How to Tell When Your Dog Needs a Break

SEND US A QUESTION OR TOPIC FOR A FUTURE SHOW...If you enjoy the K.I.S.S. Dog Training Podcast and want to help support what we do, you can become a monthly supporter for as little as $3 a month. K.I.S.S. Dog Training is my full-time job, and producing the podcast, blogs, videos, and other educational content takes time away from that work. Your support helps me continue putting out solid, science-based, positive-reinforcement dog training information.Support the podcast here:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1353841/supporters/newSometimes the best thing you can do during dog training is stop.Not quit.Just recognize that your dog has had enough for the moment.Dogs can get mentally overloaded just like people do, and when that happens, continuing to push usually makes training worse instead of better.Signs Your Dog May Need a BreakWatch for things like:A dog suddenly “forgetting” a command they normally knowYawningScratching or other displacement behaviorsZoning outRefusing food they normally loveBeing unable to redirect away from a triggerLooking completely overwhelmed by the environmentThat does not automatically mean your dog is stubborn, dominant, or refusing to listen.It may simply mean you pushed past their threshold.Add some distance. Make the exercise easier. Improve the reward. Or call it a day.Dog training is usually a marathon, not a sprint.Three steps forward and two steps back is still progress.Counterconditioning vs. FloodingIf your dog is scared or reactive, the answer is not to overwhelm them until they “get over it.”That is flooding.Instead, work at a distance where the dog can still think, respond, and take rewards.Gradually move closer as the dog becomes comfortable, and back up when things become too difficult.Your job is to find the level where the dog can succeed.What Is Your Dog Learning When You Aren’t Thinking About It?Dogs are incredibly good at building associations and routines.Sometimes they build exactly the routine we want.Sometimes they build one we never intended.The doorbell rings, the dog races to the door and barks.The mail carrier arrives, the dog barks, and the mail carrier leaves.From the dog’s perspective:“I barked and made that person go away.”Repeat that every day for several years and you have built a very powerful behavior without intentionally training anything.Dogs can even associate phone notification sounds, cars arriving, people walking past windows, and delivery trucks with specific routines.That is why management matters.Sometimes changing access to a window, using baby gates, changing the doorbell routine, or creating a new behavior like “doorbell means go to your crate” can prevent the dog from rehearsing a behavior hundreds of times.Related ResourcesWhat Is Your Dog Practicing When You’re Not Home?https://kissdogtraining.com/%F0%9F%90%BE-what-is-your-dog-practicing-when-youre-not-home/Can You Calm Your Dog When You’re Not Home? — Furbo Dog Camerahttps://kissdogtraining.com/kiss-dog-training-recommendation-furbo-dog-camera/The goal is not to force your dog through every problem.It is to recognize what your dog can handle, understand what they are practicing every day, and create routines that make the behavior you want easier to repeat.K.I.S.S. Dog TrainingDog Training Ain’t Cheap... Experience Counts.https://kissdogtraining.com/If you found this episode helpful, please take a minute to leave a review. Reviews are one of the best ways to help other dog owners find the podcast. Follow the show so you do not miss future episodes, and share this one with somebody who keeps wondering why their dog suddenly “forgets” everything when life gets harder.Support the showMike Deathe owns Keep it Simple Stupid (K.I.S.S.) Dog training. We can be reached through comments here, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kissdogtraining. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikedeathe/, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mikedeathekissdogtraining/.  And of course at our website https://kissdogtraining.com/