Counter Conditioning

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!

• LAT stands for “Look At That” – a protocol developed by Leslie McDevitt, CPDT-KA, CDBC, author of Control Unleashed. Used properly, this training protocol can have a huge positive impact on a reactive dog’s behavior. It is basically the Engage/Disengage game but you add a cue first.

• The key to the LAT game is keeping your dog below threshold (showing quiet and calm behavior) while teaching them to look at a scary or exciting stimulus, then repeatedly rewarding them just for looking at it. This way, you begin to pair looking at the scary stimulus (aka the “trigger”) with something your dog loves (high-value food!). Practiced consistently, this can change your dog’s emotional response to seeing a trigger from a negative one (scary or frustrating) to a positive one.

Before You Begin

• For this training game, make sure that you are using a very high value reward, such as hot dogs, cheese, beef, chicken, bacon, pork chops, baby food, or whatever your dog likes best and does not get often. These can be cut into very small pieces for training – about a half a size of a pinky nail per treat.

• Make sure that you are in an area and at a time of day where YOU can determine how close or how far you get to the trigger. Choose an area and time where triggers are not likely to “sneak up” on you. You may want to start at your front door or drive to a quiet area for a training session. Being able to manage distance effectively is a very important part of this game: training with a reactive dog should not begin in a busy area or time of day.

Steps

Keep Your Dog Under Threshold

• Make sure you are far enough away from the thing that triggers your dog’s reactive behavior (dogs, people, men in hats, buses, etc.) so that they can notice or look at it without going over threshold. Indicators of going over threshold include behaviors such as barking, lunging, growling, whining, pulling towards the trigger, tense/upright posture, fixating without being able to regain attention, taking treats very hard, or not taking treats at all.

• Sometimes, in order to keep a dog under threshold, this means you will have to start this game at a very large distance from the trigger! If your dog is too close to threshold with the trigger at any distance, start practicing with a neutral target at home (any object that they do not react to).

Mark and Reward the Second They Look

• To play LAT, the second they look at the trigger (dog, tall person, person in hat, etc.), click a clicker or say the word “Yes!” to mark that behavior, then deliver a delicious treat. This is why it is so important to identify and remain at a distance at which your dog is not over threshold. Once they are over threshold, their nervous system has gone into “fight or flight”, and they are not in a space to learn a new skill. This is essentially the Engage/Disengage Game at this point.

Add a Verbal Cue

• When your dog is already offering a quick glance toward the trigger, add a cue such as “Look at that!” Your dog will quickly start to look at his scary triggers when you give the “Look at that!” cue and turn back to you for a reward. Keep rewarding their bravery!

Keep Sessions Short and Positive

• Practice with a handful of 5-10 treats, then give them a break by ducking behind a car, increasing distance from the trigger, or going home. Practice this exercise until your dog is calmly looking for triggers in anticipation of the click.

Trouble Shooting

• If your dog does not turn back to you quickly, they’re probably too close to the trigger for their comfort, or your reward isn’t high value enough. Increase the distance between you and the trigger and try again.

• Gradually decrease distance as your dog learns to play the LAT game with things they find worrisome. If you begin to see tense, nervous, or reactive behavior, you came to close to the trigger. Help your dog create some distance by moving in the opposite direction.