*Disclosure: We only recommend products we have used ourselves and trust. This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Calm Confident Confinement Crash Course- This is intended to help ease the anxious tendencies of dogs who have learned to require your presence to "be ok" and feel calm. It is unhealthy and problematic when they have become your shadow, clingy or won't let you leave an area without them. The goal is to allow them to learn that they are ok even when you're not with them. This is crucial for the physical and psychological well-being of our canine companions.
1) Find small moments to confine them alone with the door closed in a variety of locations such as their kennel, the bathroom, your room, etc.
2) Both in the line of sight and out of sight. Avoid eye contact, talking, or touching.
3) Toss high-value treats away from you when you're leaving an area, randomly throughout the day when home.
4) Various short but unpredictable time intervals: 10 seconds, 1 minute, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 5 seconds, etc.
5) Do these independence exercises when: showering, brushing teeth, getting the mail, watching a show, checking your email, standing in the hallway doing nothing, talking on the phone, cooking/eating, walking by them and ignoring them, napping, exercising, reading, etc.
6) Switch up your "exit" routine: Don't follow the same process and routine as our rituals can be triggers that create anxiety under the surface that grows with each other activity that occurs in that process. Ex: Cue to go to the kennel with work uniform on after your usual "getting ready for work" process, Grabbing keys, shoes on, jacket on, work clothes on, lunch box, the door opens, door locks when you leave, the car starts, the car goes down the driveway.
7) Have them eat their meals out of a favorite food puzzle twice a day in a confinement area, left alone for 15 minutes.
8) Do mini kennel positivity moments: Lure into the kennel, toss some treats, and close the door. Leave the room for 5 seconds, if quiet- return and drop a treat in the kennel with NO verbal, eye contact, or touch, Leave again for 5 sec, repeat 5 times. Go to 10 seconds x 5. Go to 15 sec x 5 if going well. Last time you go to them, no treat but open the door and IGNORE them completely for 1 minute or until completely calm and not following you around.
9) Do not offer any attention/reinforcement of any kind when they begin to get worked up, being vocal, anxious, or scratching, these are behaviors that are aimed at eliciting a response from you. This includes any verbal communication, touching/petting, and looking at. If we "give in", we are literally saying in dog language "Yes! That is exactly what I want you to do! Bark and scratch and worry, good job!"
10) They must be calm and quiet for at LEAST 3-5 seconds before you can offer verbal praise "Good quiet." from another room, out of sight. Then, wait until the next 3-5 second pause, repeat verbal praise, and so on. Once they have built up a 10-15 second pause, you can go open the door and IGNORE them for a few minutes. There can be NO reward or praise associated with exiting the kennel, into your presence. This is the exact thing we're trying to fix!
Try these:
More body AND brain exercise- enrichment
Teach new tricks
Let them be dogs- playing with other dogs, being outdoors, performing the "work" that's familiar to their breed(s)
Adaptil spray, diffuser, collar
White noise machine, gentle quiet music, or box fan in the background
Thunder shirt
Worn t-shirt of yours
Snuggle puppy with heartbeat
Cover the kennel with a blanket
A bigger kennel
Moving the kennel
TV on
Comments