![]() ![]() In my situation, this may come in the form of a dog walking down the street that is on the boundary of my yard or a neighbor’s dog barking. Minimal Interference From Humans: In BAT the goal is to only attempt to move the dog away from the trigger to prevent over arousal. If clients bring children to the meet and greet, it makes it a little more difficult because they tend to want to interact with the dog. I may offer toys, but in general, I want the dog’s attention focused on the environment as much as possible. It is for this reason that I don’t give dogs treats or toys to distract them or attempt to engage them until the dog has displayed a willingness to lay down and relax. You could certainly let a dog drag a leash around the house, although this becomes tricky in navigating chairs, tables or other objects that the leash may get tangled around.įew Distractions: It’s vital in BAT that the dog be allowed to learn about the environment and not be in “play” or “train” mode. Most clients leave the harness on, if the dog is wearing one. Dog-reactive dogs will need to quickly ascertain whether there’s another dog in the home and they will generally move much faster than you can walk when they’re doing this scan. A new home that has the scent of unfamiliar dogs causes a great deal of excitement. I ask visitors to unleash their dogs immediately upon entering the house. If your dog is very shy and doesn’t explore on his/her own, I may ask that you do the exploring around the house or yard, with the dog following.įree To Move: BAT makes use of a long leash and specific leash-handling skills to allow the dog as much freedom to roam without feeling trapped or constrained. Chatting also provides social modeling, setting an example for the dog. When we are ready to both sit down on the couch, I ask that clients lean back and try to relax, and remember to breathe. I wait until the clients and their dogs are inside before coming inside and immediately sitting down. I ask my clients to come into the house before me, and to behave as if this is their house. ![]() I want owners to be projecting a relaxed and confident attitude. ![]() Set An Example: Dogs are constantly reading the behavior of their humans. Here are some of the BAT principles I follow during my boarding Meet & Greet: Make sure the environment is safe for the dog to freely roam about before the dog guest arrives. Close doors to rooms that the dog doesn’t need access to. If any objects are near the fence, that would effectively reduce fence height, take these into consideration. Same for gaps under the fence for small dogs). If a dog is put into a novel home environment, do a safety check: are any objects that the dog may knock over or damage stowed away? If the dog is to be let out in the yard, is the yard secured with a 6 foot fence on all sides and a locked gate? (This is tall enough for most dogs, but not all, so check with the dog’s owner to make sure this will contain your dog. This may come in handy if you board your dog at a person’s house, or even just bring them over to visit a friend.įirst off, I want to stress that in any BAT set-up, the environment MUST be safe and arranged to maximize the dog’s changes of success. I wanted to share some of these principles on how to help your dog get used to a new environment. I’ve been applying BAT principles during my Meet & Greet sessions at Solo Dogs, my special needs dog boarding business. Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT) was developed to socialize and rehabilitate dogs who are aggressive, fearful, or frustrated towards living creatures, typically dogs or humans. ![]()
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