Getting our dog to behave appropriately in a situation in which:
- A lot of food passes over his head, all around are tempting smells and there are food scraps on the floor.
- An unknown person continually comes to serve us and more dogs and strangers walk in front of our table.
It can be a difficult task. Many dogs bark for food and attention, while others take to being hostile and barking at every canine passerby that passes by.
The two great tools to achieve a balanced and calm dog while dining with friends on the terrace of your favorite bar are:
A) Enhance the skills of self-control and frustration in our dog
Do you know the marshmallow experiment?
This experiment consists of leaving a child between 4 and 5 years old in a room with one of these treats in front of him and saying: “you can eat it, but if you wait for me to come back in 15 minutes and you haven’t eaten it, I’ll give you two As a reward”.
Carried out by Walter Mischel in 1972 on 30 children. The results showed that only 1/3 of the children resisted the temptation , showing strong self-control for their age. 15 years later, these boys and girls showed that they were better able to manage stress and frustration in their lives, and were more successful in their work and in personal relationships.
The brain configuration of self-control
People with greater self-control have a brain with a more developed prefrontal cortex.
But the good thing about self-control is that it not only has a genetic component, but it can be trained.
The plasticity of the brain is amazing if the right actions are performed, we can change its configuration and gain, for example, self-control.
This allows children who failed the marshmallow test to become as successful in managing stress and frustration as the children who solved the test.
self control in dogs
As in children, dogs may be more or less able to control their impulses and accept frustration depending on their genetics. In general it is said that they are more or less balanced.
But, just like in children, we can train this ability in them very early. From 3-4 months they can play small games that help them gain self-control and accept frustration. A perfect age to start going out on terraces!
A practical exercise in self-control taking advantage of your innate abilities is this:
For a dog, the food belongs to the one who has it or is closest to it. Taking advantage of this, you can offer to play this game of self-control:
- Place some pellets of feed in your open hand
- If the dog tries to pounce on them and steal them, close your hand
- If he is respectful, offer them by reaching out to him.
B) Deactivate the defense instinct of the dog
Dogs have an instinct to defend themselves: from the group, from territory, resources or from their own integrity. That a dog watches the environment while we are distracted, is something natural and adaptive.
The insecure will defend more
The defense instinct will be more likely in dogs that feel insecure and unprotected.
Emotional problems influence
He will also bark more, a dog that already barks at other dogs or people when he goes for a walk.
In the absence of movement, it is even more complicated for dogs to manage emotions, such as fear, which lead them to execute that defense bark in order to keep “intruders” away.
The burrow effect
For all dogs, but especially for insecure ones, offering them a sheltered place to shelter will make them feel safer and therefore calmer.
This is what is known as the burrow effect . The den is a tool widely used in dogs that are afraid of noise and storms. The den is the ideal place to be protected and wait for the downpour to pass.
How to generate the burrow effect on the bar table
- Sit down for a “drink” after a good walk and not before.
- Choose a table in a quiet place that is not passing through.
- Discard tables where other dogs are nearby.
- Leave room for your dog to choose where he wants to lie down without disturbing anyone. The most insecure dogs choose to place themselves under the table looking precisely for the protection mentioned in the burrow effect.
- Prevent him from focusing on what is happening on the street by placing what you can as a barrier between him and the outside, so that he does not focus his attention on the environment .
- Allow him to entertain himself, especially if he is a young dog. You can bring him a toy or a chewy snack, which will entertain him for at least 15 minutes. Once you finish it, it will be easier for you to disconcert and do nothing.
- Make sure he’s comfortable : bring him water and a mat to rest on.
- Be patient and try to be the one who synchronizes with your peace of mind and not the other way around.
- Do not pick him up or give him food from the table. If he barks to get it, be strong and don’t even look at him.
- Train progressively , the first few times better on quiet terraces where they serve breakfast or soft drinks and not hamburgers.
References:
Mischel, W., et al. 1989. Delay of gratification in children. Science, 244(4907), 933-938
