Counter Conditioning
This is the process of changing the dogs response to a stimulus.
Overview
Identify Fear Triggers: Recognize what causes fear or anxiety in your dog, such as knocks, fireworks, or unfamiliar people.
Introduce Stimulus at Low Intensity: Expose your dog to the trigger at a low level that doesn’t elicit fear. For example, play a firework sound at a low volume or show a person from a distance.
Pair with Positive Reinforcement: When the dog encounters the trigger without reacting, immediately reward them with something enjoyable (treats, praise, play).
Increase Intensity Gradually: Slowly increase the intensity of the stimulus while continuing to pair it with positive rewards. Over time, your dog will learn that these triggers predict good things instead of something to fear.
By repeating this process, your dog will learn to associate previously scary triggers with positive experiences, shifting their emotional response from fear to joy.
See Desensitization & Counter Conditioning Concepts
Once you’ve looked through this handout, check out the following as well: Distraction-Mark-Treat, Mark & Move, Fearful & Shy Dogs, Resource Guarding
Videos
Counter Conditioning Fear of Scooters
Learn the steps to helping your dog overcome a fear.
Counter Condition Certain Noises
Learn how to change your dogs reaction to certain noise triggers.
Counter Condition Door Reactivity
Learn how to get your dog to be calm when visitors come to the door.
Counter Conditioning Overview
So What is Counter Conditioning?
This one's easy. It means that your dog has ALREADY been Classically Conditioned. The problem is that it's an undesirable association that's been made, and that's what's causing problems.
So, when we counter-condition, we work AGAINST the current conditioned response and try to unravel it and diminish it until we're back to a semi-neutral state. THEN we replace it with a better association that leads to better behavior!
This is a tedious task that requires patience! Are you ready to do what it takes?
Feedback & Classical Conditioning
Classical Conditioning without a doubt is the number one tool we have and we just don't use it! The biggest human foible in the world is that we take the good for granted and moan and groan and bitch at the bad. We tend to focus on the bad.
Think children: your children are quiet, what's your feedback? ZERO. They make noise and you react immediately. And then many children will make noise to get attention. What a sad state...and dogs do the same.
We must be representative about observation and feedback. We know you tell your dog when they’re bad, but you must give feedback on being good too, every single time. If they were bad 5 seconds ago but are being good now, you have to say so! We MUST give continuous feedback analogous to the dog's currently observed behavior.
One of the most stressful things for a dog is not knowing how to act. Like being asked to do a speech in public with no notes. Mainly what we do, then, is show them what to do, and give them a better emotional response to things in the world that set them off than they may have had previously. This is done through Differential Classical Conditioning (which you will learn below), and Representative Feedback.
BOTTOM LINE: you change a dog's behavior by focusing on the good, not the bad. Don't take any good behaviors for granted, and for sure praise everything you get for free.
Differential Classical Conditioning
Always think of Differential Classical Conditioning when working with counter conditioning and Conditioned Emotional Responses (CERs).
When you're classically conditioning, whether or not you give your dog positive feedback depends on one thing and one thing only: is the trigger present or absent? Well, this is where people run into problems because people say “I don't want to praise my dog because he's reacting.” As we pointed out, it is a myth that you can reinforce fear. Biologically, actions and emotions originate from completely different systems in the body.
This means that you continue the work even if your dog is doing something “bad” like barking, growling, shivering, whining, etc.
When we work, we have three levels:
1. If the stimulus is not present, no praise or food.
2. If the stimulus is present: praise your dog, feed, reassure even if they do something you don’t like.
3. If the stimulus is present and your dog is good: MEGA-PRAISE, BETTER/MORE FOOD
Differential Classical Conditioning is part of the puzzle. Remember that Classical Conditioning (or Counter-Conditioning) is happening ALL THE TIME; don't restrain yourself. Be proactive and take the reins.
Always Work Under Threshold
Threshold simply describes that "event horizon" where your dog goes from not reacting, or not reacting much, to going totally bananas.
YOU CANNOT WORK WHEN THEY'RE GOING TOTALLY BANANAS. Over threshold is not training time; it’s “get outta Dodge time.” So, we always work when your dog’s reaction is manageable. Do your Differential Classical Conditioning and work at distances and situations where your dog can keep it together for the most part. They don't need to be completely still...they're not robots. But we're looking for behavior we can work with. Once we go "over threshold" all we can reasonably do is damage control. In that instance, create distance, or do it later!
The information in this section was graciously provided by Simpawtico Dog Training with their permission.
Visit their site at https://www.simpawtico-training.com/
Counter Conditioning Example
For this method to really be effective it’s best for the dog to be calm and not aroused or showing any emotional threshold signs.
Steps
This is just one short example of how it works.
Prepare the Situation:
Position your dog in front of you in a calm state.
Have a partner with a dog or another trigger start walking toward you from the side.
Find the Stress Threshold:
Observe where your dog starts to show signs of stress (whining, pulling, stiffening, etc.).
Once stress is noted, have your partner turn and walk away immediately.
Allow Your Dog to Calm Down:
Wait for your dog to settle and calm down before trying again.
Start Again at a Comfortable Distance:
Have your partner approach, but stay at a distance that doesn’t cause stress to your dog.
Start feeding your dog treats continuously as the partner walks toward you.
Partner Reaches Limit:
Once your partner reaches the closest distance they can safely walk without causing stress, have them turn around and walk away.
Stop treating once the partner turns and walks away.
Repeat the Process:
Start the process over again: Have the partner approach while you feed treats continuously.
When the partner turns to walk away, stop feeding treats.
Goal:
Your dog learns to associate the presence of the trigger (partner/dog) with positive experiences (treats), reducing their reactive behavior over time.
This process requires patience and consistency to desensitize your dog to the stimulus while reinforcing calm behavior.
Your dog will learn that rewards appear when a scary thing approaches but never gets too close. As the dog gains confidence, they will anticipate rewards from the scary thing, making it less intimidating. Eventually, they will look forward to seeing strangers or other dogs as it signals rewards.
Distraction-Mark-Treat (DMT)
This is an easy and simple game you can play anytime anywhere provided you have food on you. Your dog is always learning and making choices so use this game to help them realize distractions/triggers are nothing to worry about.
Stages of DMT
Your dog decides what level they are at. Try to start by working at a distance where they notice the distraction but don’t go over their emotional threshold.
Level 1:
What Happens: Dog notices a distraction.
Action: Immediately mark with "Yes" and treat, regardless of how the dog reacts. If the dog doesn’t take the treat, you’ll need to create more distance from the trigger or a less intense trigger.
Goal: The dog learns that distractions result in rewards, helping them associate the presence of distractions with positive outcomes.
Level 2:
What Happens: Dog notices a distraction.
Action: Mark with "Yes" and the dog should disengage and orientate back to you, and then treat.
Goal: You are teaching the dog to disengage from distractions voluntarily, and this can turn into the Engage/Disengage game (below).
Level 3:
What Happens: Dog notices a distraction and disengages before being prompted.
Action: Mark with "Yes" and treat when the dog naturally disengages from the distraction and looks to you.
Goal: The dog is now conditioned to understand that the distraction is a cue for positive outcomes (treats), reinforcing their calm and focused behavior.
Level 4:
What Happens: Dog is aware of the distraction but shows no reaction to it.
Action: No need to mark or treat, as the dog is no longer reacting to the distraction.
Goal: The dog has reached a point where distractions no longer cause a reactive response, and they are now indifferent to them.
This method builds progressively, teaching the dog that distractions mean good things will happen if they stay calm and focused on you, helping them lose their reactive tendencies over time.
Engage - Disengage Game
This infographic and text were originally published on clickertraining.com in the article "Reducing Leash Reactivity" (click to read full article). Feel free to print and share the infographic for educational and training purposes by downloading it here.
Look At That (LAT)
LAT, developed by Leslie McDevitt, is a method for helping reactive dogs reframe their emotional response to triggers (scary or exciting stimuli). The goal is to teach your dog to calmly look at a trigger and then immediately reward them for doing so, gradually changing their emotional response from negative to positive.
Before You Begin
High-Value Rewards: Use very high-value treats that your dog doesn’t often get, like hot dogs, cheese, bacon, or chicken. Cut these into very small pieces (half the size of your pinky nail).
Choose the Right Environment: Select a quiet, controlled space to train. Make sure you can control the distance to the trigger (e.g., a dog, person, or object), as you want to ensure your dog is comfortable and not overwhelmed.
Steps
Keep Your Dog Under Threshold
What is Threshold?: The point at which your dog becomes reactive (barking, lunging, growling, fixating).
How to Keep Under Threshold: Start training at a distance where your dog notices the trigger but does not react. If the dog becomes tense, starts barking, or cannot take treats, you're too close.
If needed, begin with a neutral target (e.g., an object your dog doesn't react to) to practice and build up confidence.
2. Mark and Reward the Moment They Look
Marking: The second your dog looks at the trigger, mark it with a clicker or by saying “Yes!” to capture the behavior.
Reward: Immediately reward with a high-value treat. This builds the connection between seeing the trigger and receiving something positive.
3. Add the Verbal Cue
Once your dog begins to reliably look at the trigger and receive rewards, add the verbal cue “Look at that!” just before they glance at the trigger. This creates an association between the cue and the action of looking at the trigger.
4. Keep Sessions Short and Positive
Aim for 5-10 treats per session. After each session, give your dog a break by either moving further away from the trigger or finding a neutral area.
Short sessions help your dog stay under threshold and avoid becoming overwhelmed.anticipation of the click.
Progression:
As your dog becomes more comfortable, gradually decrease the distance to the trigger. If you see any signs of tension or reactivity, increase distance again.
Over time, your dog will learn that looking at a trigger results in something positive, shifting their emotional response from fear or excitement to calmness and focus.
By using the LAT method consistently, your dog will begin to associate triggers with rewards, helping to change their behavior and emotional response in the long term.
Trouble Shooting
If your dog doesn’t quickly look back at you:
Likely too close to the trigger. Increase distance and try again with a higher-value reward.
If your dog is reactive (tense, growling, pulling, etc.):
You've gotten too close. Back away to a safer distance and avoid pushing them too far.
The information in this section is from https://eastbayspca.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Look-At-That_pdf.pdf