A Game of Hide and Seek
All the dogs at our local shelter get their own elevated platforms with fresh blankets that are changed daily. Many of our fearful dogs often stay hunkered on their beds, watching me warily or “pretending” not to see me at all when I first meet them. Their beds are the perfect starting point for a game of hide and seek. My primary objective for the game is to get the dog to start moving freely in my presence, but as a secondary benefit, the game positively reinforces the dog for staying on or near her bed.
Name it what you’d like, but the idea of “bed” or “place” or “mat” is a valuable foundation behavior to teach both in the shelter and when a dog transitions into their foster or “forever home”. In the shelter setting I often ask a dog to go to her bed to attach her leash and collar. The act of standing or sitting (on what is essentially a big target) gives the dog something physical and mental to do, and often decreases unwanted behaviors such as jumping up on the handler.
In the home setting, being able to settle on her bed allows the dog to be close to the action but not underfoot, and can substitute for unwanted behaviors like begging during meal preparation or chasing the cat. My goal is to have the dog think that good things always happen when she’s settled on her bed.
Since many fearful dogs choose the bed as their own safe space, I work hard to respect their boundaries and stay far away to avoid encroaching on their personal space bubble. To begin with, I start by tossing treats on their bed from a distance. (see lasts week’s post). When they are accustomed to my presence, I approach just close enough to kneel or squat and slowly stretch my arm out to deliberately place a treat on the edge of their bed. At all times, I am watching the dog for signs of stress and anxiety, and am prepared to stop immediately. I then slowly withdraw my hand and wait.
Because I’ve set the precedent of staying at a distance, making myself small and NEVER reaching out to pet the dog (unless she clearly solicits contact first), the dog will typically eat the treat. When she is done eating, I repeat the process of slowly placing a treat on the edge of the bed, slowly withdrawing my hand and waiting. Once the dog realizes that she will get a new treat as soon as she finishes the last, she becomes engaged and watches closely to see where the next treat will appear. I then start to raise my criteria: I start placing treats towards the side of the bed, then near her paws, then toss them gently so she may have to get up (or at least uncurl).
That the dog chooses to move is a huge breakthrough, and just as important, she starts to view my hand not as something to be avoided, but the source of great stuff. When I am sure that she is willing to play the game, I make it a tiny bit more challenging but letting her watch me as I hide a treat in a fold of her blanket. I make sure that part of the treat is visible, but I want the dog to use her nose and eventually push the blanket to the side to retrieve the food. As the dog becomes comfortable with the treats hiding in plain sight, I tuck them deeper into the folds of the blanket, hide them in different locations on the bed and ultimately, “hide” a big jackpot of treats on the floor right next to her bed so she needs to either stretch or get up to eat them.
As the dog becomes more proficient, our games of hide and seek involves finding multiple treats hidden on the bed and builds into getting on and off the bed to chase treats thrown across the kennel. When the dog is enthusiastic and moving with less hesitancy, I will intersperse hide and seek with offering treats from my hand upturned on the bed, then when my hand is on the floor and finally with my hand close to my body.
As with everything related to shy and fearful dogs, this “game” can progress in a session or two, or unfold over the course of weeks. Regardless of the time it takes, I am getting the dog to move and think, “problem solve”, and become comfortable and confident in my presence.
The best part of hide and seek? I’m building the foundation for a trusting, long lasting relationship with a shy and fearful dog.
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