The Weekly High Five 🐾

Hey Reader,
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Archie is a young mixed breed I've been working with in my Real World program. In a structured training session, he's a star. Focused, responsive, takes every cue like he wrote the lesson plan.

Then his owner walks him through their own neighborhood and it falls apart. A dog barks from a porch and Archie locks on. Pulling, spinning, done listening.

His owner asked me the question I hear from almost every family: "He knows this stuff. Why is he like this out here?"

Been there? Then you've probably tried the move we all try. Mid-meltdown, you hold a treat right in front of their nose.

And your dog looks straight through it. Straight through chicken.

That's the moment most people decide treats "stopped working." Some go further and decide positive training doesn't work for their dog.

But your dog isn't bored of treats, and they're not being stubborn. Their brain is too revved up for food to even register.

A dog over that line isn't refusing to eat. They can't eat. The part of the brain that cares about chicken is offline, because the part scanning for the porch dog took over.

Essentially, the treat is a thermometer. When your dog takes it, they're present and able to learn. When they won't, the environment is too much right now.

That refusal isn't failure. It's your dog handing you accurate information.

So the fix isn't better treats. It's lowering the temperature until food registers again.

That's exactly what we did with Archie. Shorter, calmer walks as a reset. More distance from the porches. His attention early, before he escalated instead of after.

The chicken started working again, because the brain has to settle before the belly gets interested.

Here's your one move this week. Before you ask your dog for anything on a walk, offer a treat. Takes it? Great, they're with you.

Won't take it? Don't train through it. Add distance, let them sniff, or keep the walk short. That's not giving up. That's reading the thermometer.

Archie's owner is doing this on every walk now, with me coaching the timing. Porch dogs still bark. Archie checks in, gets paid, and keeps walking.

If your dog goes deaf to treats on every walk and you can't find where the "too much" line even is, that's what my private training is for.

Book a free 15-minute intro call and tell me about your dog. I'll tell you honestly what would help. https://down4paws.com/15-minute-free-intro-call/

You got this.

Happy training,

Pam,
CPDT-KA

Find me on IG: @down4paws

P.S. Local to Norwood with a dog who falls apart when another dog shows up on walks? Wednesday, July 22 is my next in-person Calm Walks Workshop. You bring your dog, I coach you both. 10 teams, and early registration is $99 through Saturday. https://workshop.down4paws.com/in-person