Classical Conditioning. Part III. Thresholds

In our last post on classical conditioning, I talked about desensitization and starting the process at a point where our dogs are not afraid.  Another term we use is "threshold". We want to start with our dogs below threshold and we want to stay below threshold during the entire process.



Sometimes its easy to spot a dog who is over threshold.  Our dogs might bark, lunge, growl, cower, try to run, etc..

Sometimes, over threshold is a bit harder to spot.
- Having trouble taking treats
- Take treats hard
- Staring
- Stiff body posture
- Calming signals
  - panting, yawning, excessive blinking, grimacing, etc..

For more on thresholds. See this article from the Whole Dog Journal

See other posts on classical conditioning here.

Tell us about your experiences in the comments section below.
Email general questions to education@stubbypuddin.com
Like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stubbypuddin