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Week 5: BAT
- BAT Set-Up for Frustration
- History of BAT & Frustration
- Training: Silky Leash Technique for Loose Leash Walking
BAT SET-UP FOR FRUSTRATION
The BAT set-ups for frustration look pretty much the same as they do for anything else. Work in an enriched environment and follow the dog, but a Slow Stop or walk to the side if the dog starts to walk directly at the trigger or is on the verge of overarousal. For example, if the dog is wearing a heart rate monitor and I see the rate going up, I might walk to the side, do a Slow Stop, or reduce the level of exciting activity from the Helper.
Here’s a reminder of what BAT set-ups look like.
[vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/121320538″]
[vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/135890732″]
There are small differences, however, when you’re focusing on frustration. When I’m sure that the motivation is frustration, I will do Mark and Move for longer during greetings. Here’s an example of Mark and Move.
I’m more likely to switch to working mode, meaning that I might use more of the other techniques that we already spoke of in this class: On/Off Switch, Premack principle, and straight clicker training for attention, heel, etc. But even with dogs who have frustration, I prefer working without all of that extra clutter, if possible, so the dog is clearly learning about the social situation at hand. He’s learning to pay attention to the signals of the other dog or person, for example, and navigating using social behavior.
I am likely to use Mark and Move for longer with frustration, because that last 10 feet or so is extra “magnetic,” by which I mean that the dog is really, really interested in getting in for a sniff or to play and has a hard time being casual unless there’s another obvious motivator for moving away or being relaxed.
With any BAT set-up, we want to work in an enriched environment to help keep arousal down. Even if the emotion is frustration and not fear or panic, I still want to avoid it, to help the dog make clear choices. Your best option is to find a natural environment that has plenty of interesting odors. Walk at the edges of the field instead of the center or find an area with trees and bushes in it. You can also do a more artificial “parallel play” type activity by have mellow activity stations in the area, like dog-friendly spices/odors on the grass, boxes with treats inside, or parmesan cheese Sprinkles. That way, the dog can choose to do that other activity instead of being solely 100% driven to get to the other dog.
Set your dog up for success by exercising your dog in advance and doing something calming before and during breaks like finding treats (hidden in advance) or doing a massage (good time to use your relaxation cue if you have one). When I filmed the new BAT 2.0 Set-Ups DVD, I worked with a dog that had a very hard time settling. We did a series of recalls up and down a hill and then walked him a bit before the BAT set-up to him relax. That worked wonders.
Move slowly. Set the tone by being relaxed.
If the slow pace frustrates your dog, make the local area more interesting for exploration and/or move the trigger farther away. If that still doesn’t work and the dog has already had exercise, You can switch to doing Mark and Move for a bit. When reinforcing, scatter the treats so that the dog investigates the area.
When you start to get up close with a live trigger, switch into following versus having a stationary trigger, at least at first. Use Mark and Move when they get to the point of sniffing the other dog or person. Gradually allow longer and longer greetings before you Mark, Move away, and reinforce, then allow the dog to return if she wants.
Even though a purely frustrated dog (if there is such a thing) does not always want to go forward. When you first start working, you can do really big zig zags with your dog toward the trigger until he notices it. But once your dog is aware of the trigger, be sure not to lead your dog toward the trigger, even doing Mark and Move. This is the same as with any other kind of BAT.
“Even with frustration? WHY?”
Well there are many reasons especially relevant to frustration, but here are 4:
- Dogs who only want to approach the trigger without reservation are few and far between. A lot of “frustration” cases I see are actually a mix of frustration and fear.
- If your dog is paying attention to the other dog, her timing of when to move forward may be better than yours. She’s a native speaker in that conversation.
- If your dog actually IS showing some self-control and is pausing instead of rushing at the trigger, you’ll probably just override that by moving forward. You’re a bad influence, so to speak.
- You’re getting her to move forward without really thinking, exactly when we are trying to teach a thoughtful approach.
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