Many of our dogs with Big Feelings have especially strong feelings about seemingly sudden changes in the environment – a new person popping out from behind a car, a guest standing up to get a drink, or a fellow hiker on a quiet trail that has just come into view. Our dogs with big feelings are often hyper-vigilant – but sometimes we spot the triggers before they do!
When you know something is going to trigger your dog, help take the edge off by giving them a calm heads up!
First, Practice!
When you introduce your dog to trigger announcements, start small! Choose a trigger that’s close enough that your dog will notice, but far enough away that your dog won’t go over threshold. For this, we will use the phrase “There’s a neighbor!” to announce a stranger appearing.
- Hang out with your dog like normal. As soon as you see the stranger, say “There’s a neighbor!”
- After your dog sees the neighbor, you can use your training games to help support them and keep them successful.
That’s it!
Tips for Success
- Use a different phrase for different triggers – new people appearing should be a different cue from new dogs appearing, or people suddenly getting up from where they’re seated.
- Use phrases that are easy for you to remember! “There’s a neighbor!” works well because, well, most of the time our dogs are seeing our neighbors!
- If announcing the trigger immediately puts your dog into a state of hyper vigilance – go back and practice around triggers that are further away and much less intense. This is a tool to reduce arousal – not spike it!
“Heads up!” for Tactile Triggers & Cooperative Care
Announcing triggers can also help for dogs that have tactile triggers, are body sensitive, or that are sensitive to specific handling (like nail trims!) The goal of announcing triggers is to turn a difficult to predict situation into a calm & smooth routine. Here’s how to practice:
- Get comfy with your dog! Sit near them, and consider asking them to sit or down.
- If they can’t sit still, consider trying a few rounds of Relaxation Protocol to get them into the right mindset.
- Say “touch” and reach out to touch their shoulder.
- Say “yes” and deliver a treat.
- After they eat the treat, repeat: “Touch” ⇨ reach out and touch their shoulder ⇨ “Yes” ⇨ deliver treat.
If your dog flinches or pulls away, don’t make it harder! Repeat the cycle a few times, until your dog expects the contact after you give the cue. If your dog seems utterly unaffected, you’re ready to move on! To generalize this to something like nail trims, get specific with your announcement:
- Say “Toes” and reach out and touch their shoulder, then slide your hand towards their elbow.
- Before they get uncomfortable, say “Yes!”, remove your hand, and deliver a treat.
- Repeat this, starting at the shoulder each time.
- As your dog gets comfy, slide further along their leg until you can pick up their paw without them pulling away.
- Progress to handling their toes for a few seconds, then messing with their nails, etc.
