Bindi Teaching ch5

 

CHAPTER 5.

GET ME TF OUTTA HERE

URBAN AVOIDANCE TECHNIQUE

I have to cover avoidance technique in the Urban Jungle before we go on much further.  It will be appropriate at times to avoid things that upset us. 

You will find that you start to pay attention to the things pup may feel uncomfortable around.

On an urban walk and while on lead is the time a lot of pups feel a bit constrained, restricted, and ill at ease.  Local walks are in familiar territory but local areas also have memories of previous things that have happened.

Things like where cats are seen, where a dog barked and scared pooch, where for any reason something memorable happened.  A trigger point will be nothing you will have done wrong, or it could be, but there is no need to dwell on that.  Walking on urban routes and while on lead may bring up any number of issues your pup could display markers at.

There may be local ownership issues where pup may think they own a local shop, footpath or verge.  They may see other dogs, people or cyclists as trespassing in their owned places. 

Add to that sense of ownership that pup knows if you are feeling tense.  They do.  Pup may be unsure how you might react when they pull or bark.  Will you tense up, will your voice change even in anticipation of how pup might react.

Add to that the feeling of restriction or of your stress coming down the suddenly tighter lead. 

Add to that the uncertain feelings the pup may have not knowing what may be coming at them or if there is a route to hide or run to.

 Add to that unexpected noises, sirens screaming, loud trucks clanking, babies crying, yappy dogs in passing cars and the general uneven, sharp noises and smells of urban life.

Pup is dealing with lots of stimuli. 

I don’t know if you had considered that these layers of distraction and uncertainty are presented to pup on every normal local walk.  That is why I suggest a walk be for the pup not for you.  Let it sniff and wander calmly to get used to all the stimuli. 

You may be blessed with a pooch that calmly takes all this in its stride and your outside excursions are calm happy things. Even then, still be aware of the environment as urban life will bring surprises.

If you notice a thing, guide pup with treats, touch or reward into a calm place so you can avoid or manage the things that trigger your pup.   

Being always observant whenever you are out in Urbania is a HUGE ask.  So all we can expect is to in most cases see things ahead, an excited dog approaching, a noisy trailer truck coming, kids on bikes, whatever is a trigger for your pup. 

If we spot them all in time, and good luck with that, we can take calm avoiding actions, turn around, cross the road, distract with reward or toy, all or any of these, but calmly.  No sudden moves, we are trying not to telegraph our concern to pup. 

One of the biggest challenges is just that. We see, we stress, we pull pup in, we throw darting glances around looking for escape route or play space, our voice cracks and we stuff it up. 

Always consider, if you have been doing even some things right, there is a chance pup won’t react to the stimulus you have spotted and nothing may happen, yes, that is possible, it may even be pup’s new default mood, if only we would stop getting so tense.  

There is nothing wrong in the early stages of modifying this reacting to stimuli behaviour to be walking your streets looking like you are some sort of social pariah/canine patrol/urban sniper moving from one obtuse sight-line to the next. 

It does help your pal though, if you can calmly avoid approaching stimuli, you will be able to provide pooch with an outing not littered with events that are uncomfortable or concerning to pooch. 

Key to this exercise is to allow as much space as possible between you and the thing that will excite your pup.  If crossing the road to avoid another dog is enough space then note that.  Repeat that distance of avoidance until pup seems happy to ignore the stimulus at that distance. 

If your observations show that markers are indicating a bark, a charge or flight, then change direction, distract or treat and move away to a distance that does not trigger the marker.  Over time you can manage distance by observing your pup’s markers and allowing the stimuli to be closer as reactions lessen. 

About now is the time I remind you that this is you walking the dog, because the walk is for the dog.  These delays or direction changes are all happening within the time you have allowed, where you thought you were going is of zero consequence.  A walk is time out for the dog.  Just because you were going to the park does not mean you have to go to the park.  If getting to the park is a problem then not making it to the park but being happy and calm on your walk is a good thing. 

I am thinking, if you are anything like me, you are seeing that the changes required in properly training an urban dog involve a lot of attitude modification in you.  I am writing this because it is the key thing I see most people not understanding. 

Changing your emotional state towards positive attitudes when dog training is not just good, it is fantastic and has personal benefits way beyond dog training.  The daily non training relationship you have will become a very different experience if you change your expectations.  Use calm observation and you will come to understand and relate to the little signals from people, other animals, and from your dog much more effectively.

I have mentioned patience.  With this avoidance training we are talking Olympic medal level patience and you really must persist to succeed.   

Take the increments of reducing distance towards trigger points at the pace of your pooch, not at some timing you think pooch should have got to by now.  Some dogs will surprise how quickly they start to feel safe closer to stimuli others may only improve in very small increments over a longer time.  Eventually pup will trust that you are not going to drag them into confrontation. 

There will of course be occasions when you don’t see a stimulus, don’t notice the markers, don’t calmly avoid in time.  You are not super-parent.  In those times, deal with whatever happens in as calm and an understanding manner you can muster. Calm pup with look at me, touch, gentle command or another way you can bring calm.  Reward calm relaxed behaviour when it comes.  A marker for that can be a deep breath and pup changing its attentions.  

After an event, proceed as if whatever happened, didn’t happen.  Pup will have forgotten a past stimulus by the time the next smell catches the nose. Try and be more dog in this regard. Don’t dwell on the past, reflect on it momentarily and move forward. 

I am reminded of a saying that the size of the windscreen of a car and its rear view mirror are relative to the time you should spend looking forward and backwards.  That is a very clever allegory for how much focus we should have anticipating the future and how little reflecting on the past. 

It is not the case that any training success you and pooch have achieved together will be unpicked by one negative event.  Your relationship is based on lots of fun play, good times and other positive experiences, not just one recent event.  Learn if there is something to learn from brief reflection and, for pity sake, don’t beat yourself up because one part of your relationship is not yet rock solid. 

Patient persistence.