Weekly Purpose

To introduce proactive exit strategies and long-line training for reactive dogs.

Key Takeaways

• Exit Early: Exit at the first sign of tension (e.g., fixation, stillness), not after a full reaction. This prevents rehearsing unwanted behavior and maintains a thinking state.
• Use Movement: Employ arcs and direction changes to create distance and prevent escalation. Stillness allows problems to build.
• Long Line as Communication: Use a long line to build connection at a distance, not as a safety rope. Heavily reinforce all voluntary check-ins to build a dog that chooses you.
• Resource Guarding Tactic: For early-stage guarding, disengage and create space. Approaching or trading adds pressure, which can strengthen the behaviour.

Topics

The Problem: Setups Don’t Equal Real Life

• Training in controlled setups doesn’t automatically translate to real-world success.
• The car is a valuable training setup, offering structure, distance, and a clear boundary to help dogs observe triggers calmly.
• Process: Drip-feed treats → reinforce calm observation → mark and pay for choosing to settle.
• Goal: Build understanding and a “thinking brain” before introducing real-world variables.

Solution 1: Proactive Exit Strategies

• A plan is essential before a reaction occurs.
• Car as Base: Use the car as an anchor, reset point, and safe exit.
• Calm Exit: Allow the dog to orient before starting work.
• Build Connection: Use lead slides, check-ins, and engagement moments.
• Reinforce Choice: Heavily reinforce any voluntary disengagement from the environment to look at you. This is the “gold standard.”
• Movement: Use arcs to create distance and prevent fixation.
• Exit Cues: Exit at early signs of tension (fixation, body tension, slow responses), not after a full reaction.
• Execution: Turn away early, use an arc to create space, and return to the car calmly.

Solution 2: Applying Exits to Common Scenarios

• U-Turn Exit: The primary tool for tight spaces. Practice it away from triggers first.
• Environmental Exits: Use parked cars, hedges, or corners to break line of sight.
• Garden/Boundary Reactivity:
  • Mistake: Allowing free patrol and waiting for barking.
  • Solution: Keep the dog on-lead during training. Exit at the first sign of fixation (stillness, weight shift, locked ears). A scatter feed can also be used as an exit.
• Resource Guarding:
  • Mistake: Trading, taking the item, or adding pressure.
  • Solution: Disengage and create space. This reduces pressure and the item’s perceived value.
• Rationale: Exits are not avoidance; they are control, clarity, and prevention of rehearsing unwanted behaviors.

Solution 3: Long-Line Training

• Purpose: Build connection at a distance and observe real behavior.
• Structure: Start from a base (e.g., car), build connection on a short lead, then gradually allow more line.
• Connection at Distance: Let the dog explore, then heavily reinforce all voluntary check-ins.
• Handling:
  • Avoid: Yanking the line to stop fixation.
  • Do: Use movement (arcs, direction changes) to create distance.
  • Goal: The line follows your handling; the dog moves with you.

Long-Line Safety Protocol

• Outward Movement: Keep the line untangled to prevent injury. Let it slide through your hands and stop it carefully to avoid burns.
• Inward Movement: If a distraction appears, walk down the line and grab it at the harness. This gives you direct control and prevents the dog from using its full strength against the line.

Next Steps

• Implement Exit Strategies:
  • Practice U-turn and environmental exits.
  • Use on-lead training in the garden, exiting at the first sign of fixation.
  • Disengage and create space for early-stage resource guarding.
• Introduce Long Line:
  • Start from a base (e.g., car) and build connection on a short lead.
  • Gradually allow more line, heavily reinforcing all voluntary check-ins.
  • Use movement (arcs, direction changes) instead of restriction.
  • Practice the safety protocol: untangled line on the way out, grab at harness on the way in.