When it comes to crate training, and the overall association with dogs, there’s a common misconception that a create is meant to provide your dog with timeouts or help them understand that they’ve done something wrong or that you’re not happy with. And so if you’re hoping to make it so your dog enjoys spending time in his or her crate, you want to make sure you begin with the understanding that your dog or puppy’s crate needs to mean the same thing that your home and bedroom mean to you. Sure, you can go to your home to take a break from the outside world or life in general, and sure you can go to your room when things aren’t going well and take a break there too. But the difference with that and the misconception about dog’s crates is that it’s nearly impossible for your dog to fully understand why they got placed in their crate. Rather, what is most likely to happen is that your dog is associating going inside their crate with a not-so-positive experience. This is ultimately what makes dogs not want to spend time inside of it. Another reason can be their personality, energy level/drive, and other, more individual reasons that are best explored with a private dog trainer. But let’s dive in and take a look at some things you can do today to help your dog enjoy the idea of their crate: 1. This is the most important one! Make your dog's crate available to them when they feel relaxed, mellow, and tired from activities they've done. This way, you can associate how they feel (rest, mellow, relaxed) with being inside the crate. 2. After your dog has burned some physical energy with a game like fetch or tug and pull, help them settle and relax by hiding small pieces of their kibble and/or treats inside their crate with towels, for them to go in and snuffle. This will help slow their brain down and encourage them to spend time there, in a calm mindset. 3. Get a crate cover, and make sure that your dog's bed doesn't cover the entire area. The crate cover will help give your dog's crate more of a den-like feel. And ensuring that your dog's crate has uncovered sections will be helpful so that if he is feeling to warm, he can lay down directly on the crate tray, as opposed to his bed.

"How to Stop My Puppy From Biting on the Pee Pad?" Any tips on how to get my puppy to not bite the pee pad when she's in the crate /playpen with it? She's making good progress with crate training. That's a very good question. I, see this a lot where, either a crate or playpen will be the area where the puppy is, and they, have right there their pee pads as well. As far as a crate goes, unless it's a really large crate and a very small dog, I don't typically recommend putting a pee pad inside a crate, mainly because, of this scenario where your puppy can either use it as a bed or use it as a toy, it's a little bit more difficult to manage because there's not as much room. And so the association of the Pee Pad being strictly for peeing on it, is a little bit more blurred and not as clear to your puppy in that. In that amount of space. So what I recommend instead is sticking to the playpen. To, have it, have the pee pad in it, and if your puppy is chewing it, whether you've decided to use a crate or playpen, it could be that they're either bored, they want to do some activities, so meaning when your puppy's being placed in the playpen or in their crate, It's likely not the right time for them to be in the crate, so what I'd recommend instead is doing activities so that your puppy's going to go in the crate or playpen to rest. If you're using the playpen, you can still have the pee pad in there, but once your puppy's going into their playpen to rest, they're more likely to not. Feel the need to bite or to chew on the pee pad and rather just use it when they feel the need to go, when they feel the need to relieve themselves. If you are doing enrichment activities, if you're doing, socialization, physical activities, or mental activities, and you're finding that your puppy is still chewing on the pee pad, then that will let me know that your puppy is looking for something to nibble, chew on as a means to just sort of soothe potentially even teeth and gnaw on something, so I would make sure of that. Just as much as the pee pad is in the playpen. I would also play some options that come out only when it's time for my puppy to rest. So for example, a Kong, stuffed and frozen with something inside of it. A chew toy, a ball, something that my puppy can gnaw, and again, that I bring out when I know it's time for them to use it inside their playpen. That way it's not just always sitting there and potentially becoming boring. And, that could also be why your puppy is choosing to, if there are already options available there for your pup. If they're still choosing to chew and bite on the p pep, potentially that gets them something meaning If they bite it, maybe they get a reaction from you. Which could also indicate that they're feeling bored. But usually, if you are providing enrichment outlets, then the chewing on the pee pad, the biting, it could just be, Hey, I just want something to nibble on. So, have the pee pad there ready and the playpen, but also have some options for a puppy to. Chew like a Kong and bring it up when you know that it's time for a puppy to chew on something. That way they'll choose the Kong over the pee pad.

How Do I Stop My Dog From Pulling on Walks? To teach your dog how to walk nicely outside you'll need patience, walking at the right time (when there are as few distractions as possible and when you and your dog are feeling connected to one another), reinforcing the type of walking you're happy with, and using harm-free dog walking tools. Let's start with the most important part.. you and your dog's safety! It's important that we prioritize you and your dog's safety to ensure that you're all feeling happy and safe about tomorrow's walk. What's number 1 on my list of to-do's when it comes to dog walking safety is considering a dog walking harness, more precisely the Freedom (No-Pull) Harness. Before I share with you a little more about it and why I recommend it, let's first tackle the most common question dog trainers get about harnesses: Don't harnesses encourage more pulling? Like with sled dogs? The short answer is no. If you're not already using a harness and you're reading this, chances are your dog is already pulling on their collar and that in its own can be harmful to your dog's neck, as well as ineffective. If you're using a harness and your dog is still pulling, this is mostly due to a number of key factors that we'll touch on in this article. The solution to dog walking doesn't lie in the tools alone, but rather in How and When we use them. The Freedom Harness is currently my go-to harness because it comes with not only a back clip but also a front one. This allows me to use a leash, and with the least amount of pressure or force, guide my dog's chest toward me in order to be able to redirect and guide him. Having two clips instead of one can be amazing for heavy pullers (especially with larger breeds) as these harnesses can be purchased in tandem with a double-clip leash for further support. We greatly recommend getting this or another harness that shares this dual clip feature which will also help prevent neck injuries from the use of any type of collar around your dog's neck. With that out of the way, let's focus on the lesson itself! The first exercise I suggest that all pet parents practice, whether they have a 10-week-old puppy or a 10-year-old dog is the umbilical cord exercise. This exercise consists of having your dog walk with you indoors for short periods of time, as you introduce minor but multiple distractions (like toys, or sounds, and food) they can practice ignoring by walking with you, as you reward that choice to walk on. To make this even easier and more convenient for you, you can tie your dog's leash to your waist so your hands are free to reward with treats/kibble and even play some games if needed, to keep your dog's brain engaged. The benefit of this exercise is that you and your dog are practicing in a setting that has the least amount of difficult distractions possible, allowing you both to consistently build a connection that will be beneficial once you're outside and faced with more distractions. You can use your dog's meal to practice this exercise as it also makes for a wonderful mentally stimulating exercise. Follow it with a couple of fetch or tug-and-pull games and you'll have a dog that's then feeling not only more connected to you but mellow as well. This idea of helping your dog feeling mellow and relaxed dog before or during your training sessions, is an important part of the dog walking lesson that'll help prevent your dog from feeling the need to pull on walks. Most pet parents, unfortunately, see their dog's walk as their main outlet for exercise, however in my opinion this is the biggest reason for the pulling. You will find that if you use the walk as a cool-down activity, following mentally and physically-stimulating activities, your dog will start to associate the walk as an activity that is done to further relax, and simply bond. As opposed to an activity where they need to continuously search for ways to expand their energy. Got your harness? Got your dog doing little walks indoors where you're rewarding them for checking in and choosing to walk nicely? Awesome! Next comes the part where we go from Level 1 to Level 2 and for every dog level 2 is different. For some dogs, the next level might be simply walking near the door before you feel as though you have completely lost the connection you had and their attention, and it that has instead shifted towards the excitement that the door might open. For other dogs (particularly young ones) you will be able to go through a few different levels quite rapidly. Such as touching the door knob, turning it, opening the door a little, a little more, and so on. All while continuing to walk indoors. The key thing with your dog's levels is not what they are, but rather How and When you decide to go through them. Without realizing it, you and your dog have gone through (or potentially skipped through) all of these levels often, because you need to take your dog out for their bathroom break pronto, and you understand their need to go for a walk. But if you came back indoors after their potty break and restarted the walk indoors, you will see that your dog will do his or her best to make sense of the change in the usual routine by checking in with you, which is when you want to reward before going to the next level. As you go through different levels, pay close attention to how you're feeling, to how your dog is feeling, and whether you think you are both in tune with one another and connected. You should then be able to safely proceed to the next level and make it further into your walk. If you don't, then the best you can do is keep your walks short and sweet, by walking your dog in and out of your home, and a little further each time, the more you feel your bond becomes stronger with each step. That's because the opposite of a dog pulling is a dog that is choosing to focus its energy and attention on you! Once you make it further and further out, you will inevitably run into situations, people, or dogs that will be all too distracting and this is normal, and okay. Dogs feel and react like any other individual can, and there's just no way of knowing exactly how they will react in environments you can't fully control. So what do you do in those, more challenging scenarios? Take a breather, channel in your patient self and help your dog "reset" by walking back closer to where you were previously, to help your dog feel calm once more, to wait for the moment when your dog checks in and reconnects with you and get that amazing tasty treat reward AND your attention, as you keep walking!

Over the years, as a dog trainer, I’ve had multiple opportunities to work with new puppy families of different backgrounds, ways of thinking, and experiences when it comes to dogs and raising a puppy. But one thing they all have in common is that they thought that I would be coming to their home to teach their pup new tricks when in reality it was them who I was teaching in order to better understand their new four-legged friend, so that they can, in turn, be understood. During those sessions, we did get chances where I would demonstrate a few tricks and tips that I wanted them to practice with their pup on a daily basis. One of them is my favourite lesson that I know any pup or dog can learn given the opportunity, and that is to wait. Waiting is something all animals value and know to do and when to do it. However, in our rushed everyday life, it seems like waiting and being patient is not only something we lose from our daily habits but as a result, also make it so our dogs don’t practice waiting for something either. Sure you might have them sit and wait for their food, but did you know that you can and should be doing this as often as you can? Not only during mealtime. At such a young age of 9-10 weeks, when I work with a pup one of the first things I do is grab their food bowl with one hand while I shake it a little with the other to get the scent and sound going. This gets the pup’s attention and as they try a little jump or paw at the bowl that’s in my hands, I simply wait and don’t say a word until the pup learns in a matter of 2-3 seconds that I am there to reward him for calmly waiting for their food in front of me, before I start sharing a piece or two with them, still without using a word. When pups are first born, from day 1 they start to practice waiting. Even if it’s for a few seconds, they’re waiting for their mom to lay on her side and share her milk with them. This requires patience on both fronts while providing the biggest reward they can get. This is all done without little to no verbal cues, but rather silence, patience, and the instinctual need to survive while figuring out just how. This is instilled in all dogs and any opportunity we get to practice the activity of encouraging the action of waiting for something will always be welcomed and cherished by all involved.

Have you noticed how most of your dog’s communication is non-verbal? The majority of it is physical and carefully done through body language, all while they read our own body language as well. Yet at the same time, we’re very fortunate that dogs work so hard to learn and understand as many of our verbal cues as possible. Whether it’s through classes or simply from what we teach them at home. But that said, here’s something you can practice next weekend to better improve your communication skills and understanding of what your dog is saying! It’s simple: practice a full, non-verbal weekend where you use no words or verbal cues to address or guide your dog. That’s right! Take a weekend to understand your dog like never before by practicing and enhancing your communication skills with your dog by only using gestures, your hands, signals, and your overall body language to let your dog know what you need and want! Doing this can result in either a mere and fun weekend where you discover fun ways to express yourself to your dog or you can also develop a more in-depth understanding of what a day in your dog’s life is like, as they communicate with us without any words or sounds (at least in any that come in the form of a language we can translate!). Either way, I can guarantee if you practice this often, you will find your dog will with time more easily understand what you are saying as he or she will have only your body language to focus and feed off of, as opposed to what your body language may be saying, while your words or tonality may be unintentionally saying something else.

I'm debating whether to get my dog a snuffle mat or a food puzzle for when I go out. My dog figured out a puzzle toy way too quickly, and I'm concerned about leaving her with the smaller pieces. Though she only mouths things, doesn't chew them. This is a very good question. When it comes to snuffle mats and puzzle toys, I love them both. As far as behavior and when I'll use them. Putting aside what the dog prefers usually, dogs that enjoy a snuffle mat will enjoy a food puzzle and vice versa. But as far as if I really wanted to get specific as to how I would use them and when, if I have a dog that is feeling very overwhelmed, very, aroused, very excited, doesn't really know how to settle. I likely won't go towards a puzzle just because a puzzle usually a lot of them will have or require that your dog uses their body a little bit and not so much, their mouth or potentially where you have to carry, move a few things, but also, their paws, their claws to open drawers. A lot of puzzles will have those. So if a dog is feeling overwhelmed or over-tired, potentially. I'd rather switch to a snuffle mat because that's a little bit more about snuffling, just using their nose, just figuring out where the food is and just having to move any fabric to get to it. I would use a snuffle mat in that instance, more so than a puzzle toy. But as far as general enrichment, I would use both, and I would maybe if a puppy's just waking up or you just. Come back from your walk and your puppies are feeling okay. I would go towards a puzzle toy just to get them engaged with that a little bit more, keep maintaining that excitement that potentially came from the walk. I would go towards a puzzle toy and then to help them wind down, I would do a snuffle mat. As far as which one to leave a dog with, I wouldn't leave a dog with. Either because one, I don't want them to, I know she mentions here, or the person mentions here that their dog is not chewing them, just mouthing. I would still not leave, I would still not feel comfortable leaving my dog with a toy that's not meant to be chewed. Like a Kong would be, a chewable toy or rubber toy or something that's really safe. That's what I would leave them with. and again, I would really only leave them when I know that they've gone what they need. Meaning the puzzles, the snuffer mats, the running fetch, playing ball, doing all those things. It's what I would try before leaving a puppy alone, period. And even then, I would only leave them with a Kong or a toy that is designed for chewing that I know is going to be safe for my dog to be left alone with. as far as difficulties, in terms of. Puzzles versus snuffle mats, usually snuffle mats are a little bit easier. Once a puzzle feels too easy for your dog, you do not have to go out and buy a new one unless it's really completely different potentially one puzzle has the option where your dog needs to use, their paw to open draw drawers, and another one asks your dog to, pull on the little boxes to reveal the treats. Then, Sure. But even then, what I would do first is incorporate the snuffle mats and the puzzle toys into some DIY activities. And that's where I would use a cardboard box. That's where I would grab a big empty box and put some towels in, put the snuffle mat in or the food puzzle in, and make it so my dog has. The scavenger has to snuffle just to get to the mat or the toy, the puzzle toy. And so that's what I would do and I would do those while I'm there so I can supervise, and make sure that everything is safe and make sure that after they're finding it too difficult, I can guide them along the way so that they're not getting frustrated.

Crate training is no easy task! Your schedule is hectic and unpredictable. Some days you have more energy, patience, and time than others. In addition to that, your puppy isn't in any way born knowing how to be away from you for more than a second, let alone within a confined space! This means that crate training is something we have to teach our puppies, while this is also a process that goes against his social animal instincts, which tell him he has no clue how to behave on his own without someone being there to guide him. But there's hope! You've seen others do it so you know there's a way to. Here are the 5 reasons your puppy is crying when inside the crate. 1. In your puppy's eyes, you have become/might be becoming a source of excitement. Especially the moment you're getting ready to leave the house by saying goodbye in a baby voice, and the moment you come back and say hello in a similar, excited manner, and thus your puppy just can't help but feel a big difference when he is alone, compared to when you're home. What you can do about this: We know how hard it is to just behave in a calm manner around your puppy at all times. This is tough because when we look at our puppy, we can't help but feel this tingling sensation that makes us excited that we have a puppy! However, that's not exactly how your puppy sees you, nor himself. Your puppy associates you with guidance and it's important that you remember that on a daily basis. Without you, he doesn't feel like he knows what to do, and if your guidance represents excitement above all, he won't ever know what to do when you're away, in a calm manner. You want to be more of an authoritative figure in your puppy's life, much like a policeman or security guard is to you, as opposed to that friend you have that behaves in comedic ways 24/7. So, next time you put your dog in his crate, practice avoiding eye contact, saying anything, or petting him goodbye. When you come back home, you will need to open his crate to let him pee, but just the same, try no eye contact, no touch, or sounds until your puppy is behaving as calmly as he can. This will tell him that if he behaves calmly and does his best to be patient whether you're at work or really close to him, you will only be there and then provide him with everything he loves about you! 2. Left in the crate full of physical and mental energy. What you can do about this: We've all heard it, go for walks and tire out your puppy! A tired puppy is a happy puppy and being physically and mentally tired provides your puppy with the association that the crate is the place he gets to go to, to find rest and relaxation, not anxiety and excitement. Here is the secret formula to this: "After X (minutes) amount of Y (physical and/or mentally stimulating game) activity, my puppy sleeps for X amount of time." This tells you everything you need to know to be able to plan ahead and to know when the right time to leave your dog in the crate is. Have to leave for work at 8? You now know how much time you need to give yourself so that your pup is set for success! Unfortunately, we can't just sit down and talk to our dogs to explain to them why he needs to be calm and wait because the clock says 8:00 AM. And thus, the only way for our dog to give us what we want when we want it is for us to provide them with what they need beforehand. Not sure if the games you're doing with your dog are actually tiring him out physically and mentally? Is he maybe just lying down asleep because he is bored? Test him! You can test if your dog is really tired, as you work daily trying to master the secret formula, by getting his triggers going. A common one is the doorbell, or knocking on the wall. If your puppy reacts to either of these with a 10 out of 10, then you know you haven't yet found the 'Y' to the formula, that actually challenges your pup and makes him want to look for rest and have zero energy to react to his surroundings. 3. The crate represents something negative. What you can do about this: The most common association people make with the crate is that it is the place you put your dog in when they have misbehaved, and this is perhaps the worst thing you can do with your puppy. Instead of doing this, practice #1 and #2 for your puppy to make the proper association with the crate, above all others. This will make the next point much easier to practice. 4. He only gets placed in the crate when you are away. What you can do about this: Not engaging with your puppy while he is outside of his crate? You've already stimulated him physically and mentally? In the crate, he goes! If you're not guiding your puppy by socializing him or challenging him while he is awake, there is no reason why he should be allowed to roam free if you don't yet trust him to behave the way you would like, whether you're right next to him or not. A pup being allowed to roam free without guidance is a negative outcome waiting to happen. The more you practice putting your already stimulated/tired puppy in his crate (even if you're not leaving the house) just because, the more he will learn that all he needs to do is go inside the crate, stay put, wait, and trust that you will take him out when you have something for him to do (Refer to #2). This will carry over to when you leave the house and your pup, has by then, practiced simply being in the crate calm and patient waiting for you. 5. You leave for longer than your puppy can handle. A common mistake a lot of owners make is they bring a new puppy home and decide to take a week off of work (like a paw-ternity leave) or even a month, and when that week is over, they head back to their regular work schedule, without having prepared the pup for this reality, which doesn't include someone being at home with him 24/7. Though there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking some time off work when you get a new puppy, it's important that you take that free time you have to work with your puppy as if you weren't off from work. This means that you should be walking in and out of your house regularly, and make yourself busy so that not all of your attention is on your puppy. This makes it so your puppy will have an easier time getting accustomed to reality and can then begin practicing being alone. Doing so then paves the way for to you learn, as a pet parent, how much time your pup is able to handle being on his own. When practicing leaving your pup alone in his crate, try doing so in small time increments. Try leaving him alone in the crate for 5 seconds, even if you're standing 2 feet away from him, and once the 5 seconds are up, invite him out and repeat. As you practice this, you will see you can start pushing the amount of time your puppy is in the crate. This is his way of telling you what he is capable of. Do not wait until he begins crying or whining to let him out of the crate, otherwise, he will learn that whining and crying is what gets your attention and opens the crate. Bonus reason: Not all dogs are capable of handling being crated and/or being away from you. No matter how well you set everything up, unfortunately, there are other dogs that by nature just struggle with crate training much more than others (regardless of the breed).

Dogs bark, they react and make decisions based on what they know and how they feel. The difference between one dog’s reactivity vs another, however, is the intensity of what they do. Let’s take a quick look into why your dog is reacting to your door a lot and what you can do. Dogs don’t learn through the use of words and explanations like we do, unfortunately. They instead learn by association. This means that if you take your dog to the vet only twice a year for example, and something hurtful happens, chances are your dog won’t want to go back, and who would? The same logic applies to the ritual that takes place when your doorbell rings. Barring any pent-up energy and frustration (as we often mention, dogs that aren’t properly physically and mentally stimulated will find outlets to their energy on their own), the reason your dog barks intensively when the doorbell goes off is that your doorbell goes when something exciting is about to happen, based on past experiences of his. This is why it’s a good idea to not wait until people visit to practice desensitizing your dog to the sound of your doorbell, or the overall ritual of the door opening. What you will want to do on a daily basis, once you have provided your dog with some physical and mental challenges, is to recondition the brain to have it associate the sound of the doorbell with calmness, not excitement. You do this by repeating the ritual of the doorbell, as well as the door opening and closing, without having anyone actually come in and with no reaction on your end. The first few times you will try this, you will find your dog will still react as he has been conditioned to, despite being tired. However the more you practice this at the right time, the more your dog will begin noticing that there’s nothing really exciting that happens after the door opens and thus will begin to decrease his level of reactivity. That said, even after thoroughly practicing this, if and when people do come through the door, if what follows is a lot of excitement coming from your visitors, then it makes it a bit harder for a dog that is getting reconditioned to not react to this level of energy that is coming into your home, with his own. This is why it’s always best for guests to visit without engaging with your dog at all until he displays to everyone a more calm and relaxed behaviour that we will want to encourage and reinforce.

We’re all familiar with Kongs and chewing toys and other dog products that allow our pups and dogs to have a designated item or two to chew on. But when is the best time to provide a chewing toy to a dog? Is there ever a bad time? When should a dog get to chew? Let’s see! Let’s start with how to best use dog toys in general! Dog toys like Kongs, balls, tug and pulls toys and more should all have an ideal moment when they should each be used so that you and your dog or pup can get the most out of them. And when is that? It depends entirely on how your pup is feeling. At #DigNoFurther we focus on dog training methods that rely on learning how to best understand a dog’s needs so that they can more easily understand our wants. And what that means is that we want to make sure that we are using the right training tools, ideas, and items at the right moment. This makes all the difference because it’s during these moments that your puppy or dog will start forming an association between how he or she is feeling, then the item/activity that is taking place. Let’s start! Since we’re talking mainly about chew toys like Kongs, the very best moment to use these toys and different types of chewing products is when your dog is feeling calm and at ease. That’s right! There is a big misunderstanding among pet parents that providing a dog, especially a puppy, with a kong or chewing toy will help them find an outlet to focus their energy. And to be honest, this isn’t entirely wrong, however, your best bet is to think of the Kong or chew toy as a human baby pacifier. We use pacifiers with young babies when they’re just about ready to take a nap or just want a little something to help them soothe. A Kong works just like that! A deliciously stuffed Kong can be a great way to redirect your dog away from an unwanted behaviour or help distract them for a moment but if you’re finding that your dog is feeling like he has some physical or mental energy he needs to let out, your best bet instead is to provide him with a proper outlet to that activity. An example of a physically stimulating game would be a game of fetch with obstacles and an example of a mentally stimulating game would be a new and challenging food puzzle. After those fun and enriching activities, it’s only then that you will want to bring out your dog’s Kong from the freezer (perhaps stuffed and frozen with a healthy, vet-recommended dinner/treat). This is because the Kong will then reinforce the fact that your dog is feeling mellow due to the previous activities all while still meeting that need to chew, which will relax him further and likely lead to a nice nap. What you will ultimately achieve through this as well, is a dog that grows up seeing the Kong as an item that comes out only when he is feeling a particular way (that we like) and that it reinforces it while maintaining its high value in your dog’s eyes. This will make it so if you had to visit your vet and/or go for a car ride, for example, and you know that your dog perhaps has a tough time in those scenarios, well what you will find is that Kong will help you communicate and bring forth the feeling you have helped him associate with it previously. Unfortunately what happens with most dogs is the Kong or chewing toy becomes an item that loses meaning or becomes boring because it’s not provided at the right time and/or it’s always available to the dog. Instead, keep it away and only use it When your dog needs it and when your dog will value it the most, especially at a young age! Try this chew toy that is also a slow feeder. It’ll work just like a Kong but the little spikes it has and the way its gaps and holes are designed will make it an engaging little puzzle for your dog to figure out, at the right moment! Give these tips a try and let us know how it goes!

1. Physically and mentally tire your dog before someone's visit. 2. Put your dog's leash on him and tie him to your waist. 3. Once the doorbell rings, walk towards the door. 4. If your dog gets excited before opening the door, walk away together and engage your dog with other things to do like little games. 5. No need to ask him or tell him to follow you just yet, just walk and move forward. 6. Go back to the door and repeat until his interaction with the door is calmer than initially. 7. Open the door to reward your dog's calmness and have your guest not talk, touch or look at him. 8. If your dog jumps, have your guest use his leg to gently but firmly ask your dog to back away. 9. Once your dog is relaxed again, both you and your guest invite your dog to join your interaction.