For dogs who struggle with anxiety, nervousness, reactivity, excitability, overstimulation, and more, teaching and utilizing Pattern Games can be immensely helpful to better enable them to regulate their energy and emotions.
Dogs are great problem solvers and naturally spot patterns. We can utilize this awareness to our benefit by teaching and utilizing pattern games with our pups when needing to create a situation with predictability, clear expectations, and high reward.
Pattern games can be immeasurably useful for helping get your pup’s focus and maintaining it as well. Consider if you’re walking on a busy city street and unable to avoid passing another dog, how much easier might it be if your dog’s full attention was on you, rather than attempting to sniff and greet the passing friend?
How to Teach and Play Pattern Games with Your Pup:
What you need:
· High incentive snacks
We love Stewarts Freeze Dried Treats, Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Treats, Kingdom Pets Dehydrated Chicken, and Stella and Chewy’s Meal Mixers.
· Your pup
· A Low distraction environment to begin
How to Teach Pattern Games:
· Identify a pattern you want to teach your dog.
o 1,2,3 (treat on 3)
o Ready, Set, Catch!
o Ready, Set, Touch!
· Have your treats broken up in small pieces and easily accessible. This is one of the few games that it is ok to have your treat in your hand in order to ensure swift timing of reward while we teach.
· Settle into a low distraction environment with your pup. We love bathrooms for training, quiet places inside the home, and fenced backyards with low distractions.
· For the purpose of this example, we’ll focus on the 1,2,3 pattern game. Begin counting, out loud, 1,2,3. When you get to 3, immediately deliver a treat to your dogs mouth, as you say 3.
· Repeat 10-15 times so that your dog begins to anticipate the number 3 and the subsequent reward as you say the number.
· Begin playing with your tone and inflection, knowing we sometimes change these things and they can change the message and energy of what we’re saying. Play with the timing of counting as well, spacing out the time between the numbers to a few seconds. Repeat 10-15 times more, always rewarding right as you say 3.
· Begin to take the game on the move. Leash your dog, in the same low distraction environment, and begin to count “1, 2, 3” rewarding on 3.
· Practice this pattern in low distraction environments before bringing it to higher distraction environments like common areas, in front of your home, in parks, while walking etc.
· Practice often! Our pups are only able to perform behaviors that we have practiced at length in a variety of situations and settings and only while they are under threshold. If you wait until your dog reactive dog is approaching another dog to practice this, they are unlikely to be successful. We want to ALWAYS aim to set our dogs up for success, knowing being proactive is better than reactive.
How to use this new skill:
· Anytime your dog appears unsure, anxious, unclear of the expectation and needing a little guidance and fun.
· When your pup appears distracted and disengaged from you.
· When passing distractions, like squirrels, kids, other dogs, humans, scooters, etc.
· Anytime you want to build your relationship with your pup.
· For fun!
Creating predictability and consistency allows our dogs to feel more confident and secure in our relationship and the knowledge that we have their back. Utilizing tools like pattern games, creating routines, demonstrating consistent behavior and expectations, can all help pups thrive, especially those friends who tend to be anxious or lack confidence.
Want more guidance on teaching your pup pattern games? Need some help setting your reactive dog up for success and minimizing their anxiety? Set up a consultation and let us help!
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