TRAINING Training: Golden Nuggets from PPG Members The Land of Yes: A Haven for Habituation The Land of Yes is located on an acre of land with trails through a forest and meadow. It also features a picnic area where visitors can sit and chat with other dog owners while the dogs do a little more romping. What is so different about the Land of Yes is that various holiday scenes are depicted along the trail. It has been designed this way so puppies (and adult dogs too) can experience typical holiday scenes such as Christmas and Halloween. What puppies do not experience in their first 16 weeks of life can scare them as they mature. So our goal is to help them habituate to items they might typically see during the holiday season. We also have The Farm, which showcases a variety of farm animals (wooden or stuffed, not real!) and a Fairy Land with a castle tent and some fairies. Everything has been designed with the goal of helping dogs familiarize themselves with a host of random objects or animals they may encounter during their lives and thereby reduce the possibility of neophobia.
- Ada Lana Simms CPDT-KA, OSCT, Reward That Puppy Dog Training Inc.
Neophobia is the fear or avoidance of new things. Neophobic dogs show fearful behavior in new environments or around unfamiliar objects or animals they have never seen. Fear includes behaviors such as trembling, panting, whining, avoidance or attempts at escape. Source: ASPCA
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BARKS from the Guild/October 2014