The Exit Strategy
As thrilling as it is when your shy dog takes a tentative step towards confidence, it can be equally as nerve-wracking. You’ve worked long hours, sometimes over many months, to help your dog develop coping mechanisms and to counter-condition more productive behaviors. You know your dog’s triggers, train below his threshold and constantly adjust your expectations based on your dog’s response. You have managed his environment, created distance, learned special massage techniques and have even, on occasion, sung James Taylor songs in an effort to keep him calm and grounded (ok, maybe that last one is something only I do).
Often though, in the quest to get our shy dogs more comfortable in the wider world, we forget to train for a critical moment in every single interaction between our dogs and a potential trigger: the exit strategy.
Of course, many dogs can and do appropriately end an encounter on their own terms, either by disengaging emotionally or physically. But some dogs don’t seem to know that they have the option of walking away. These dogs may start off initially soliciting contact, but as the interaction goes on, they become more uncomfortable and less able to make productive decisions. Chances are, at least at first, your dog is operating close to threshold. That’s the line between when he is actively participating, learning from the encounter and the moment where he becomes so stressed that he stops using his “thinking brain”. Instead, he reacts, often with poor consequences. The closer your dog is to his threshold, the harder it is for him to be appropriate about alleviating his growing discomfort; this is where the Exit Strategy becomes essential.
The Emergency U Turn
The first part of the exit strategy involves training the Emergency U turn. By turning in a tight semi-circle and walking in the opposite direction from your original path, the Emergency U turn is a way for you and your dog to quickly and happily put distance between you and a potential trigger, such as another dog, a cyclist, group of children, etc.
The Emergency U Turn needs to be the strongest, most well practiced, best rewarded behavior in your dog’s repertoire.
Start practicing the U turn in stress free environments until your dog quickly and eagerly responds. Gradually change the context (from kitchen to living room, from living room to quiet back yard) until your dog reliably and happily performs the U turn in a variety of settings with distractions. Emma Parsons offers an excellent e-book on teaching a reactive dog class that includes detailed instructions on Emergency U turns that I urge you to read. The U turn is CRITICAL to the success of your exit strategy, because you will use the turn and the distance to help your dog disengage from whom or what he is currently interacting.
Observe Your Dog’s Body Language for Clues as to His Emotional State
The second part of the Exit Strategy relies on carefully observing and monitoring your dog’s body language. If you can’t identify how your dog is feeling by watching his tail, ears, eyes and mouth, neither you nor your dog is ready to interact closely with a potential trigger. It’s important to remember that a successful interaction that lasts a second and a half is infinitely better than an interaction that lasts ten seconds, but leaves your dog anxious and uncomfortable.
Make it a priority to become an expert on your dog!
Practice, Practice, Practice…and Practice Some More
If you are working on having your dog interact with people, you’ll need one person (in addition to you) to practice the Exit Strategy. Start with a volunteer “Guest” with whom your dog is most comfortable. It may be your partner, child, friend, trainer or relative, but make sure the dog knows and trusts the Guest well before you start to train the Exit Strategy. If the dog already trusts the Guest in multiple contexts, he will be eager to initiate contact and feel less anxious during the interaction, which is exactly the state of mind you want to reinforce!
Depending on your dog’s comfort level, have the Guest either sit during every interaction or stand during every interaction, so your dog practices the same scenario over and over. Discuss beforehand how you would like your Guest to act. Should she remain quiet, stroke the dog gently, offer treats, throw treats? If the dog chooses to engage with the Guest, have the Guest interact or stay quiet for no more than two seconds. At the same moment that the dog appears to be finished interacting with the Guest, the handler calls the dog to her, offers a treat as soon as the dog turns and offer a SECOND treat while you and your dog move away from the Guest.
Once your dog can move easily and happily away from the Guest, switch roles, using the same two people. When your dog can reliably turn toward his handler for a treat, then follow the handler further away for a second treat, you are ready to practice with a new Guest (who should still be known and trusted by the dog). The goal is to practice many, many times with people your dog knows and trusts before having the dog interact and disengage with a stranger.
Rules To Live By
Ready to train for the Exit Strategy? Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you proceed.
Your dog should always have the choice to interact (or not!) with a stranger. Respect his decision.
In a perfect world, you would wait for your dog to decide on his own when he is done with the interaction, but some dogs initially get “stuck” and need extra help to exit gracefully.
Your intervention may be critical, at least at first, to reminding your dog that he can disengage whenever he wants AND get rewarded for it.
The stranger should stand or sit quietly and let your dog approach.
Set your dog up for success by making sure the stranger understands exactly what you expect of him/her.
Less is more! Keep the interactions brief and repetitions few, but always positive.
I ask new people NOT to pet or look at my dog, at least at first. If my dog chooses to go up to the person and investigate, then calmly retreats, that is successful enough!
Rewards are your friend. When you ask your dog to come back and he turns toward you, his trusted handler, you will reward him once for turning and then REWARD HIM A SECOND TIME as you give him some distance to reassess the current situation. Closer proximity to you could even be considered a “third” reward.
The goal is to teach your dog how to disengage from an interaction before he begins to panic. Over time, you will have to “micromanage” less as your dog learns that he has the option of moving away on his own.
As always, end on a high note. After successfully using your Exit Strategy, keep walking and allow your dog to sniff if you are outside. If you are inside, give a him a long lasting treat and allow him to relax away from the excitement.
It is important to note that every dog is an individual. Greeting a stranger may be easy for one dog, but completely overwhelming for another dog despite months of practice, super rewards and unlimited patience. The last thing any of us want is to put our dog in a situation where they feel that have no choice but to fight, flee or freeze. It’s o.k. to tell people that your dog does not want to say hi. It’s also o.k. to set your dog up in his safe space with his favorite long lasting treat when guest come to your house. You know your dog. Be his best advocate.
Question: Do you have your own Exit Strategy?
Share your knowledge with the community below in the comments.
Photo: Shutterstock / Raywoo
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