Clean Run Magazine - November 2007 - 62

Dr. Karen Overall has made an international career for herself in part by understanding, explaining, and improving anxiety and stress in dogs. She is on the faculty of the Medical School of the University of Pennsylvania and, in her practice in Chester County, Pennsylvania, deals with dogs of all types that are involved in a variety of disciplines, including agility. “A dog can’t learn to do anything, or to enjoy anything if he is stressed,” explains Dr. Overall. “People think that if they continue to expose the dog to whatever is bothering him, the dog will get over it. In reality, a mildly stressed dog may be obedient, but will have a miserable time, and continue to become more distressed.” A severely anxious dog may actually be harmed, psychologically, if he is forced to continue with the stressful behavior. First, she says, understand the signs of stress so that you can assess how upset your dog is: Is he salivating, shaking, freezing in place? Does he try to back up or escape? If so, your dog is already over the edge and can’t learn. The first thing you need to understand is what is causing the stress. You can use a scientific approach to figure out what the problem is. Is it the place? An indoor or outdoor environment? Strangers? Unfamiliar noises? The equipment itself? If you have equipment at home, for example, you can experiment with it to determine if place is the problem. Try working in different places. Observe the dog’s stress level, and you will be able to determine what is worrying him. Once you understand what the problem is, you can work on it. Find a place or a club that will help you break the training down into little pieces, where you can work independently or in small groups. “The key to all of this is to see if the dogs can get to the point where they are willing to try it out. You are looking for some spark that indicates the dog can do it, and can enjoy it,”says Overall. Dr. Overall stresses rewarding the anxious dog for tiny, incremental steps. “You want the dogs to learn that they have control over the situation. If they are nervous about a piece of equipment, help them to feel as if they ‘own’ it.” The tunnel is an easy example to illustrate and almost metaphorical for the whole process. Push it together until it is as short as can be, and following each successful run through the short tunnel, stretch it out a couple of inches. You may take a month to reach its full length, but the dog will learn that he is not trapped, that he has control over it. Creating games around the equipment will help. For example, get on the floor with a collapsed tunnel between you and the dog. Play with the dog, and when he accidentally touches the chute, reward. It’s the first step. Overall says, “The dog will begin to learn that ‘not only did I not get hurt, I actually had fun and my human is pleased!’” 62 Clean Run | November 07

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Clean Run Magazine - November 2007

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