Managing Louie’s Threshold to Keep Him Food Motivated

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

All of Louie's videos are linked in a playlist here: kzbin.info/aero/PLiUh57UCWpFFC1h3Z4i-F0E7HtO7v051z

[@michelleborchardt199]

Terrific video! As I often say “If you were swimming in the ocean and then discovered that a shark was chasing you…you’re no longer thinking of burritos for dinner”. Immediate survival is important for dogs with big feelings or concerns. Great job helping Louie feel more comfortable and find his in foodie! ❤

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

I love that! I usually use "If there was a spider on my face, I don't want a donut" 😂 I'm just finishing up Louie's next video (unedited, real walk so people can watch a full training session). It's wild comparing his body language leaving the house on day 1 to day 4! If I finish it tonight I'll post it tomorrow 🙂

[@Kimidollism]

I used to complain about the exact same thing with my dog. We would go straight to a nice park, full of smells and distractions. Yesterday, I decided to take another route, through a more tranquil city path (on an asphalt walk), and I was surprised at how much he walked by my side and looked up! And now, after watching your video, I see that I decreased the difficulty without knowing. Watching your video motivated me to keep doing it and to consciously train him! Thank you as always!

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

I'm so glad it was helpful! Parks are wonderful, but people often forget how stimulating smells can be. Louie is pretty reactive & scared of other dogs. I noticed on a quiet path that we walked he had SUCH a hard time focusing, which was unlike him by that point. Turns out a few dogs had just walked past and despite him not seeing them, he knew. It was fascinating watching this momentary difficulty increase that I obviously couldn't smell haha.

[@aliciabrillante]

This is super helpful. My dad’s dog is super treat motivated indoors but not outdoors and now I know why!

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

Glad you found it helpful! 😊

[@maryhammond622]

Even though I’ve had no experience with dogs I was asked to provide a few days of respite for a staffy/pittie mix, Roxy, who was having a difficult time at the shelter grieving the death of the person she had lived with for most of her 11 years and was facing surgery for a tumor on a paw. That was 6 months ago. We have struggled with her reactivity on the walks which she loves but have left me frustrated. After watching your videos I realize that I was giving Roxy such mixed signals. I am now hopeful that we can both enjoy our walks. Thank you so much.

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

I'm so glad my videos are helping!! It's a beautiful moment when both the guardian & reactive dog can enjoy walks ♥ I'd strongly encourage watching this video on threshold if you haven't yet: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWK4h6uIfqeAe9U.

[@Mel-id8bn]

I’ve been using your loose leash tutorial to train my foster pup. I think he is a 6 mo black lab/cattle dog mix. He’s doing well with loose leash, but he will put a little bit of tension on leash when he gets exited or when I can tell he wants to run. We’re getting lots of Leave it and Drop it (when I’m not fast enough) practice on walks. He still struggles with some exciting smells but is doing great! I think I have been progressing too far on walks at first, so I’m going to go back a step before we venture further. Thank you!!

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

That's amazing!! I'm so happy the tutorial was helpful & you're seeing progress 🙂 I also REALLY appreciate that you took the time to tell me; comments encourage me to keep putting time into the channel ♥ Sometimes taking a small step back in difficulty will actually get you faster results because it gives your dog more likelihood of "getting it right" and offering a behaviour you can reward!

[@apldogtraining]

You didn't need to blur out my name but thank you for being considerate 😂🙏 Love this technique, you did a great job explaining it clearly and the body language difference between the first clip and last clip 🤗

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

Hahaha I always try to provide anonymity unless I've gotten specific permission 😂 It's a question I get asked a lot, but you phrased it so well I chose yours lol

[@YoSiMoLiNa10]

So simple yet so effective! I’m mind blown! I had to starve my dog to make them food motivated when there was a better way 😭

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

Starvation is never necessary for training! I'm glad I could show you a better method 😊

[@TrainMePlease]

Great guide. Another thing I noticed was that in this demo you used a high rate of reinforcement. Often, when dog guardians label them as "not food motivated", a higher rate of reinforcement can help. This would be in addition to all the helpful tips you offered in the video. Great job.

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

Good tip! Thanks Jose 🙂

[@EpsilonAD]

Thank you.

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

You're welcome!

[@illulinchi]

I think most dogs are food motivated but that there are some that really aren't. I have a rescue and even in a low stress environment (home) during feeding time, she'll just leave her food alot of the times to the point that she loses alot of weight. I personally think in her case it's a learnt issue. She came to me severely obese at the age of 5 and food, including very high value food like chicken has lost its appeal. We recovered some but she'll ignore food at the slightest distraction haha Sadly, she's not toy motivated at all either, tried to build it up and taught her to grab stuff and if she's in a good mood, she'll very gently mouth at things but you can not get her genuinely excited for toys.

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

Oh I definitely agree that there's a spectrum of food motivation levels! This video was more geared towards "if your dog is interested in food in one setting, but uninterested in another, try this." I'm curious now though- what do you use as a reward/reinforcer for training if food & toys aren't that important to your dog? Does she love praise & affection?

[@illulinchi]

@@happyhoundsdogtraining it's actually quite a challenge to train her which is why we've hit a wall with her dog reactivity for years now. She's 13,5 yo now but still very active so I still work with her but the only way to train her is to catch the few moments of the day when she is in drive. With most dogs I know, you can trigger their food/ toy drive by presenting whatever it is that motivates them, with my girl it's the other way round. She will take food when she's already in drive but when you try to get her out of bed with a piece of chicken, she'd rather sleep. I've noticed that in the morning, like the first 10min when we're outside and in the afternoon shortly before her potty time are the two time windows where she will be in drive. Her motivation in that case is to go outside and I will train her a bit and then reward her with going out :) There's also little things like when she sees neighbors she likes, she'll get hyped and be in drive for a few minutes. Sometimes she'll be responsive a little while after that before resuming her usual unmotivated behavior. Basically all the things that get her hyped are impossible to present as rewards on a walk so I just use the momentum when it presents itself

[@colevarner1799]

Hello! I just started trying the up/down game with my 11 month old GSP today and at first he was struggling from the moment we put his harness on. After 20 minutes he was doing great in the living room and is now working on it in the foyer w/ harness and leash on. Great! I have 2 questions: 1. He is a very high energy breed and I currently run him for about an hour in the mornings, then midday we do a 30 minute walk to the park, 20-30 minutes of basic obedience at the park, and 30 minute walk home. It will obviously take time until he is able to do all that while remaining under threshold. How would you approach meeting his physical and mental needs in the meantime? 2. I bought Simone Mueller's book on Predation Substitute Training and am finding I am unable to get him to play many of the games due to his lack of interest in food/me. Your videos on the subject seem much more approachable, but I heard you say that reactive dogs should focus on leash skills before tackling their reactivity. Does this apply to predation as well? On a related note, where I live it is extremely difficult to avoid his wildlife triggers. He lunges for lizards and they are so small they are often less than a foot from his face when he notices them. I am struggling with management/prevention. Any tips?

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

So glad you're already seeing progress! 1) When you say "run him" I'm not sure if you mean simply let him explore off leash, or if you're taking him on a sustained leashed jog. But I'd talk to your vet and make sure you're not accidentally overdoing it for his age because that can lead to musculoskeletal malformations later on! For meeting his exercise needs while maintaining threshold I'd suggest trying to go out at less busy times of day and in less busy areas whenever possible. I also really like playing this simple "recall" game with some of their meals because it builds engagement and makes them exercise a bit: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2LFimiQmrqrjrM. Don't underestimate how exhausting training and mental work can be for them too. I often see people overexercise their puppies bodies, but not work their brains enough. 2) Yes, I focus on at least basic leash skills before almost everything else since they need that foundation while they're learning the more advanced skills (like reactivity work and prey drive). Not sure if you've watched it yet, but I have a really in-depth video about prey drive. It's 22 minutes long, but it should help you a lot! kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2inaqd7aZWrpac

[@colevarner1799]

@@happyhoundsdogtraining Thank you! Yes, I brought it up and have gotten the green light from my vet for sustained jogs. He’s a small lean guy and we think fully grown. I really liked your prey drive video! I actually watched all the Louie vids as well haha. I think what I’m struggling with is that prey is his primary stimulant. Whether on neighborhood walks, trail walks/runs, at the park, or even in the backyard he is constantly on the hunt. There don’t seem to be any outdoor areas or times that are low distraction for him. Basic obedience in the park/backyard isn’t going super well. He tends to get very frustrated, bite at the leash, etc because he just wants to hunt. Something like the recall game would be really difficult to hold his engagement with. EDIT: I'll eat my foot. We did a couple alternating sessions of the recall game and the up/down game for 45 minutes today instead of a midday walk and he slept for 2 hours after.

[@colevarner1799]

Hi again! We are still progressing on the up/down game. We started in the living room, then the foyer, then foyer with door cracked, then foyer with door open, and finally out onto the porch. The driveway is still a hard no lol. I want to set him up for success at all stages, but more often than not I don't know when he is ready to advance to the next level of distraction until I try it and he fails. So we have done a fair amount of succeed -> advance -> fail -> backtrack. Is this okay or do you have any tips to better predict how he might handle an increase in distraction? As far as walks, would you recommend not going on any longer walks until he is able to complete them all while maintaining engagement? Will only enforcing engagement on half of his walks set us back?

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

When you say "hard no" on the driveway, can you describe what that means? Does he totally lose interest in the treats and just focus on the environment instead?

[@colevarner1799]

​@@happyhoundsdogtraining Not necessarily the immediate environment. All of his fails at the various stages have been him pulling to move forward. Originally that was darting out the door, then pulling to get off the patio, now sprinting to the end of the driveway. He loses all interest in treats, stops responding to his name, whines, runs back and forth with full leash tension, and balks when I try to go back to the previous "level." So he will seem solid at one level but advancing even one step forwards seems to communicate "WE'RE GOING TIME TO GO" to him and he gets overexcited and rockets. Once we do backtrack he seems to recover relatively quickly but it still seems very stressful for him to fail like that. I've also noticed some leash biting, which he hasn't really done since I was trying the "be a tree" method (super frustrating and ineffective for him). We live about a quarter mile from a trailhead with lots of wildlife and a reasonable number of people and other dogs that we use for a lot of his walks/runs. Maybe 50%. I do try to mix it up with boring neighborhood walks or walks to nearby parks (which he also loves) so he doesn't think every time we walk out the door he's going to the super awesome nature trail. Just so you have all the info, he also gets carsick and immediately balks and tucks tail when he realizes we are getting into a car. It's possible he is afraid and is trying to run past the driveway as fast as possible, but it doesn't really look like fear when he pulls. Maybe trigger stacking? It doesn't seem to affect his behavior whether our cars are in the driveway or not, though he does tend to calm down a little after a block or so (still not to the point of taking treats or engaging with me willingly). So yeah... not sure what it is better: (a) Eliminate normal walks and do only training "walks" where it may take a week to make it down the driveway, or (b) Training walks + daily sniffing walks where he does not accept treats, has very low engagement, and has the potential to chase wildlife Sorry for the novel!

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

@@colevarner1799 Ah I see! I think the up/down game you're doing as you leave the house to build focus/manage threshold is great, but it does sound like he's a guy that wants to move and gets frustrated when he can't. I also personally find the "be a tree" method annoying, so I empathize with him haha. Have you watched this video of mine? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGaaoKmApdigbq8... It focuses on how to train loose leash skills while still moving, so sounds suitable for him (particularly the last two tips about how to reward in motion if he does pull). Another suggestion is the start of this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ape4h4ukqbyDha8. Practicing some of these skills indoors and building a history where he takes treats from you in motion (but in a boring setting like your home) can also really help when you do go to more stimulating situations.

[@colevarner1799]

​@@happyhoundsdogtraining Thank you! I watched both videos and gave them a try this morning. Mixed results. I made the mistake of trying to implement the tips above where we left off with up/down game on the patio/driveway. Total disaster haha. When I would change directions he would either (a) balk and refuse to move if the new direction was towards the house, (b) sprint right past me completely blowing off treats and hit the end of the leash, or (c) take off sideways into the street and circle me in a big arc. He was also whining and frustrated this whole time. After seeing the above was not going well I took him to the backyard to try it out. Way better. His leash walking in the backyard is improving. With a high rate of reinforcement I was able to keep him in a rough heel for the most part. When he would get distracted I would call his name which worked some of the time, or if not change directions and reinforce as he caught up which worked the rest of the time. We had much more success in the big empty dirt section of our yard, but I can see a path forward to progress into the grassy section with shrubs he likes to hunt in. I think it really helps that in the backyard we aren't "going" anywhere. UPDATE: We walked in the driveway today for the first time and he continued to take treats and stay engaged!

[@SSS-sd1cf]

Hi, an unrelated question, maybe it’s not an issue for you but how do your keep your hands clean after taking the treats? I really don’t like the feeling of walking down the street with my stinky hands 😅. But I have to reward my dog like + 100 times during our walks. Any thoughts? 🫣

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

Haha I can relate. I'm quite smell sensitive, so I also dislike having dirty treat hands. Most of the time I just suffer & wait until after a walk to wash my hands, but I have carried a small pouch of wet wipes on walks before if the treats are particularly stinky 😂 Two other options: 1) I use this method more commonly with small dogs where it's hard to bend over & reward them all the time, but this quick 1 minute video might be a great solution for you! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHPRmIGBpbKkbZY (I think the video will also make you laugh 😂) 2) A company called Tails Designs sent me their EZ treat dispenser to try, and it's really cool. You push a button and one single treat comes out without you even having to touch the treat. They gave me a 15% off coupon code to share (code is "happy"). It's not an affiliate code at all, just something if my community wants to try the item! I'll link their website here: tailsdesigns.com/

[@nadinevanderree7558]

Gonna watch all your content first haha I think all the answers are in here, maybe the only question remains with my puppy of 7 months, also struggling with Giardia parasite and we have no car it can be hard to find an un-stimulated environment for every walk. Do you think it will still work if one of the walks a day you train this? Or does it have to be every walk in the beginning. Cause also needing to go badly in the morning or when she is sick does not help the patience to train 🫣

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

Hahaha. SO! I would definitely say that a pressing need for bodily functions would override any benefit of trying to build positive associations doing this exercise 😂 Wait until your dog is feeling better OR you can also try doing reps of it (and head back out) as soon as you've gotten home from a bathroom walk 🙂

[@nadinevanderree7558]

@@happyhoundsdogtraining 😂 yeah I think we would not be interested in food either at that point. So just as often as possible right? I am now working on the name calling and inside heel training, and the leave it, drop it. Trying to see if I can also work in the u-turn but sometimes it can overwhelm me how much there is to train (still managing the situation at home with our cats as well) and where my priorities should lie. I heard you say you didn’t work on the heel with Louie because the focus was on his reactivity. Maybe I should follow you in the up and down game, better treats (still not sure what because of her sensitivity) and shorter walks. Hopefully we can soon go to the next fase because the pulling really hurts and deprives me of my energy especially next to the encounters with dogs on the corners.

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

@@nadinevanderree7558 You’re working on so many things, and that’s AMAZING, but it might also overwhelm you and make training less enjoyable!❤️ I’d pick 3 focuses (choose whatever bothers you the most) and aim for ~10 minutes per skill per day (so 30 minutes total). Once those are pretty solid, move on to the next thing. I find if we overwhelm ourselves we might end up quitting because we’re burnt out and not seeing big progress on any one thing!

[@nadinevanderree7558]

@@happyhoundsdogtraining that’s exactly what is happening, hard to stay motivated every day. What would you recommend for the situation with reactivity and the importance of loose leash walking. Do you count the up and down game, the name calling and the u turn as separate categories? We had a beautiful walk today in terms of almost no reactions to other dogs I am really proud, she also responded to the u turn without practice even.. but with the pulling it is really complex to wait and call back each time sometimes I am not even at the end of the street and I already stopped so many times which makes the treat also less desirable. And in a lot of moments for example when crossing over she does not only pull, but jumps and starts running and the end of the line. Would you practice the same thing with standing still and calling her? I am thinking about bringing ground beef or her fresh food box supper but I am wondering if that will be easy to feed her since it can fall apart easily you are amazing, thank you so much for all your responses. Do you also give online courses?

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

@@nadinevanderree7558 Sometimes trying to do too much ruins the enjoyment of the whole thing, so be careful with that ❤️ I’ll give you my usual priority list if I’m training a reactive dog in a decently busy city! - First focus: loose leash walking (while going for walks at odd times so unlikely to see triggers as well). For your dog I’m wondering if when they pull, rather than just stopping, instead turn the total opposite direction and walk as you call them (reward in motion when they catch up). Some dogs learn better if the whole “lesson” is in movement. On top of that I’d focus on the recall game (to build engagement) and the up/down game (to encourage calmness when you can tell your dog is getting a little too worked up). - Once those three are at a decent spot, I’d add in uturns and actually starting reactivity work like the engage/disengage game (rewarding for looking at trigger but staying calm). I don’t currently have any courses or anything for sale!! It’s something I’ve considered…. A step-wise plan that people can follow with their dogs… but for now I just want to focus on creating free content to help people ❤️

[@debract736]

My girl is Kona, now 11 mo Red Dobie, I've been at this training in city for months, we go between moments of success and still running to end of leash, like a yo-yo

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

Do you mean the up/down game in this video, or reactivity training in general? If the latter, I'd check out point 1 in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWLdmYSvn5tooas. It can be frustrating, but progress is rarely perfectly linear. I have a full reactivity playlist that may help pinpoint new strategies too 😊

[@jsnail]

What do you do when the dog starts to yo-yo from you to the end of the leash and back again?

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

Just to clarify- do you mean when they get their treat then immediately walk away & pull on leash?

[@jsnail]

@@happyhoundsdogtraining yep!

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

Ah, ok. A frustrating problem 😂 I'm going to suggest 2 methods. Try first: Wait for a voluntary check-in (dog looks at you), reward them with the treat, then anticipate the pattern (them zooming ahead to pull). As soon as they get to the end of the leash but BEFORE they pull, say their name to bring them back to you prior to tension. Reward and repeat. You'll have to be focused for a few days because you'll be repeating this a LOT, but the goal is no moments of leash tension (even though you will be doing prompting to achieve that). If after a week you don't see massive improvements, try method 2: Give your dog the reward, then when they're about halfway up the leash length, say their name as you turn and walk the opposite direction. Reward in motion next to you as they catch up. Again, you'll be repeating this a lot for a few days, but it works magic.

[@jsnail]

@@happyhoundsdogtraining this is fantastic! Thank you!

[@skylarc8859]

while i apprichiate the method and the instructions i want to stress that there is in fact dogs that are not food motivated. regardless of stress levels. if i offer my dog stake inside his engadment level is still like 3, compared to offering him a ball thats engadment level 5-8

[@happyhoundsdogtraining]

I'm not stating that food has to be the ultimate reinforcer or even the only one. I also use play, praise, and pets as reinforcers (for dogs that enjoy those). My own dog would choose her frisbee over treats. This video is more an explanation of why a dog may seem interested in food in one setting, then entirely uninterested in food in another. A "level 3" as you state IS still food motivated, but perhaps not as much as other reinforcers.