Sunday, February 3, 2013

Clicker Expo 2013: Emma Parsons: Introducting Puppy into Reactive Dog Household

I was hoping this would be a how-to, but instead it was Emma's personal account of how she introduced a puppy into her home with an adult dog-reactive dog.

"go touch" cue for fearful dogs
do not force reactive dog to accept new puppy - be prepared for long-term management
reinforce behavior you like
kept totally separated for first two weeks, other than crates side by side in car and at night
carried puppy through house - adult reinforced when he reached up to sniff puppy's feet
baby gate with minimal exposure - adult gets accustomed to sight and sound of puppy, but is free to approach or retreat (puppy was gated into kitchen - good for puppy's training anyway!)
reactive dog regressed in comfort level with pup and guarding behavior when Emma had surgery and didn't clicker train them for a few weeks
if one dog got a treat, they all got a treat
go to mat - get out of the way
big yard with puppy on leash: c/t session - DRO
very short interactions loose in yard
total integration after four months
prevent practice of unwanted behavior

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