While you’re performed with coaching your fearful canine to like one thing, it’s vital to consider the best way to preserve your nice outcomes.
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Final July, the climate lastly turned sizzling. It might have been an distinctive heatwave if it weren’t for the heatdome that we sweated by way of a couple of years earlier than. It was actually sizzling. So we set the air conditioning unit up within the kitchen and within the morning, I went and turned it on.
I seen Pepper, my Shih Tzu, was close to my ft. This was a shock as a result of I didn’t suppose the aircon unit could be of a lot curiosity to him. He was taking a look at me expectantly and I felt like I used to be being sluggish on the uptake. What had simply occurred that had been of particular curiosity to Pepper?
I had turned the aircon unit on and—I used to be positively sluggish on the uptake. It had beeped. Three little delicate beeps to say it was about to come back on.
Beeps imply treats and Pepper couldn’t be dissatisfied. Although it was by now a bit late, I went and bought him a deal with.
Beeps imply treats
Beeps imply treats as a result of prior to now, we’ve needed to get Pepper used to the noises of the espresso machine in order that they didn’t alarm him. (You’ll be able to examine this in my new e-book, Bark! The Science of Serving to Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Canine).
And beeps particularly imply treats as a result of final 12 months we bought an air fryer which works BEEP each time you contact a button or it does one thing, BEEP BEEP, and Pepper discovered this terrifying. I imply, I discover it disagreeable such that I ponder who designed a machine to make such loud BEEPS with out an choice to show it off.
We briefly debated taking the air fryer aside to see if we might disable the beeping mechanism, however as an alternative we bought some wonderful treats and did some counterconditioning. It helped so much, however we solely did a couple of coaching periods. Then we bought bored of the air fryer, so we didn’t end the coaching.
That implies that for now we nonetheless can’t use the air fryer with out being ready to do counterconditioning on the similar time, in any other case poor Pepper may grow to be a quivering wreck.
I don’t blame him. These disagreeable BEEPS are unnecessarily loud and annoying.
I stated for now, as a result of I’m positive that if we have been constant in coaching him, we might get him used to those beeps. That might imply having good snacks prepared, comparable to items of cooked hen within the fridge, in order that each time the machine went BEEP we might run and get a bit to offer him. (There’s extra on the best way to do counterconditioning right here).
With time and coaching, Pepper would be taught to love the beeps simply as he did the noises of the espresso machine. In reality the sound of the espresso beans being floor is now a form of recall cue, as a result of when he hears it, he comes working from wherever he’s in the home to get his deal with.
However there’s something vital to find out about counterconditioning: it really works brilliantly, and it really works better of all when, though it’s completed, you proceed to do some upkeep coaching.
Upkeep coaching in counterconditioning
Upkeep coaching retains all the pieces tuned up. It simply implies that every so often, though your canine is now used to the factor they beforehand thought of scary, you’ll nonetheless be sure that generally it’s adopted by an incredible snackie simply to remind them that it’s a factor to like now.
The rationale for that is that worry reminiscences are by no means utterly erased. Metaphorically talking, it’s such as you’ve piled an entire load of fine reminiscences on high of them whenever you do counter conditioning.
And now that the coaching has been profitable, you continue to need to pile the occasional good reminiscence up there.
That’s why I gave Pepper a deal with for the beep from the aircon unit. I used to be sluggish to appreciate as a result of I had barely registered the beeps, however he has clearly generalized from his earlier coaching and discovered that each one beeps are more likely to be adopted by treats. So he preferred listening to the beep, and I wasn’t going to disappoint him.
A little bit of upkeep coaching every so often helps to guard the coaching you’ve already performed.
And within the course of, it definitely made Pepper completely satisfied. An sudden beep led to an ideal snack.
We’ve by no means performed any coaching across the particular beep that the air conditioning unit makes. Pepper’s response to it’s a good little signal of how nicely counter conditioning works.
It was a reminder that canine take note of issues that we’d ignore.
And it was additionally a chance to make sure that the counterconditioning retains on working. Subsequent time, I hope I received’t be so sluggish on the uptake.
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