As much as we would like to manage all elements of our dog’s experiences, life is unpredictable. It is naturally full of challenges, setbacks, and unexpected events, no matter how careful we are as guardians and as trainers. This is especially true for those of us that live in an urban environment, where we simply cannot control all of the variables in our dog’s life. For this reason, it’s valuable to actively build up your puppy’s resilience and confidence. It is possible to both honor our dog’s sense of comfort and safety and teach them that low-level stressors provide challenging-but-attainable rewards. 

Building resilience in your puppy will empower them to appropriately cope with challenges and bounce back from difficult situations. The coping skills we can teach them will foster emotional regulation, problem-solving, confidence, and the ability to think creatively. These skills will also help your puppy to adapt to changes in their environment without fear. 

Here are a few things we can do to foster adaptability and self-assurance in your dog:

Positive Reinforcement Training

By using the science of learning theory and reinforcers such as treats, praise, and desired opportunities, we can teach your puppy that new and novel situations are fun. Due to past trauma or insufficient socialization, a dog may have associated “learning” with undesirable consequences; rewards-based training can help dogs associate positive experiences with learning and problem-solving. Training can teach your puppy that the “unknown” is a fun puzzle to solve, and not a situation to be feared. 

Exposure and Associative Learning for Various Stimuli

The term “desensitization” in dog training means incrementally introducing a dog to an item/place/experience while keeping them below threshold. When paired with classical conditioning (associating  the item/place/experience with desirable treats/praise/toys /freedoms), we can gradually teach your puppy that novel situations lead to Good Things for Puppy. This, in turn, will bolster their confidence and adaptability when faced with something new.

Set Your Dog Up for Success

We say this a lot around here, as it is a central tenet of our philosophy at Dog Adventures Northwest. To ensure your puppy loves learning, it is absolutely essential to set challenging-but-ATTAINABLE goals for them. We can do this by carefully planning the stimuli in their environment, to the fullest extent possible. Ask yourself: What do I need to do to help my puppy have a positive experience ? How can I ensure that my training criteria allows my puppy to earn as many real rewards as possible? How can I manipulate my puppy’s environment so that the only behaviors they can exhibit are the ones I want to reinforce?

Structure and Routine

Puppies and anxious or sensitive dogs thrive on routine and consistency. Establishing a predictable daily routine can create a sense of security and reduce anxiety. Creating predictable rituals around specific experiences like leashed walks, people leaving the house, guests arriving at the house, and trips or errands will additionally help with peace-of-mind. When your puppy knows what to expect, they will be far more likely to be emotionally regulated.

Start-Button Behaviors

In dog training, a "start button behavior" refers to a specific action or behavior that a dog is taught to perform as the initial step of a particular training exercise or activity. When initiated by the dog, a start-button behavior serves as a clear signal that a dog is ready to engage in a specific behavior chain and/or experience. This can give a dog a comforting sense of control over their experience. Instead of a dog being thrust into a new situation, they can signal that they are ready. Start-button behaviors are particularly helpful when engaging in cooperative routines such as grooming, human-dog interactions, exercise, and enrichment.

Autonomy 

While we certainly can’t give our dogs full autonomy, we can allow them control of their bodies during potentially triggering events. Always allow your puppy to move and/or retreat when in a stressful situation. Dogs who are forced into situations can act out of desperation, but giving a dog freedom of movement can provide them with tremendous peace-of-mind. 

Autonomy in non-stressful situations is also an excellent way to build confidence in sensitive dogs. Allow your puppy to choose the direction of a leashed walk, for example. Let them choose who they want to play with at the park. Find ways to give your puppy multiple acceptable options in a given situation and then follow their lead.

Cooperative Care

Cooperative care is an approach to animal training that focuses on teaching dogs to willingly participate in their own care and handling. The goal is to build a trusting and cooperative relationship between a dog and their guardian to reduce fear, stress, and anxiety. Through cooperative care training, your puppy can learn to voluntarily engage in various activities, such as presenting their paws for nail trimming, holding still for injections, signaling they are comfortable with being handled, and standing on a mat for brushing/grooming. By incorporating start-button behaviors into cooperative care training—particularly routines that are initiated by the dog—dogs have a greater degree of security, which will positively affect their confidence level.

Teach Self-Regulation

Train calming behaviors with your puppy, gradually increasing the difficulty as they are successful at remaining calm. You can reward authentic calm states, as well as intentional calming behaviors such as deep breaths, head-on-paws, lying down with a relaxed hip, yawning, releasing muscle tension, etc. Practice makes progress; think through specific situations your puppy may find arousing and then practice building self-regulation. Just as we physically exercise our muscles through strength and flexibility to prevent injury, practicing calming techniques can work in the same way to prevent mental stress or trauma.

Maintain Calm

Be a calm and composed leader for your puppy, especially during challenging situations. Calmly narrate situations for your puppy, naming potential/known triggers in a calm voice. Dogs readily pick up on their person’s emotions, so remaining composed can help reassure them. 

While providing a safe environment is essential, avoid overprotection. Allow your puppy to face manageable obstacles to develop problem-solving skills. 

Exercise and Mental Stimulation

Regular exercise and mental stimulation are crucial for a dog's well-being. Engage your puppy with interactive toys, puzzle games, and skills-training to keep their mind sharp and active.

Remember, each dog is unique, and patience and consistency are key when teaching resilience. Celebrate your puppy’s progress, no matter how small, and provide them with a loving and supportive environment to thrive.

Lesson Activity

Recommended Media for Building Resilience

• Listen: Resilience Rainbow and Learning with Dr. Kathy Murphy & Bobbie Bhambree, Anthony De Marinis and Vinny Viola, The Canine Classroom, July 2023
  Content starts at 00:04:00.
• Listen: Resilience in Dogs with Patricia McConnell, Hannah Branigan, Drinking from the Toilet, Content starts at 00:04:08.
• Read: Resilience: Can we increase it in dogs?, Patricia McConnell, October 2015
• Nerd Out by Reading: The Neuromechanisms of Resilience & Why it is Vital to Dog Behavior, Simply Behavior
• Framework: The Resilience Rainbow
• Related Method: Dr. Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol
  (Task sheets for the protocol can be found here.)
• Related Method: BAT 3.0, Grisha Stewart
• Related Method: Pattern Games, Control Unleashed, Leslie McDevitt
• Related Method: The Engage-Disengage Game