# Building confidence



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I'm thinking on the dog in class. What kind of training class is it? Is it with a real training club or group, or at a Petsmart/Petco type class?
I ask because it seems pretty easy to say the owner of the other dog wasn't paying attention to his dog, and that while you shouldn't have to watch behind your back any time you are in a crowded with dogs situation you DO have to watch behind your back. I know a dog who was attacked probably 10 times as a young boy, so many times in fact, that I instigated a friendly repossession. He did not lack confidence nor was he ever attacked again once he lived w us. But obviously he exuded some sort of 'attack me' smell, since they were also out of the blue about half the time, and also obviously the owner at that time did not protect him from scenarios that led up to attacks. 
All that to say, be very aware of your own energy and behavior in crowd situations. And take her for lots and lots of walks, busy sidewalks, lots of store windows. Don't dote on it when she seems afraid of a reflection, just keep right on going after you've let her investigate one time a day. She'll grow more confident when she succeeds at normal life. The treats, etc are a great idea and getting her in a serious class is a good idea too. Somewhere that they have specific exercises such as the novice exercises that build on themselves. Or an agility class in preferred height- she's old enough to do that- and let her succeed at it. Agility is a great confidence building venue.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Personally, I would halt ALL classes. Take time out to build confidence and tricks at home, then in quiet public places, then in busier public places as confidence grows. Carefully consider brick n mortar classes - you may be better off taking privates and/or online classes.

If and when Cricket seems to gain confidence or at least the ability to zero in on you when around other dogs, possibly search out a well organized class where the instructor is on top of things and/or the handlers are experienced.

Case in point - an unruly dog combined with a handler who was clueless and unwilling to control her dog in a class a few weeks ago. Her dog jumped on my Brady (twice) who was a good 5 feet away and she started bitching about how the class was too crowded -- no, she had no business allowing her dog a loose 6 foot lead and not stepping in to correct her dog when he jumped on Brady -- and then she (the owner) was mega insulted when I stepped between her dog and my Brady a few times when it looked like a jump was going to happen -- staring down her dog and telling said owner that if she did not correct her dog, I would. I also spoke with the instructor.

Point being, it is up to you to protect and advocate for your dog if you find yourself in a situation like that -- it is hard!! but I inadvertently put my Brady in a situation where he would have been perfectly justified in taking that dog's face off or perhaps started reacting in an unconfident way -- and with Brady I actively work at keeping his confidence up and his tail happy. It took quite awhile to train Brady that when he is in doubt, to look to me for guidance and to build the trust that I would (and have) stepped in to take a bite intended for him. That uncontrolled dog was not going to set back those lessons.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Absolutely- any class needs to be in a place where the instructor is not just a 'I took a certifying dog trainer class in a weekend online' teacher.... go to a serious place where they teach competition. There they will know how to help you in paying attention yourself to what's going on and how to avert it before it happens. I didn't state it well, I guess- but I too would just keep her out of classes till you get on top of it, and then take her to a serious place for classes, not to a Petsmart type class scenario. Agility would be wonderful for her. Anything where she can succeed and your teacher is interested in her success.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Take some time off, give Cricket some time to relax and recover at home, where she is feeling safe. Suggest getting the book 'On Talking Terms with Dogs by Turid Rugaas, to help you learn dog body language, how dogs 'speak' to us and other dogs, so that you can understand when she is telling you she is anxious/stressed and can avoid or remove her from situations that are or are becoming overwhelming for her. A scared dog cannot learn, they are in flight or fight mode - survival is all they have on their minds. 

Avoid 'flooding' her - taking her to places that she is unable to handle, while you work with her, it may take weeks, or months there is no set 'time frame', doing so can result in creating a dog who is 'reactive', escalates to growl, bark and lunge in order to create space, keep herself feeling safe. Avoid places where she is likely to encounter dogs up close, take her to parks where open places where you can create or maintain distance should you see another dog. If she does see another dog at a distance that she can stay calm, work at on counter conditioning, turn her away from the other dog, work at keeping her attention on you, let her look, if she chooses to, she will want to keep and eye on where it is, give lots of praise, feed treats, when her attention is on you, give her lots of praise, tell her she is a very good girl - give her lots of positive feedback. If she is able, give her something else to focus on, engage her mind with a toy, or performing known behaviors, and reward her, lots of praise, for doing them. Once she is able to see a dog at a distance and can stay relaxed, the gradually work at a closer distance, give her lots of feedback, let her know she is being a wonderful girl, keeping in mind that 'doing nothing' (ie: sitting/laying calmly, checking in with you) is a rewardable behavior. 

If she has doggie friends, ones that she trusts, knows well, set up play dates in safe area where she can interact with them. This requires your active participation - feedback from you, give her lots of praise, for any behavior you like. Where she can practice her dog to dog skills, and keep those behaviors intact.
Unfortunately fearful dogs can become 'target' dogs (easy 'prey') for those dogs who feel so inclined to be rude or 'aggressive' and attack. 


Confidence building. 'Shaping' games such as: 
101 Things to Do with a Box | Karen Pryor Clicker Training are a great way to begin to build confidence. 
'Back yard' agility, doesn't have to be fancy, something to jump over, walk on, go under, walk around or through, reward with lots of meaningful praise, and treats. No need to correct, when she makes a mistake, this is solely to build confidence, it need to be 100% positive, she needs you to show her how to get it 'right' and reward her for trying.

Simply rehearsing and rewarding, known behaviors, teaching new behaviors, simple tricks, using lure and reward - touch (her nose to the palm of your hand), spin, weave through your legs, the list goes on are simple ways to build confidence. Use your voice, give lots of praise, say from your heart!, food rewards are also great, a chance to play with a favorite toy can be a huge reward for any dog.


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## Goldhill (Jul 3, 2016)

Thanks everyone for the advice, some good ideas to try.  The training class is by a great local certified trainer and the attack was completely out of the blue, the instigator had been going to classes there since she was a puppy and the trainer had never seen concerning behavior. That it was allowed to happen a second time should have been preventable, but hindsight is 20/20 as you know! We are just going to keep moving forward. 

When Cricket is nervous she plants herself and just watches whatever it is (dog, weird looking person, etc). Clicking and tossing a treat for her to find on the ground when she looks my way seems to relax her. I think chasing the treat is a way for her to "play" even when she is too distracted to care about a toy. 

We will keep it fun and simple. She goes to a rally class as well but the only thing we have to work on there is her excitability level as she knows all the dogs well enough to not be afraid.


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## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

What a beautiful dog, and such a sweet name - I look at her picture and say "Yep, that's a Cricket!" the name fits her perfectly.

It hurts to hear of your tribulations with shyness and fear. My own dog, at least early on, was quite the chicken. He's gotten better, and at 7 months old he's starting to be more assertive. He was even dominant in a puppy encounter a couple weeks ago. Too dominant, for my taste, and I had to correct him over it. He's so easy to train all I had to do was crouch down and say "No, that's no way to act." in a commanding voice. Then he returned to being the sweet lovable playful puppydog that he is. 

Some dogs seem to bring out the worst in other dogs, for no apparent reason to us. But a dog who is naturally inclined to submissive behavior will let other dogs know that fact by body language. Unfortunately with dogs, as opposed to wolves, the aggressor's response to submission isn't always to back off. I don't know if this is something your dog will be able to overcome. If she's sending out signals that she's willing to submit, and dogs attack her anyway, she's going to be nervous for most of her life when meeting new dogs. I don't think that is something you can train away. 

My Lupo was an unlucky dog that way too. He never hurt anyone, never displayed any aggression whatsoever. He was my pride and joy and I was his whole world. He wasn't interested in other dogs (he was adopted too early from his mother, I think, and imprinted on humans) but they continually attacked him for no apparent reason - to me. Some dogs, Lupo being one, seem aggressive or a threat to other dogs, somehow. It's weird. I think it was due to him not being with his mom and littermates long enough to learn all the important, subtle doggy clues.

Was Cricket by chance adopted early?


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## Goldhill (Jul 3, 2016)

Wolfeye said:


> What a beautiful dog, and such a sweet name - I look at her picture and say "Yep, that's a Cricket!" the name fits her perfectly.
> 
> It hurts to hear of your tribulations with shyness and fear. My own dog, at least early on, was quite the chicken. He's gotten better, and at 7 months old he's starting to be more assertive. He was even dominant in a puppy encounter a couple weeks ago. Too dominant, for my taste, and I had to correct him over it. He's so easy to train all I had to do was crouch down and say "No, that's no way to act." in a commanding voice. Then he returned to being the sweet lovable playful puppydog that he is.
> 
> ...


I think you're absolutely right that she may never overcome sending out submissive signals. I am okay with her being submissive and before this she has never been attacked, so I am hoping that she won't be one of those dogs that is always being attacked for no reason! But I don't want her to be so submissive that she "melts" or reacts in fear. She is very interested in strange dogs and will take the initiative to go up to them, but she stays low and crawls. The funny thing about her is that she really does want to play even when she's scared, so as soon as the other dog turns its back she wants chase it and try to play.

I'm pretty sure with Cricket it's a matter of genetics. Her mom was a very a soft and pretty submissive dog, and ever since the day I brought Cricket home she has acted this way around strange dogs. She had been gradually getting more confident with other dogs and in general before this incident, and while I know she will never be a "bulletproof" dog I just want to get her back on track!


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## FosterGolden (Mar 10, 2014)

I have a marshmallow dog also. I don't try to distract my dog if he is fearful or curious, I try to satiate him until he no longer cares and he's had his fill of whatever it is and can move forward with training, walking, whatever. I start far away and get closer if it's a big distraction or fear issue. I don't mask his lack of engagement or his fear with tricks or work. He gets to choose when he is ready to move forward. Because it's a confidence issue, I allow him to process things and build confidence over time. I don't push it and because of that I think he trusts me and knows that I'm not going to lead him to harm. 

I did free shaping with him, the kind where as long as he makes a choice, any choice, he is rewarded. He knows how to open boxes, get inside things, pull his collars and leashes from a drawer, pick up his dishes, find my slippers, put clothes in the washer and collect the ducks' eggs. He also knows how to do a bunch of obedience stuff that I clicker trained. He is a dog that shuts down, freezes, if he thinks there is a chance of being wrong. So, if he makes a choice, he is right. Yes, I reward my dog for everything as long as he does _something_. If we are in the ring, I'd rather have him make a mistake rather than just sitting there staring at me not sure what to do. I also allowed him to be pushy with me, which emboldended him. Fieldwork helped a lot and nosework does as well, including barn hunt.

Also, as far as classes, they are all so different. My trainer is a one strike and you're out kind of trainer. But there are some that are OK with aggressive dogs in class and just expects the owners to keep their dogs in check. Your dog might be better off in private lessons or placed in a class where the same dogs come all the time (more like a competition class) and the trainer is very particular.


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## Goldhill (Jul 3, 2016)

FosterGolden said:


> I have a marshmallow dog also. I don't try to distract my dog if he is fearful or curious, I try to satiate him until he no longer cares and he's had his fill of whatever it is and can move forward with training, walking, whatever. I start far away and get closer if it's a big distraction or fear issue. I don't mask his lack of engagement or his fear with tricks or work. He gets to choose when he is ready to move forward. Because it's a confidence issue, I allow him to process things and build confidence over time. I don't push it and because of that I think he trusts me and knows that I'm not going to lead him to harm.
> 
> I did free shaping with him, the kind where as long as he makes a choice, any choice, he is rewarded. He knows how to open boxes, get inside things, pull his collars and leashes from a drawer, pick up his dishes, find my slippers, put clothes in the washer and collect the ducks' eggs. He also knows how to do a bunch of obedience stuff that I clicker trained. He is a dog that shuts down, freezes, if he thinks there is a chance of being wrong. So, if he makes a choice, he is right. Yes, I reward my dog for everything as long as he does _something_. If we are in the ring, I'd rather have him make a mistake rather than just sitting there staring at me not sure what to do. I also allowed him to be pushy with me, which emboldended him. Fieldwork helped a lot and nosework does as well, including barn hunt.
> 
> Also, as far as classes, they are all so different. My trainer is a one strike and you're out kind of trainer. But there are some that are OK with aggressive dogs in class and just expects the owners to keep their dogs in check. Your dog might be better off in private lessons or placed in a class where the same dogs come all the time (more like a competition class) and the trainer is very particular.


Thanks, these are some good points.  I do make sure to let Cricket watch other dogs as long as she wants while I quietly wait for eye contact from her, eye contact is a great way to show that she is comfortable enough to voluntarily look away from the distraction and take a treat. This seems to be the best method for when we come across other dogs at least, but when training in public where there's a lot going on I feel like keeping moving is the best strategy as sometimes when she watches for too long she gets more nervous. It's a balance!

Also, I like that term marshmallow dog!


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