How to Keep Your Dog Calm in Public Places
Being able to take your dog with you wherever you go and simply enjoy a peaceful coexistence is something many dog parents aspire to. However, if your current reality involves a dog that struggles to handle emotions when encountering new places and stimuli, it's crucial to focus on both socialization and environmental training. In this article, we will explore the importance of these practices and how they can help your dog become more at ease in various settings. Let's delve deeper into the world of socializing and environmental conditioning for a calm and balanced canine companion. Read more about how to properly socialize your dog.
What is environmental training?
In ethological terms, environment training involves habituation. This means getting used to things in the distracting environment, such as bicycles, the sound of buses, the hustle and bustle of a cafe, wildlife scents in the forest, slamming car doors, and more. If trained correctly, your dog's interest in the surroundings will decrease naturally. Allow time for environment training regularly, and initially in short sessions. Don't make a big deal out of it. Expose your dog gently from time to time to new small experiences, smells, sounds, and environments. For more information on environmental training, read: environmental training your dog the right way. Being able to "behave" and focus in a specific environment requires your dog to be relaxed. Smells, sounds, and recurring events at home are everyday occurrences, allowing the dog to concentrate there. New places are exciting, and the impressions engage all of the dog's senses, making environment training an important ingredient in a dog's life.
Patience and gradual environmental training
Dogs can be enviroment trained whether young or old; the result depends not on age but on how you train. Choose the length of training sessions according to your dog's ability. For an anxious individual, short sessions of 5-15 minutes but more frequent (a few times a week) are best. If your dog is resilient to stress, longer sessions of 20-60 minutes a couple of times a week may work. Taking your dog to an overly demanding environment can overload her/him. If this happens occasionally, it shouldn't cause significant harm, but it's not a good recurring experience. You can read more about how dog behavior is affected in different contexts, check out How to Get a Well-Behaved Dog in Any Place and Environment.
Start easy and increase the difficulty gradually
Ensure that your dog has had a moderate, calm walk before environment training. Then carefully choose the time and place. Start in an environment with minimal distractions; it is easier to get accustomed to a few things at a time rather than a bustling place (getting used to being overwhelmed and being silent, for example, at a dog show).Gradually increase the difficulty level. Begin in an open field, wander in rural areas, walk in a park, visit a cafe during off-peak hours, explore a smaller town, and eventually spend time at a train station. Only make it more challenging when your dog is calm in the environment you are practicing in. The feeling associated with the place should be security, not tiredness. Short, frequent sessions reduce the risk of overload. Aim for the dog to find the training a bit boring, nothing special.
Let your dog explore freely without demands
Don't demand that your dog be still or in motion. Allow your dog to perceive the surroundings at her/his own pace, look around, sniff, listen, and evaluate the situation. Don't rush. It's best to avoid play and treats during environment training. Habituation is about extinguishing attention reactions, not reinforcing behaviors or associating the situation with rewards. For example, if you give a treat every time the dog looks at a bus, you are creating anticipation for the bus. Skip that. Just be present in the here and now. Stress-relieving massages and your deep, calm, and audible breaths are better ways to convey the state of mind you desire.
Give the dog time to acclimatize
Allow your dog to acclimatize to each change in the environment. Even if Fido has undergone environment training and socialization, every visit to a new or familiar place may require an acclimatization period. Give your dog a chance to scan the surroundings before expecting interaction and team work. Dogs feel secure when they have the opportunity to sniff the area and evaluate their surroundings. Once this process is done, focus becomes possible. The reptilian brain needs to do its part before the intellect can engage. If the situation feels unsafe, it becomes difficult to focus on anything other than defense or escape. And if a female dog in heat appears, instinctive drives can overshadow concentration in a male dog. So make it a habit to allow your dog to settle in the new place while you analyze the environment and figure out how to simplify things for your furry friend.
Written by: Caroline Alupo
Caroline Alupo is Petli's co-founder. She has a master's degree in ethology and is also a trained dog trainer and dog psychologist. She has 19 years of experience as a professional dog trainer. Read more about Caroline here.
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