Re: BAT tips [quote author=Jen link=topic=4934.msg80324#msg80324 date=1400766510] Thanks Helen that's spot on. [/quote] x
Re: BAT tips A good update. ;D ;D ;D In fact I used that much fish BATing this morning I should make friends with captain Birdseye . We met 4 lots of very reactive dogs this morning. It was virtually every reactive dog we know. 1st. A young Hungarian Vizla. He is a lovely dog but very highly strung. He does a good impression of a kangaroo while whining and barking. S&S hadn't seen them but I knew they'd gone up a drive a bit so I got fish out ready. When they spotted the Vizla they both immediately turned to nibble the fish in my hands. I stopped to speak S&S glanced at the bouncing dog occasionally but sat nibbling. ;D 2nd Giant schnauzer and standard poodle who have always attempted to eat us since S&S were pups. We followed them up the other end of our lane so I BATed from behind. S&S perfect kept looking at me then back at dogs so fish. They didn't pull or even start walking all big and puffed up. The other dogs stood in a field as we passed. ;D 3rd Bit of a wobble with this but redeemed. A white staffi that I think is probably friendly but it's difficult to tell. The lady is lovely but I don't think can control him very well he is big. S&S very good as we approached. Unfortunately the lane is narrow at that point especially now the verges are full of comfrey and cow parsley. As we started to pass only about two strides apart the staffi lunged at us then again S&S unfortunately barked back but didn't go over the top, stopped when told and settled quickly once passed. Lady started chatting instead of walking on however S&S nibbled on fish, even lay down while the staffi continued to lunge every so often. ;D. 4th. Just before home Toby the rescue dog. By now I think S&S had become immune. Looked at me, nibbled fish, glanced briefly at Toby. ;D That walk took a long time !!! :. I'm very pleased with them though even with the wobble. I think my old lab who rarely reacted to anything wouldn't have been happy with the staffi so all in all a successful long BATing session. ;D
Re: BAT tips Jen, this is just great and the teeny weeny wobble is negligible. You should be enorously proud of your boys being faced with so many different dogs and only 1 woof, I know I would be proud. Hats of to you for your perserverance xx
Re: BAT tips Thanks Helen. I am very pleased with them today. I think we must have hit exposure saturation point or whatever the technical term is this morning. We have just met the new rottweiller in the area on our lane. I think I've mentioned we had a bit of a run in with it up our drive a couple of months ago. Yesterday we met it on our lane with the lady. We BATed then stood to the side in a field gateway as there wasn't much room. S&S were good although a bit more interested and on their toes than I would've liked. However the woman did have a big golf brolly up. This afternoon we met it with the man same place. BATed S&S just sat by me had a look but not particularly interested even when the chap stopped to talk. ;D ;D We are on a roll. ;D ;D ;D. Just need some more strangers to accost with treats now. ;D ;D ;D
Re: BAT tips You are so lucky to have so many willing volunteers If asked could I BAT someone around here they would think I had finally lost the plot ;D You are indeed on a roll, well done xx
Re: BAT tips Thank you Helen. Thank you Naya. ;D [quote author=charlie link=topic=4934.msg81623#msg81623 date=1401031907] You are so lucky to have so many willing volunteers [/quote] Not sure they are willing or could be classed as volunteers.
Re: BAT tips [quote author=Jen link=topic=4934.msg81640#msg81640 date=1401032542] Not sure they are willing or could be classed as volunteers. [/quote] Not sure that matters ;D ;D
Re: BAT tips [quote author=bbrown link=topic=4934.msg81641#msg81641 date=1401032620] [quote author=Jen link=topic=4934.msg81640#msg81640 date=1401032542] Not sure they are willing or could be classed as volunteers. [/quote] Not sure that matters ;D ;D [/quote] ;D ;D ;D
Re: BAT tips I have a reactive dog and a narrow lane! How long did it take you to get to where you are now? I am most impressed
Re: BAT tips Thanks Rachael. Definite success today anyway. Hi Stacia. I ve been really focusing on this since March so only a couple of months really although I have been doing some classical counter conditioning with them for about 6/8 months. I think the big difference has been incorporating BAT. With BAT you look for your dogs self calming behaviour which it will do at some point after its spotted the trigger but before it reacts. My dogs look at me or you could teach your dog to look at you when it sees another dog using a treat as a lure to begin with. The act of looking at you naturally calms the dog and stops it focusing on the trigger. You then reward with a very tasty treat. A dog needs to be calm to learn to adjust its behaviour. On our narrow lane if I've no where to get out of the way once the dogs have looked at me I keep a tasty treat in my hand as we pass. As much of a sceptic as I am I have to admit it would seem to be working. ;D
Re: BAT tips I knew you'd modestly play it down But it IS a success story. Not just today or an incident here and there - the whole story! Yes, sometimes there'll be challenges that they can't completely manage to cope with, but that is just totally normal dog behaviour. You now have a tool that means you can cope with pretty much any situation you might come across, and that's a massive achievement.
Re: BAT tips [quote author=Oberon link=topic=4934.msg81843#msg81843 date=1401052251] I knew you'd modestly play it down But it IS a success story. Not just today or an incident here and there - the whole story! Yes, sometimes there'll be challenges that they can't completely manage to cope with, but that is just totally normal dog behaviour. You now have a tool that means you can cope with pretty much any situation you might come across, and that's a massive achievement. [/quote] ABSOLUTELY, Jen you've done a great job and we won't let you forget it either x
Re: BAT tips Thank you Jen, will work hard at it and let you know how it goes. Very helpful, as before I was luring him when he was in high arousal and he just ignored the treat
Re: BAT tips [quote author=Stacia link=topic=4934.msg81935#msg81935 date=1401096147] Very helpful, as before I was luring him when he was in high arousal and he just ignored the treat [/quote] I had the same problem Stacia. Our lane is pretty much straight so we can see a dog coming along way before we reach them. By the time we'd get to the point of passing my two would be big, puffed up, on their toes ready to go. . Now as we walk towards a dog at any distance they constantly look from the trigger to me, trigger to me so their attention is always being broken, they aren't fixating on the dog and are still low arousal when we pass. ;D [quote author=Oberon link=topic=4934.msg81843#msg81843 date=1401052251] Yes, sometimes there'll be challenges that they can't completely manage to cope with, but that is just totally normal dog behaviour. You now have a tool that means you can cope with pretty much any situation you might come across, and that's a massive achievement. [/quote] I hadn't really thought of it like that before Rachael. I guess your right. ;D ;D Boy did I need all my tools ths morning. : . It was a bit like end of year exams to test we'd learnt everything properly. I'm pleased to report Scott passed with flying colours A* , Scout little hiccup A . This morning on our walk with the rotties we ended up walking with Heidi the most reactive little dog I have ever met. A miniature schnauzer that starts to yap as soon as it sees another dog no matter how far away and doesn't stop. They live half way around our walk so we got yapped at for best part of 30 mins !!!! When we first joined it S&S looked at me so fishy treat. Scott then took no notice of it. He had more important things on his mind like the back end of a rottweiller bitch ! :. Scout curled his lip a little bit when it turned on him but then immediately looked at me. . I kept a bit of fish in my hand for scout until the end of the road, then a normal biscuit, then nothing. By then he'd stopped being interested. Now we just need to revise for the strange human trigger exam.
Re: BAT tips Nicely done Really impressive. Good tool work!!! I've been around much longer than your dogs and yet I still now and then find myself in situations that make me pretty stressed or want to yell or even just get the hell out of there. It wouldn't be normal to expect otherwise - for humans or dogs.
Re: BAT tips Jen you've done so well but don't forget how you've also helped others as you've been working through your own excercises.I've got a BAT book after reading your thread and I use 'Look at me' when we are heading towards a dog that Dexter is toooooo interested in after following your advice.I so admire you managing this progress with 2 dogs,you are brilliant x
Re: BAT tips Thank you Angela. I'm nearly blushing again. . I do hope this thread might be some help to people with reactive dogs. I think had I understood my dogs' problems sooner and found this method of training sooner they might not have got so bad. However better late than never and it is definitely working. I must remember though like Rachael has said some reactivity in certain situations is normal. That's the trouble when you have over reactive dogs you forget what normal is. : We have certainly made good progress quite quickly with their reactivity towards dogs. Progress with strange humans,although we have made some, is slower. I wonder if it's because their distrust and fear of humans is a rooted psychological fear whereas their reactivity towards dogs is more of a learnt behaviour picked up from reactive dogs having a go at them. As a general rule my dogs only react to dogs that have reacted to them before. Behaviour is quite an interesting subject when you start looking into it. It would be even more interesting if i didnt have to try and understand it.
