Breweries and Puppies
We all want a dog that we can take anywhere and it can enjoy the warm summer months enjoying the outdoors together. It doesn’t do much good to begin your training at the outdoor brewery setting or local cafe. It could end up creating a negative experience for your dog just because there is so much going on (loud noises, strange smells and people walking very closely to them). There are so many scenarios where we can begin and work our way up to having our dogs learn to be calm in situations where there are lots of people or activities going on. Its understandably hard sometimes when you have just rescued a dog from the shelter or they have been transported to you not really knowing what they experienced in life so far. I have to many tips to help your dogs become adjusted to city life and I would love to pass those tips onto you and your dog. Here are 3 tips to help you get started.
Creating a calm foundation within your own home and setting the dog up for success showing them what you expect and what you don’t like by always wearing your bait bag in the home rewarding any good behavior you like to see.
Sitting on front steps or balcony while bringing along their breakfast or dinner to work on feeling calm and relaxed in this environment. If your dog seems anxious shorten the duration of the time and keep it short and sweet. If that is too much you can also sit in front of the window and reward them for anything you see that indicates they feel relaxed.
Doing some car work in areas that maybe get your dog a little excited. Not necessarily in the beginning parking at the dog park and teasing your dog with the idea they might get to go play. That might be too much for some dogs. I have used Target drive up pick-up option for awhile and I love bringing my dogs along to get our Target goodies. It creates a setting where you can reward your dog when someone (Target employee) comes up to your window and opens your backdoor or trunk. by rewarding our dogs before and after this happens we show them its ok to feel good about people being around the car windows. Good things happen (cheese) when people approach. It will eventually create a happy moment for them and this begins to transfer over to other areas of their lives. It creates optimism for the dog and they begin to see these events as a fun and happy moment rather than a moment to feel anxiety or stress.