Engage / Disengage
What:
The engage disengage game is a training technique that teaches dogs who may be reactive to things in the environment to focus on or return to their handlers instead of reacting to the environmental trigger.
Why:
- Great game to help dogs who are reactive.
- Helps to socialise young dogs and set them up for success early
- It's a great tool for overexcited dogs who can act impulsively when outside.
How:
- Start at a safe distance from the trigger, where your dog can see or sense the trigger but will not react to it.
- Stay still and wait for your dog to notice the trigger themselves.
- When your dog spots the trigger, allow them to look at it for 1 or 2 seconds, then use your marker to make the dog look back at you for their reward. (If your dog doesn't look back, you may need to add more distance or re-condition the marker)
- As your dog gets better at the behaviour, allow them to look at the trigger for longer and wait for them to look away voluntarily without needing to be cued. Still, mark and reward the disengagement.
- As the dog becomes fluent in this behaviour, start rewarding the marker with a go sniff in a direction away from the trigger and then continue walking away from or around the trigger.
- When your dog relaxes around the trigger, slowly decrease the distance or add more criteria.
Pairing the game with counterconditioning and desensitisation will yield faster results.
Great Videos by other trainers
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