Begin by teaching your dog that things can come over and around him and move suddenly. Make sure that the animal is in a calm and confident state of mind. Take a plastic shopping bag and fill it with anything that will create strange movement – swing it gently ahead and behind you as your arms move on the walk. If your dog is reactive to this, slow down the movement of your arm. The goal is to use your ENERGY to show the dog that you are not worried about this distractor and are not concerned. You are walking ahead and focused on your job as provider and protector. Focusing on your dog shows that you are waiting to see his reaction – which in the dog world creates a feeling that HE is in charge because you are waiting to see what he will do.
Once you have succeeded in acclimating your dog to the new stimulus, switch hands so that your leash hand now holds the item to which you are familiarizing your dog. Some dogs will react by pulling away from the item. In that case, just pass the object near your dog once and then remove the item but keep moving. You should keep moving forward. After the dog becomes familiar with the item in the same hand as the leash, move the item in a gentle swinging motion near the dog but obviously do not hit the dog. Simply move the item as if it is a normal swinging item in your hand. This will familiarize the dog with the item. Dogs of herding and sporting breeds are particularly wary or moving objects. Remember, the goal is not to frighten your dog but rather bore him with the items on or around him.
Our goal is always to ensure that we are building upon progress and not causing damage by frightening your trusted buddy. Dogs learn at different rates. So, don’t push your dog beyond his comfort zone but rather “stretch him out of his comfort zone”, as Dr Temple Grandin advises. Again, set your dog up for success, not for failure.™
Once you have familiarized your dog with different distractors, let your dog have some fun. Pet him and reassure him of what a great job he has done. You are not rewarding each individual time because this is NOT obedience. This is not operant conditions. We are helping your dog understand that this is not a big deal.
Behavioral modification involves the “Rule of Threes”™. This refers to the technique of repeating the work with the distractor or the situation at least three times in a row. You need to give the dog a little time to decompress, but this is probably only a matter of a few seconds, not hours for the dog to process.
After a dog processes information he will lick his lips, yawn, pant, shake off or stretch. You should see your dog licking, yawning or panting after each of these distractors is introduced and mastered. This is how you know your dog “gets it”.
Once you have conquered all the potential fears your dog may have, begin to introduce strangers holding these items and objects and have them walk next to you with the items in their hands. Let them swing the items gently and have them put them on the side where your dog walks next to you – so it is you, your dog and then the stranger all walking together. Once your dog is no longer reactive, and you have held fast to the “Rule of Threes”, continue until your dog has no reaction. After that, have the person come toward you and have them swinging the time past your dog. Remember that dogs see things in different ways from left and right, clockwise and counterclockwise. So repeat all these exercises while walking in both directions and on both sides.
When your dog begins to ignore surroundings, it’s time to start with older kids. Enlist the help of a neighborhood teenager who is calm and takes direction well. Repeat all the exercises with that teenager and then move down to perhaps a middle school child who is mature and can help. If your dog is reactive to the younger children and you seem to be at an impasse, reach out to a behaviorist.