Master of Their Own Backyard... or a Few Thoughts on Taking Our Work Beyond the Comfort Zone part 2.

6. Building Tools and Strategies for Desired Behaviors Instead of "Undesirable" Ones

Logical and straightforward, yet also time-consuming and challenging! 🙂

When your dog exhibits a behavior you don’t like in response to a particular stimulus, and you want to change it, two main components are crucial:

1) Understanding where this behavior stems from, and

2) Providing an alternative!

For example, if your dog struggles to wait their turn during training and reacts poorly to seeing other dogs running and training, you need to teach them a different way to respond. And as we know—training is separate from refining behavior, so start in a comfortable, controlled environment.

It’s logical: you must first teach your dog behaviors or strategies in a stress-free setting that you’ll later use in more challenging situations. Develop routines for entering, rewarding, and exiting training sessions that can be transferred to demanding environments. Learn alongside your dog how to manage challenges before actually facing them!

Often, we need to carefully plan how to teach and introduce these behaviors and routines. Only when you fully understand the criteria for success can you confidently expect these behaviors in less comfortable scenarios.

Personally, I often rely on shaping when teaching new behaviors, such as:

• Offering contact with the handler as a signal to start training (yes, the dog initiates the session, but we design this process to maximize the chance of this "offer" happening).

• Offering calm lying on a mat.

• Offering to bring a toy to continue play.

When broken into manageable steps, transferring these behaviors to more challenging conditions becomes an enjoyable process!

7. The Safe Base to Run Back To

Dogs appreciate spatial organization during training. They like to have control over their environment and understand where certain activities happen. You can leverage this by introducing the concept of a “base” — a shared, safe spot where nothing unpleasant happens, and you can relax and reward your dog freely.

Here’s an example to illustrate this:

My dog, Bułka, has never been comfortable near unfamiliar dogs. From a young age, this was a challenge for her. Although she learned to manage it, proximity to other dogs remains uncomfortable for her. (Initially, she would respond by being overly sweet, submissive, and clingy, but now her response varies: she might still act "sweet" or switch to aggressive behaviors to push the intruder away.)

At agility competitions, we often have to wait near excited dogs just before our turn. Bułka also gets excited—she knows why we’re there!

For these situations, we use our eco-friendly training bag filled with toys, treats, and accessories. Before our run, we warm up and then return to our bag, which is always in a quieter spot. After our run, we return to the bag for a rewarding session in peace.

This bag has become our “base,” giving Bułka a sense of security. She knows she doesn’t have to deal with other dogs there. Often, she fully relaxes when we carry the bag back to the car or tent, marking the end of the event.

During training, the jackpot reward is running to the bag on a bench or mat and receiving a “special” treat from it.

8. Delayed Rewards Aren’t a Lack of Rewards – They’re Gradual Rewards

We all know that working without a reward in hand is the ultimate goal. And yet, in the moment, withholding the dog’s favorite treat might feel too difficult. Here's where the concept of gradual rewards comes in!

After a behavior or during a sequence, you can use a lower-value reward while still giving access to the ultimate reward afterward.

For example:

Dogs that enjoy playing tug can happily complete an entire round at a frisbee competition without conflict over returning the disc. Do they stop receiving rewards for returning the disc? No, but those rewards are often delayed. Many dogs leave the field holding the disc or get their favorite tug session outside the competition area.

9. Physical Barriers Provide Comfort

Tools like leashes, fences, or even screens are often seen as a "mark against" our training skills 🙂. However, physical barriers not only prevent direct confrontations but also give dogs psychological comfort when working near distractions.

Dogs understand when another dog or person cannot approach them. For example, a dog off-leash may work more calmly if it sees that the nearby dog is leashed.

Using barriers effectively can help you take a step forward when working in distracting environments!

10. The Fun of Training and Competing Together

The most obvious point comes last because it’s the hardest to articulate 🙂. When you truly enjoy doing something together with your dog, overcoming challenges becomes much easier!

Building joy into your shared activities makes most difficulties seem minor. This is why we love when our dogs are spontaneous, expressive, and even a little “naughty.” This openness in interaction creates a fantastic foundation for traveling to competitions across Poland or Europe and enjoying yourselves there, too ❤️.