Pushing and tug gets my dog jacked!

[Alec]

I think you may want to look to Kevin or someone else to get the best answer for your question but I don't think it is going to do anything faster. I guess it just lets you get down on a deeper level. My experience with using it to overcome fear (shutting down not aggression but I believe it's all tied) is that I was able to get my dog on unfamiliar territory (more energy - distractions, noises and smells) and push, heel (all of our training activities that we would do in the yard). By being hungrier the dog is able to "zone in" more.

I don't think you would apply it to a dog that is underweight and high food drive already. They just need more time learning how to express their energy with you via pushing and tug. Then you can begin doing what Neil calls redirection. This works in the house or on the street but generally only moderates my dog to a degree if the source the energy (people or dogs) remains present. In these instances I will pull out a "high value" toy (e.g., the rope in my pocket), call her back for redirection only this time to the toy. After I let go she will take to chewing on it and forget about the people that are standing there.

As for him not tugging when hungry; I wouldn't hold off a dog that is starving. I would start with some pushing, heeling, and recall to push, etcetera for food initially and then mix them all together with tug and fetch which keeps it fun as well.

[neilsattin]

The overall theory is that a dog's hunger fuels their desire - and this desire helps them overcome resistance.

When you are teaching your dog to interact directly with you at higher and higher levels of energy, what you're actually doing is overcoming your dog's RESISTANCE to interacting with you at higher and higher levels of energy. An ultra-food-motivated dog generally doesn't have many issues in this department (and is usually pretty "jacked" to begin with) - so you focus on channeling that energy into desirable pathywas of expression.

A dog that's more timid/shut-down, or who has had to deal with heavy-handed training styles, will generally be more resistant to the direct interaction of pushing. So that hunger makes the food all the more attractive and, ultimately, satisfying. And it's almost as if the dog forgets that they're "pushing" - until the pattern of pushing has already been able to take a hold.

Desire for the food gets things moving. Then the joy of the game (the tension/release/tension/release of pushing) picks up steam, and desire for food and desire for contact equalize. Then, as you learn to feel comfortable switching between pushing, tug, heeling, down/stay - all in drive - it becomes all about the interaction with you. Though I continue to use food as long as it's practical, and come back to it every so often to reinforce lessons when I feel like it's necessary.

If you were going to attempt something scary, then odds are that you would need one of two things in order to tackle it head-on:

• An *amazing* reward to entice you. But many people forego the potential for amazing rewards in order to enjoy the certainty and safety of their current predicament, even if it's not the best predicament.
• An enormous "lack" to propel you. Because you can't TOLERATE staying put where you are. It's too "painful" - and so the alternative, taking the risk, becomes a path of least resistance.

Most effective strategies for change, in dog and human, spend time in both of those areas. AND, importantly, on changing your emotional state in the present, so you feel relaxed and excited enough to take on your challenges, no matter how scary they are.

[BrownieNJoyce]

wow. that was soooo clear. Definately use that post in your book that I hope you are/will be working on.

[Alec]

Thought this would add to the discussion a little. It pretty much says the same thing that Neil posted...

Post by another - "I have been having the problem that my dog will give a great push for food but as soon as the food is gone she goes right to the ground to look for small kibbles that may have fallen. Also, another funny thing happened yesterday, we were playing tug which she is very good at, and a little fly buzzed her ear and she dropped the tug and became fixated on this tiny tiny insect which seemed strange to me."


Kevin's response - "The fly is attracting the intensity factor that she isn’t able to channel into path of highest resistance, owner. Part of her is inhibited, and which is evidenced by caring about food tidbits on the ground. So best way to increase Drive is through hunger circuitry as fear can only be turned back into desire through hunger, and therefore the first question is whether you are also feeding her from a bowl during this time. Is she hungry enough to give you her fear? Other things you can do to attract fear is to take her to new places and if you see a drop off in energy level, then this is an internalization and therefore source of fear that you don’t have access. Another thing you can do is have someone play with another dog nearby and attract that “path of least resistance” energy into the pushing. So the dog is showing her weakness, and it has to be strengthened with hunger/arousal component."

[neilsattin]

Those are good ideas that Kevin offers (of course).

In general, my approach is to encourage people to notice those kinds of things - but to ensure that no one gets obsessed with their demands for progress, in themselves, or in their dogs. It can also simply be a matter of time before the "fly" will fade into the background of their dog's experience.

[Alec]

Originally Posted by neilsattin

Those are good ideas that Kevin offers (of course).

In general, my approach is to encourage people to notice those kinds of things - but to ensure that no one gets obsessed with their demands for progress, in themselves, or in their dogs. It can also simply be a matter of time before the "fly" will fade into the background of their dog's experience.

Great comment Neil! I have to remind myself of this often. I don't think it can get mentioned enough.

[Bea]

Originally Posted by neilsattin

SNIP>

If I could sum up what I think the *major* point of pushing is, it is this:
Pushing with your dog allows your dog to learn how to feel safe interacting DIRECTLY with you at higher and higher levels of energy. You also are teaching your dog that you are uniquely capable of resolving the energy that the world stirs up within and through them. That way, when your dog is in the world and experiences the feeling of being energized, there is a strong pathway that is already established within their emotional makeup that says "when I feel charged up, the way to resolve that is with my owner".

Once that dynamic is in place, then you have so many squirrels, er...opportunities to reinforce that you're where it's at when it comes to releasing energy and pent-up stress.

The strength of the push is directly related to the emotional energy expended. And a stronger and stronger push gets down deep into the battery.

However, the goal isn't to have an empty dog. As modern psychologists put it, there's bad stress (distress) and good stress (eustress). Stress is a given.

What's more important is that over time, your dog's ability to stay relaxed at higher and higher levels of energy increases. And so your dog can stay in the flow in situations that otherwise/previously would have knocked them off their emotional center (and created "bad" stress). In those moments, because your dog has learned to resolve energy with you, you can build a stronger and stronger connection between you and your dog. Dealing with most of the energy in a positive way. And not getting all stressed out about whatever's left over.

There can be plateau days. Or days where you take two steps back. Ideally, you see these as opportunities to just *notice* what's happening. If a pattern begins to form, then you can change things up. But often you're just witnessing the ebb and flow of the learning process. If it means that sometimes you end up just sitting on the sidewalk, waiting for both you and your dog to relax, that's fine.

Of course what Sang said about "leaking" is right on. But only you can decide whether it's "right" for you to forego walks, take shorter walks, or...just give yourself a break every so often. Because in the long run it all works out just fine. You might just have to trust me on that one.

Neil, this is such a great post!! So easy to understand. As an NDT newbie, I have copied it and put it on my bulletin board. I also will give it to my kids and husband to read so they can better understand why I am out in the backyard in the rain having my pups push for their dinner.