It is our responsibility to recognize these signs so we do not push
the dog over threshold and give them no other choice than biting.
Every dog's threshold is unique, as are the stimuli that push
the dog over threshold.
Not exact matches
Over the
threshold means working at levels where the
dog panics and is out of control.
The greet shouldn't be allowed to go on too long, causing the
dog to become uncomfortable and go
over threshold.
Whether your
dog's barking or destruction begins 30 seconds, five minutes, or 15 minutes after you've left home, this is the
threshold of time
over which you must never leave your
dog alone when you first begin training through gradual desensitization.
For example, some
dogs with vision problems, may become fearful when going from a brightly lit to dimly lit room, such as stepping
over the
threshold into the house.
It's really important to know your
dog's limitation and not put him or her in a situations that is
over their
threshold.
Most likely, the stimulus is too scary and the
dog is
over threshold.
It is common for people to play with puppies and young
dogs until they are
over threshold and then worry when the
dog seems to have a complete change in personality, zooming manically around knocking things
over, or jumping up and biting at peoples arms and clothes.
In the
dog training world there's a term: «being
over threshold.»
When I work on behavior modification, I know the
dog is getting too aroused and the
dog is
over threshold when he starts taking the treats too fast and roughly.
* Note: not all
dogs when
over threshold manifest their emotions through visible snarling, barking and lunging.
We will see a few examples of
dogs over and under
threshold in the next paragraphs.
You advance too fast in training and your
dog learn to ignore your recall because he is
over the
threshold from more interesting stimuli to attend to.
Keep your
dog far enough away that she does not go
over threshold.
Some
dogs can go
over threshold when they see another
dog at the other end of the block, while others are calm right up until a parade and marching band goes by.
Some people say that their
dogs don't like food rewards, or won't take them, but this is simply because they are trying to deliver the food when the
dog is «
over threshold».
For instance, if your
dog is allergic to both fleas and to pollen, they individually may not cause him problems, but the combination of the two pushes him
over his allergy
threshold so that he is itchy.
One of the most common ways to determine if a
dog is
over threshold is if it stops taking food that it took without hesitation before the stimulus.
Many
dogs are under extreme stress in shelters and it can cause them to «cross
over» from acceptable to unacceptable behaviours aka
thresholds.
Counterconditioning is a process by which a
dog is gradually introduced to an upsetting stimulus way beneath his
threshold of tolerance until that stimulus no longer holds any power
over him.
IF the
dog starts to react on leash they are
over threshold and unable to learn.
When a
dog is
over threshold, learning can not take place.
Your
dog may be
over his
threshold level.
A better option for some (but not all) fears is a program of desensitization and counter-conditioning: Exposing the
dog to the source of his fear from a distance that he can handle without going «
over threshold», and moving closer each training session while providing a high - value reward for staying calm (the counter conditioning part.)
I specialize in
dogs who go
over threshold easily - be it to aggression, frustration or general reactivity; and high energy, high drive
dogs.
Working with your
dog way
over threshold.
Perhaps the
dog shows a fight, flight, or freeze response, but one so exaggerated or easily triggered that the warning signs are almost non-existent, or the owners can not «get through» to the
dog once he goes
over threshold.