Between now and the next Pause to Practice, we will be discussing ways to help your puppy be confident in his surroundings.

The Environment:

• Surfaces
• Sounds
• Moving objects
• Balance & proprioception
• Parallel play
• Training: Stay / stop
• Training: Targeting head into objects (For example, Elizabethan collar or cone, muzzle, cereal box)

[s2If current_user_cannot(access_s2member_ccap_course_003_ep)]

To view this lesson, please purchase the Empowered Puppy Raising course or log in if you have already purchased it.[/s2If]

[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_ccap_course_003_ep)]

So far, we have worked on socialization with live animals, including humans and all of the various things we do to dogs, like vet care. Help your puppy become confident about what comes into his senses from the rest of the world around him, as well. That includes the physical sensation of what his paw pads and body touch, the sensation of balance being off and regained, the sounds that come into his ears, the feeling of deep bass, seeing fast moving objects, and the look of visual surfaces, like shiny floors.

SURFACES

With our feet safely wrapped in shoes and socks, we humans may not notice that there are many different surfaces on our daily walks. For our dogs, each surface is a different sensation. We all probably know this, in theory, but if you are brave enough to go out on a walk barefoot or happen to have a pair of barefoot shoes, do so, and pay attention to your body as you walk around. When I first started wearing the barefoot shoes, I was awestruck at how every surface has a unique sensation. Tile, carpet, round gravel, sharp gravel, grass, dirt…each surface feels different. And yet people so often drag their dogs along, expecting a constant heel over all of these different surfaces.

When a dog has not experienced a variety of surfaces as a puppy, encountering a new surface can make them anxious. Let’s take a look at some of the different surfaces that your puppy should have a chance to walk on. There may be even more in your region that I haven’t thought of – if so, please share that in the discussion.

• Tile
• wood (polished floors, rough outdoor decks, wood chips, or walking on downed trees)
• agility obstacles (rubberized or sand in paint)
• carpet/rug (thin, thick, rag, sisal)
• round gravel
• sharp gravel
• grass (short & tall)
• fake grass
• plants (for example, dandelions)
• pavement
• cobblestones
• large paving stones
• brick
• dirt
• mud
• mud puddle
• elevator entrance
• uneven surface or mixed medium (dirt and stones, objects on floor)
• cardboard
• bubble wrap
• paper
• metal street grates and manhole covers? (see below)
• metal (flat, bumpy, or patterns of holes)
• surfaces with holes in them where the dog can see down below (like a wooden deck or stairs with gaps between boards)
• rubber matting
• Welcome mat (woven or prickly for wiping feet)
• towel
• Higher surfaces, like a table that puppy is lifted onto
• Surfaces that move or require a balance change will be covered under proprioception (stairs, ramps, elevators, wobble boards, ice, water, etc.)

The good news is that you don’t have to get your dog used to every single surface that he will ever feel. But he should have a wide variety of surfaces so that he can start to be comfortable with the concept that a change of surface is not a bad thing. And you should be aware that a surface change may cause your dog to become less confident or suddenly lose focus on you. This can happen in puppyhood but may happen at any point during your dog’s life.

There are many ways to get your puppy comfortable with a surface. I want to make sure to do the options at the top of the list at some point, because there is less of a distraction and the puppy can get more information about the surface. That makes it easier to extend to another situation later. The other reason I want you to do the items at the top of the list is that sometimes using treats can mask the fear. A puppy may go onto a surface to get a treat, but completely avoid it otherwise. In that case, we have not properly desensitized the puppy to that surface.

Please don’t think that I’m saying we should not use treats to help a puppy make a good association with that surface. You can always use treats at first if you want, but make sure to go up the list as well.

Your puppy will sometimes show cautious body language and need a bit of help. In that case, go as far down the list as you need for your puppy to be confident, being sure to also work your way back up the list at some point. When in doubt, assume your puppy needs help.

Have your puppy off leash or on a long line using your BAT leash skills. If your puppy needs to stop to process information, be sure to allow him to do so. There will be many opportunities to get your puppy used to new surfaces on your regular walk.

• (BE SURE TO DO THIS AT SOME POINT) Let your puppy explore the surface on his own. Walk around with him if it’s large. Stay relaxed and calm. Praise calmly if he checks in with you, not so excitedly that he’s now only staring at you. Let him learn that it’s no big deal. Training is distracting so let him just do this on his own without constantly training.
• Set out treats in the area and let him explore and find them. These are found objects, not a cued Find It. If you feel uncomfortable putting food on this surface, you can put the treats in food bowls or paper cups.
• We have already worked on finding treats in different types of containers with a cued Find It. Do this on different surfaces.
• Set out a food puzzle for him to find in the area. Let him finish his puzzle in peace.
• Use touch to bring him closer to the area and farther away again. So he does touch close to the surface, then you move away and treat him. Repeat until he’s comfortably going onto the surface. Leslie McDevitt calls this “puppy ping pong.”
• At some point, also cue Sit or Down or other position changes on the different surfaces. This helps generalize the training so your puppy knows that what these cue mean in all of those places. It also brings a different part of your dog’s body in contact with the surface.

Here’s a video from Emily Larlham on getting puppies used to surfaces and sounds:

[/s2If]