Calming Embrace

One of the biggest problems for Agitated dogZ is an inability to calm themselves.  They can't seem to switch from agitated (chaos) to calm and in control.  They must learn how to delay impulsive reactions and self-soothe; only then can they choose to behave in a socially acceptable manner.

The first key is to be careful which behaviors you reinforce.  If you reward calm behavior, you will get more calm behavior.  If you spend time revving your dog up, you will get more over-stimulated behavior.  Its important to realize your dog will not suddenly become a slow poke just because s/he can relax when off duty.  We are talking about the difference between being on and off - your dog doesn't have to be on all the time to be fast or energetic when its called for.  In fact, a dog who can self-regulate will be better able to demonstrate fast and smart behavior.

I talk about rewarding calm behavior in another blog, in a post called Capturing to Get Behaviors.  The part you'll want to pay the most attention to is the section on "Pennies From Heaven".  It is essential to catch the calm behaviors your dog is offering, versus using rewards to lure or bribe the dog to behave calmly.  If you lure/bribe for good behavior, you can unintentionally create more bad behavior, since the dog may learn "I'll be bad so I can be good and get rewarded".  Also beware of using your best treats.  You want to use a reward which works, but doesn't get the dog over-the-moon excited.  Start your capturing of calm behavior when the dog is already likely to be more calm.

You'll want to teach your dog to accept a calming embrace as a cue to relax.  Over time you will be able to get the same effect placing your palm on the dog's ribcage.

Start by gently embracing your dog and wait for him/her to relax even a tiny bit and then let go.  We aren't talking about freaking out your dog with a death-grip hold, no alpha rolls, no causing panic.  You determine what level of restraint your dog can tolerate without getting so worried they can't relax.  Remember, our goal is for the dog to learn relaxing is what causes the release.  So just gently hug/restrain the dog until it relaxes a little, then let go. 

In time your dog will relax more and more when you embrace him/her.  At some point, the hold becomes less and less hold, until you end up with a palm against the dog's ribs.

Practice the calming embrace up to ten times a day, ten reps each time.  This is up to 100 repetitions a day, but since each embrace is only one or two seconds long, including a second or three between embraces, you will still only spend, at most, 8 minutes a day.  Keep in mind, you can do this "training" while you are watching TV or during any other cuddle time, as well as separate training sessions.

Calming embrace training has two benefits.  First, you get a dog who doesn't panic and fight when restrained.  Its really nice to be able to gently position a dog for an x-ray without a struggle.  Second, you are getting up to 100 practice repetitions per day where your dog decides to relax and then does so.  Over time the dog is classically conditioned to relax in restraint, but this doesn't take away from the thousands of repetitions where s/he does so after a conscious decision.  

Many Agitated dogZ don't know what it feels like to be relaxed and comfortable in their own skin.  Once they experience it and get used to the new sensation, after the thousands of practice reps from Calming Embrace training, then they can get there on their own.