Helper Dog

Author: Denise Partlow

Instagram: @modernk9 Carolinas

Once you can successfully be outside your house and your dog remains calm and focused on you, then you are ready to add in dogs.

Start at a distance that is far enough for both of you-what you consider to be far enough may not be what your dog considers to be enough, so make sure you are at a distance were you both feel confident and calm. It is better to start too far away than too close.

Ask friends/family that you know have a well-mannered dog to walk past your house as a helper-dog; not all at the same time, possibly a different dog every few days; even if just for 5-10 minutes.

Remember, distance is key here. You don’t want your dog to react. You want your dog to feel comfortable so that he can learn. Put him in a “position-stay” that you know he can handle. I typically like to use a “place stay” because the dog can choose their own position. Being realistic here, there are probably going to be times your dog does react, so make sure you have the proper tools on your dog that give you enough control especially those of you with large powerful dogs.

The moment he notices the helper-dog, start marking & rewarding. Depending on the severity, I like to reward rapid-fire; the next treat is already being presented before he has finished chewing the other. Once the helper-dog has passed, praise your dog.
If your dog won’t take food, you may be too close OR you need a higher value reward.

When the helper-dog is far away, you can release your dog to go and sniff a bit incase he was feeling anxious at all with the other dog’s presence. Play is a great way to celebrate as well. You can even bring him back in the house for 30 seconds to reset. Put him back in the preferred position again and repeat and then repeat again and again and again.

You’ll want to repeat until he is barely phased or is actually looking forward to the reward. To advance this, you can gradually decrease the distance between dogs-but only go as close as your dog can handle. The distance change each time should be barely noticeable to your dog. Take your time, do not rush it. (See my story for more)

The next step involves adding movement with your dog.