How To Teach The Auto Check In
The thing to remember with ‘check in’ is we want it to be voluntary. This means we can’t talk to them, say their name or ask them to look at us. This can be put on a cue later but the whole theory of check in is to allow our dogs to be able to take their attention away from something in the environment and back to us, WITHOUT, us asking them.
This is important for 2 main reasons.
1. If they are always doing what we ask, they’re not really thinking they’re just doing. This means that when we dont ask them, they dont always know what to do. By allowing them to work through the situation themselves they learn faster and become more confident in their abilities !!!
2. They’re learning to self regulate ! For many reactive dogs or those affected by trauma, sometimes the pressure to do what’s asked can be a lot. They really struggle to listen to us. Learning something as simple as an auto checkin gives them confidence and teaches them gradually how to take their attention / focus from the environment and onto us.
The better they get at checking in, the faster they can respond to you. As you progress you’ll find that your dogs will start looking at things and back to you just for fun !
This simple exercise can help dogs to regulate a range of emotions. The excitable dogs learn if they can calm themselves down enough to look at you they get to go play ! The Frustrated dogs learn to let it go. The anxious dogs learn to pause and not to react as fast, giving us time to stop them getting hijacked by the meerkat ! The fearful dogs can gain confidence by checking in and checking out !