Module 3
Lesson 1: Dealing with Hyper-Attachment - answerLesson 1: Dealing with Hyper-
Attachment
Hyper Attachment - answer- Dogs who are only happy with their owner.
- Can't cope with being left alone.
- Aren't comfortable being left home alone with just anybody.
Particular Considerations for Hyper Attached Dogs and Their Training - answer1.
Management - A really tricky issue with these guys. Hard to keep under threshold with
others.
2. Lots of opportunity to get dogs more comfortable with other people or when owner
isn't around. This is critical to their SA training. We do this by spreading the love.
Spreading the Love - answer- Encourage the owner to get two to three people other
than them or people to do more fun/good stuff in the dog's life. Great candidates are
daycare staff and pet sitters.
-If taking the pet sitter route, dogs often do better when the sitter comes to the dog's
home vs. going to the sitters house.
- Other family members are also great candidates.
- Main caretaker needs to back off a bit and other people need to step up more. i.e. with
playing, feeding, walking.
What do we do with a dog who is struggling to be without their significant person? -
answer- Get owner to do The Least/Worst Alternative Exercise.
- Get the client to go through an exercise where they rank different scenarios in a dog's
life from scariest to best. Scariest is going to be entirely on their own. Best is being with
their special person, but there are always going to be degrees in between.
- Do a rank order.
- Then owners choose the least worst alternative.
Hyper-Attached Dogs and Medication - answer- Helps management their threshold
when management is stressing them out bc we can't get anyone else to be with them.
This buys us time.
- All hyper-attached dogs needs meds. Other types of SA could/should be on meds, but
this is imperative for hyper-attached dogs.
, Lesson 2: Handling the Frustrated Dog - answerLesson 2: Handling the Frustrated Dog
Frustration - answer- This method will help frustrated, anxious, or bored dogs become
more tolerant of alone time.
- They will never love it, but they will come to accept it.
Frustration Cont. - answer- Can experience frustration in the moment but also in
anticipation of a frustrating event.
- Get frustrated when we remove them from things they want.
- i.e. Having to call to cancel your cell phone service.
How to Help Frustrated Dogs - answer- We gradually increase their tolerance of being
left alone.
- We no longer frustrate them because we show them they can actually manage being
alone.
- Do not leave the dog to bark it out - especially important because what if we guessed
wrong and the dog is fearful?!
The "Three E's" - answer1. Exercise
2. Enrichment
3. Expectations
- Really have owners focus on the first two.
- Especially important because sometimes just bumping up the first two can be enough.
Expectations Management (One of the Three E's) - answer- We need to teach dogs that
the owner going out of the door isn't always exciting or something in it for them.
- Helpful to teach dogs when the dog may be accompanying the owner and when they
will have to stay behind.
- Add verbal cue:
"You're staying" or "You're coming with me"
- Or they can try a gear change: Collar on or collar off.
Lesson 3: The Door is a Bore - answerLesson 3: The Door is a Bore
Door is a Bore - answer- Used with owners who can't even get close to getting out the
door without the dog freaking out.
- We don't start training with absences.
- Instead, we start with the door.
- Our goal is to teach the dog the door is meaningless.
How Does 'Door is a Bore' Work? - answer- Repeat each step 10x. Then slowly build
duration of each step to 5 seconds.
- Where do you start? That depends. Ask yourself, "What can the dog do right now?"
- Door is a bore is good for all SA dogs...frustrated or fearful. Just builds in lots of
positive repetitions.
- Good exercise when you're pressed for time. Better than no training at all.
Lesson 1: Dealing with Hyper-Attachment - answerLesson 1: Dealing with Hyper-
Attachment
Hyper Attachment - answer- Dogs who are only happy with their owner.
- Can't cope with being left alone.
- Aren't comfortable being left home alone with just anybody.
Particular Considerations for Hyper Attached Dogs and Their Training - answer1.
Management - A really tricky issue with these guys. Hard to keep under threshold with
others.
2. Lots of opportunity to get dogs more comfortable with other people or when owner
isn't around. This is critical to their SA training. We do this by spreading the love.
Spreading the Love - answer- Encourage the owner to get two to three people other
than them or people to do more fun/good stuff in the dog's life. Great candidates are
daycare staff and pet sitters.
-If taking the pet sitter route, dogs often do better when the sitter comes to the dog's
home vs. going to the sitters house.
- Other family members are also great candidates.
- Main caretaker needs to back off a bit and other people need to step up more. i.e. with
playing, feeding, walking.
What do we do with a dog who is struggling to be without their significant person? -
answer- Get owner to do The Least/Worst Alternative Exercise.
- Get the client to go through an exercise where they rank different scenarios in a dog's
life from scariest to best. Scariest is going to be entirely on their own. Best is being with
their special person, but there are always going to be degrees in between.
- Do a rank order.
- Then owners choose the least worst alternative.
Hyper-Attached Dogs and Medication - answer- Helps management their threshold
when management is stressing them out bc we can't get anyone else to be with them.
This buys us time.
- All hyper-attached dogs needs meds. Other types of SA could/should be on meds, but
this is imperative for hyper-attached dogs.
, Lesson 2: Handling the Frustrated Dog - answerLesson 2: Handling the Frustrated Dog
Frustration - answer- This method will help frustrated, anxious, or bored dogs become
more tolerant of alone time.
- They will never love it, but they will come to accept it.
Frustration Cont. - answer- Can experience frustration in the moment but also in
anticipation of a frustrating event.
- Get frustrated when we remove them from things they want.
- i.e. Having to call to cancel your cell phone service.
How to Help Frustrated Dogs - answer- We gradually increase their tolerance of being
left alone.
- We no longer frustrate them because we show them they can actually manage being
alone.
- Do not leave the dog to bark it out - especially important because what if we guessed
wrong and the dog is fearful?!
The "Three E's" - answer1. Exercise
2. Enrichment
3. Expectations
- Really have owners focus on the first two.
- Especially important because sometimes just bumping up the first two can be enough.
Expectations Management (One of the Three E's) - answer- We need to teach dogs that
the owner going out of the door isn't always exciting or something in it for them.
- Helpful to teach dogs when the dog may be accompanying the owner and when they
will have to stay behind.
- Add verbal cue:
"You're staying" or "You're coming with me"
- Or they can try a gear change: Collar on or collar off.
Lesson 3: The Door is a Bore - answerLesson 3: The Door is a Bore
Door is a Bore - answer- Used with owners who can't even get close to getting out the
door without the dog freaking out.
- We don't start training with absences.
- Instead, we start with the door.
- Our goal is to teach the dog the door is meaningless.
How Does 'Door is a Bore' Work? - answer- Repeat each step 10x. Then slowly build
duration of each step to 5 seconds.
- Where do you start? That depends. Ask yourself, "What can the dog do right now?"
- Door is a bore is good for all SA dogs...frustrated or fearful. Just builds in lots of
positive repetitions.
- Good exercise when you're pressed for time. Better than no training at all.
