The Engage Disengage Game was created to help overstimulated dogs manage their stress in a more productive way. Here is how to play!

The Engage Disengage Game was created to help overstimulated dogs manage their stress in a more productive way.

The point of the game is to get your dog to focus on you rather than their triggers.

Whether your dog's trigger is people, squirrels, dogs, inanimate objects, this game can be helpful for you.

And when playing this game remember to set your dog up for success. So start even further away than you would think from your dog's triggers.

But before we get to the game, we want to introduce you to Britt from Good Boy Training Asbury. 

Britt is a certified positive reinforcement dog trainer and works to help all kinds of dogs, from basic puppy classes, agility and nose work, to dogs with aggression and severe anxiety. 

Along with being the owner and trainer at Good Boy Training, Britt is also:

Proud Member of (APDT) the Association of Professional Dog Trainers

Proud Member of (IACP) International Association of Canine Professionals

Proud Member of (PPG) Pet Professional Guild

First, you are going to want to identify your dog's triggers so we can help avoid and manage them!

Second, you want to figure out your dog's trigger threshold! Approximately, how far away do you need to be from the stimulus to have your dog leave it alone successfully? For some dogs it’s 10 feet, for other dogs, it’s 10 blocks.

That when they react, the trigger walks away. This teaches the dog that their actions are successful and worth repeating. 

How to decrease their stress around triggers (anything that is causing a strong emotional response)

How focusing on us is WAY more rewarding and how to self-interrupt themselves before they go over their threshold.

Troubleshooting: if your dog does not turn their head after you mark the behavior, you need to move further away from the trigger!

Engage Disengage Game – Reduce Your Dog's Reactivity! | Pupford