/R when he does. After several
repetitions, or when the puppy seems
to say, “Hey! I get treats when I see that
new thing!” exit the room and set up a
different novel object.
After 3-4 repetitions with different
items, take your puppy for a walk and
C/R when he sees a novel object (a
real-estate sign, a child on a bike) that
does not usually induce a fearful response. Then, one day when he sees
something new but before he begins
to startle, you can simply C/R (use a
jackpot of yummy treats!) for the new
thing. If he did startle, then increase
the distance from the object. Wait and
C/R if he orients toward it again. Turn
back toward the object if your puppy
recovered immediately due to receiving
the C/R and let him spy the scary thing
again and earn treats several times. If
he relaxes, you can try approaching a
few feet at a time and playing the game
again. If your puppy increases fearfulness
or begins taking treats harder, quit and
leave the area to think up another plan.
The verbal cue is avoided because the
need is usually short term as an adolescent may grow out of the fear in just a
few weeks.
Jackpot Startle Responses (a.k.a.
Party Time!)
When my Aussie was about eight
months old, we experienced her first
thunderstorm. Her immediate response to the intense thunderclap was
to startle and look around anxiously.
“Party time!” I hollered, “Get your ball!”

She looked at me with surprise and
dashed off to grab her ball. I tossed it
for several minutes and then ignored
her. Another thunderclap got her attention and she looked at me, worry on
her face. I said, “Party time! Get your
ball!” She willingly brought it to me for
another quick round. The third time the
thunder occurred, she didn’t wait for
my cue, but happily grabbed her ball for
a fast round of fun. I have also used food
jackpots in a similar fashion when I see
a startle response during an out-andabout training session.

Follow Me
For this game you’ll need a cooperative friend who will play the part of the
fear-inducing trigger. For example, if
your puppy startles at men with beards,
you can recruit a fuzzy-faced friend to
meet you in a safe, neutral location such
as a park. Have the friend well-stocked
with high value treats. (Do not encourage the puppy take the treat from the
friend’s hand! You do not want a graband-go response.) Have the friend begin
by walking past you, tossing a treat in
the general direction of your puppy,
and continuing on his way. If the puppy
eats the food, have the friend stand at a
distance and toss another. If the puppy
is too frightened, have your friend turn
his back at first. The friend should then
move away from you, giving your puppy
space to come forward and eat the
treat. When the puppy orients to the
friend, the man should toss another
tidbit and back up again. In this way,
the puppy can continue to follow your
friend all around the park. By the end of
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Clean Run - February 2013

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