Weekly Purpose

To develop speed and accuracy in reading dog behaviour to prevent reactions.

Key Takeaways

• Read Intent, Not Just Action: Recognise early signals (e.g., backward weight shift) to predict and prevent escalation.
• Play as a State-Changer: Play shifts a dog from a defensive state to an engaged one, creating a window for training.
• Match Drive to Intervention: Use specific tools for each drive: foraging for calm, play for connection, and redirection for prey/defense.
• Interrupt the Pattern: Break the trigger-reaction-reward cycle to prevent unwanted behaviors from strengthening.

Topics

Reading Behaviour & Intent

• Focus on reading intent to predict and prevent reactions.
• Fear-Based Behavior (Avoidance):
  • Signals: Backward weight shift, hesitation, looking away.
  • Intent: Create distance.
  • Action: Give space. Ignoring this removes the dog’s safe option, forcing escalation.
• Resource Guarding (Possession):
  • Signals: Stillness, freezing over an item, close watching.
  • Intent: Hold position.
  • Action: Do not approach or challenge. Pushing into the space forces escalation.
• Territorial Behavior (Defense):
  • Signals: Forward movement, barking, holding ground in specific locations.
  • Intent: Defend territory.
  • Action: Interrupt the trigger-reaction-reward cycle. Daily repetition is a rehearsal problem, not just a training issue.

Using Play to Change Emotional State

• A dog cannot be in a defensive and a playful state simultaneously.
• Fear of Life (General Neophobia):
  • Driver: “I don’t feel safe.”
  • Goal: Build safety by shifting the dog from a survival to a playful state.
  • Method: Low-pressure play (e.g., scattering food) to encourage choosing engagement over threats.
• Fear of Loss (Resource Guarding):
  • Driver: “I might lose something important.”
  • Goal: Build trust by transferring value from the guarded item to the handler.
  • Method: Create a “come away from that, because this is so much better” scenario. The dog must choose to disengage, not be forced.
• Fear of Intruders (Territoriality):
  • Driver: “Something is entering my space.”
  • Goal: Break the fixation-reaction loop.
  • Method: Interrupt early with movement-based play (e.g., toy redirection) to provide an outlet and prevent rehearsal.

Working with Drive Systems

• Interventions must match the dog’s current drive.
• Foraging Drive:
  • State: Low-pressure, sniffing, searching.
  • Purpose: Lowers arousal, creates calm.
  • Action: Allow it; use to settle dogs in new environments.
• Play Drive:
  • State: Movement, interaction, engagement.
  • Purpose: Builds connection, makes handler relevant.
  • Action: Invite, don’t force. The dog must be ready.
• Prey Drive:
  • State: Focused, intense, directed movement.
  • Purpose: Channels natural drive into appropriate outlets.
  • Action: Redirect and shape it; uncontrolled prey drive is the problem.
• Defense Drive:
  • State: Body tension, reaction-oriented.
  • Purpose: Stop the dog from getting stuck in this state.
  • Action: Give space, interrupt early with movement or distance.
• Social Drive:
  • State: Relaxed, soft, choosing connection.
  • Purpose: The ideal state for training and bonding.
  • Action: Settle, teach, and connect.

Next Steps

• All Participants:
  • Practice identifying the three behaviour patterns (fear, guarding, territorial) in real-time.
  • Observe your dog’s body language to determine their current drive state.
  • Intentionally put your dog into different drives (e.g., foraging) and reflect on their body language to build recognition skills.