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Open Bar/Closed Bar (Desensitization and Counterconditioning)

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Open Bar/Closed Bar is a great training game to help dogs become more comfortable with things they are reactive, aggressive, or afraid of. It is often used for dogs with handling issues (e.g., uncomfortable with having their collar grabbed), fears of certain types of people (men, people with facial hair, tall people), or reactivity toward objects, such as cars.

Changing your dog’s emotional association to a trigger is a very effective way to influence your dog’s behavior. It takes time, repetition, and carefully following certain rules, explained below.

What is DS/CC?

Desensitization and counterconditioning (DS/CC) is a time-tested method for improving behavior in dogs that have a strong emotional reaction to a trigger. Often this manifests as reactivity (barking, lunging, staring), aggression (growling, snapping, biting), or fearfulness (hiding, trembling, running away).

Counterconditioning means changing the dog’s emotional association with the trigger from negative to positive. To countercondition, we must pair the trigger (at a very low intensity –

Plate with a large grilled steak and a burger. see below) many, many times with something the dog loves. This is usually best accomplished by using lots of tiny pieces of very high-value food (real cooked meat or cheese). The dog comes to feel happy about the trigger because it predicts delicious food.

Desensitization means reducing the dog’s response to the trigger by starting the trigger at such a low level that the dog does not react to it. The dog eventually thinks the trigger is no big deal. For visual triggers, we usually start with it so far away the dog can barely see it. With sound triggers, we start with the sound at such a low volume that the dog can barely hear it.

We must combine DS and CC: If the dog is reacting (barking, hiding, lunging), even if we are feeding high-value food (counterconditioning), the dog is over their threshold of tolerance. We are not using desensitization. In fact, the dog may actually be further sensitized to the trigger.

A Human Example…

cartoon of green smiling snakeImagine you have a phobia of snakes. If I wanted to help you overcome your fears, I would not start by trapping you in a room full of pythons (like Indiana Jones). This would not be DS/CC; it would be “flooding.”

Instead, I would start with showing you a picture of a funny little cartoon snake, and then give you $100. I would repeat that until every time you saw that picture of the cartoon snake, you felt happy.

Then I would show you a picture of a real snake and pay you $100 each time. Eventually, we would start with one small real snake at a distance. And you would be free to stop the training at any point if it felt too uncomfortable for you.

Open Bar/Closed Bar

Pouring_champagneTrainers often refer to this method as “open bar” and “closed bar.” When the dog sees (or hears or feels) the trigger, the bar is open: you feed MANY TREATS, one after the other — treat after treat after treat. As long as the trigger is present, the bar is open, and it’s fantastic! The dog should feel showered with fabulous goodies. It should be dramatic, repetitive, and wonderful.

Equally important is when the trigger goes away. As soon as the dog does not see or perceive the trigger, the bar is closed. Then life is boring. No treats, no praise, no petting, just boring. Over time, the dog notices the dramatic difference between these two situations and starts hoping for the trigger to appear so that the bar will open again!

Once your dog looks delighted by the presence of the trigger, you can make it a tiny bit more intense (bring it closer, make it louder, etc.). But you still must keep the dog below the threshold of reactivity or fear. GO SLOW. It is always better to go slower than to push. Only make the trigger more intense when your dog looks truly happy (wagging tail, eager, happy, relaxed, loose body) to see the trigger. If they are just tolerating it, that’s not good enough.

Why so much repetition? Negative Outweighs Positive

Policeman's waist showing handcuffs, bun, and radioNeuroscientists refer to our brains as having a “negativity bias.” Bad experiences loom much larger than equally good experiences. This is also true for dogs.

Think about how you feel if a policeman pulls you over and gives you a ticket for $200. You may feel angry, scared, or ashamed, and your body responds with a racing heart, sweaty palms, red cheeks, etc. For months after, every time you drive past that spot, you feel tense, possibly angry or worried, your stomach tightens, your jaw clenches. That is a negative emotional association.

Now imagine that every time you drive past that spot, the same police officer pulls you over, smiles, and gives you $100. Logically, he should only have to do that twice to change your feelings about him, right?  But that is not how our brains work. Realistically, it would take several dozen repetitions (thousands of dollars) before your heart would stop racing every time you saw the police officer.

The same is true for our dogs. We must do hundreds of repetitions of good things to change their feelings about a bad thing. They’re not being stubborn. It’s just how brains work!

To do both types of training – planned lessons and “real-life training” – it helps to know how dogs learn. It helps to understand that dogs have two types of learning: emotional learning and learning by consequence. Both play a role how behavior problems develop and how to modify them with training. Both types of learning are taking place all the time and at the same time. Please see our handout on how dogs learn for more information.

Tips for Success

Although the concepts are simple, it can be tricky to do DS/CC correctly:

  • The trigger has to occur first. The trigger must PREDICT good stuff. If your dog is fearful of people, she must first see the person, and then get one treat after another. It is a common mistake to feed before the trigger appears. This is usually not effective and can even make the dog hate or fear treats
  • There must be a noticeable “closed bar” between each “open bar.” If the dog thinks he’s just getting treats and doesn’t notice that the treats only happen when the trigger appears, you are not making the crucial association between trigger and treats
  • Closed bar must mean truly closed bar. Keep it boring – don’t chatter, don’t pet, don’t praise, don’t play, don’t feed. Just stand there watching the paint dry.
  • Increase intensity of the trigger in the smallest increment possible. If the trigger is 20 feet away, and your dog is delighted when it appears, move it 19 feet away. Don’t skip to 10 feet! Likewise, if your dog looks totally happy, relaxed, and playful with fireworks sounds at volume level 1, now train with it at level 2.
  • Do not increase the trigger’s intensity until your dog looks delighted to see the trigger. It’s not enough for your dog just to not be reacting. Your dog must look actively HAPPY every time she sees the trigger. This means loads of repetition.
  • If your dog is making progress, but training feels horribly repetitive, boring, and slow – you’re probably doing it right!

Health and Behavior Considerations of Spay/Neuter Surgery

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Early Spay/Neuter Considerations

Your primary source of guidance and consideration on desexing (spaying or neutering) your dog should be your dog’s veterinarian. This is a complex issue that requires more study. We make the best decisions we can based on current evidence. Our goal is to provide useful information to support you and your vet in coming to the best decision for your dog and your family. If you think your dog may have a behavior issue that would be positively or negatively influenced by desexing, I encourage you to discuss this with your vet.

Desexing involves removing some of your dog’s sex organs, which affects hormone levels that impact health and behavior. In males, the primary hormone affected is testosterone. In females, the primary hormones affected are estrogen and progesterone. Here are some of the pros and cons of early spay/neuter.

Health Benefits of Early Spay/Neuter

  • The surgery is easier for the vet and faster and easier to recover from for the puppy. Simply put, there is less tissue involved when a puppy is small, especially for male puppies, and this can make the surgery less complicated and potentially painful.
  • For shelter dogs or other homeless/unowned dogs, desexing at a young age guarantees the dog will not produce unwanted puppies.
  • In situations where owners may be unlikely or unable to spay/neuter later on (where finances are unreliable or when regular/ongoing vet care is unreliable), vets may prefer to schedule the surgery early on just to make sure it happens.

Health Risks of Early Spay/Neuter

  • Cancer. Evidence of higher rates of several types cancers among dogs that were desexed at a young age is mounting. These cancers include hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, osteosarcoma (bone cancer), and mast cell tumors. Cancer is a serious health issue for all dogs. In certain breeds, these cancers are even more likely.
  • Musculoskeletal issues, including abnormal bone growth and development. Canine cruciate ligament ruptures are more likely in dogs desexed at a young age, and hip dysplasia may be more likely or more severe in dogs neutered early. Dr. Karen Becker writes, “Studies … concluded dogs spayed or neutered under one year of age grew significantly taller than non-sterilized dogs or those dogs spayed or neutered after puberty. The earlier the spay or neuter procedure, the taller the dog. … [I]t appears that the removal of estrogen-producing organs in immature dogs – both females and males – can cause growth plates to remain open. These animals continue to grow and wind up with abnormal growth patterns and bone structure. This results in irregular body proportions, possible cartilage issues, and joint conformation issues.”
  • Hypothyroidism or other endocrine issues. A dog’s hormones affect each other. When some of the hormones are removed at an early age, this may affect the other hormones on an ongoing basis. Some vets believe that endocrine diseases such as hypothyroidism and atypical Cushing’s syndrome may be more likely in dogs that are desexed early.
  • Additional health risks are explained in the links provided at the end of this handout, including some breed-specific risks (e.g., Golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, etc.)

Articles and Links on Health Considerations of Spay/Neuter

Behavioral Effects of Early Spay/Neuter

There is even less reliable evidence on the behavioral effects of desexing dogs. You may notice that some of the assertions in the links for behavioral considerations below contradict each other. Some long-standing assertions about the behavioral benefits of desexing are now up in the air. Still, here is my best effort at presenting what we believe, currently, about the behavioral effects of spay/neuter:

  • A recent study has found that excitability, aggression, and anxiety were higher among spayed/neutered dogs of both sexes
  • In males, sex-specific behaviors (marking, roaming, mounting) are likely to be reduced by neutering
  • In both sexes, food drive, overeating, and obesity are more likely after desexing
  • In the past, it was believed that neutering males made some types of aggression less likely. More recent studies indicate that aggression in neutered males is more likely, regardless of when they are neutered
  • In females, studies indicate that spaying makes aggression more likely. Spaying before the age of 12 months markedly increases likelihood of aggression.
  • In male dogs, fear- and anxiety-related behavior problems (such as canine compulsive disorder) are higher in neutered dogs than intact dogs. I have not found data on female dogs and anxiety/fear. Since aggression in both male and female dogs typically has a large fear component, this is also an important consideration with regard to aggression.

What Does This All Mean for My Dog?

Every situation is unique. It is important to discuss your concerns with your veterinarian. With my clients, I am happy to discuss the pros and cons of their particular dog.

Generally speaking (there are many variables), I recommend spay/neuter in these cases:

  • Male dogs with sex-linked behavior problems (mounting/humping, roaming, or marking)
  • Female dogs whose heat cycles are causing a significant management or training challenge to the owners
  • Male dogs with conflict-control aggression (“dominance aggression”). This is rare. The overwhelming majority of aggressive dogs have fear-based aggression.
  • Male dogs that are highly distracted, have low interest in food, and training around distraction using food is a high priority for the owner (such as a future service dog)

Generally speaking (there are many variables), I discourage spay/neuter in these cases:

  • A male dog with a tendency toward anxiety, fear, skittishness, or compulsivity
  • Any dog under 18 months of age – especially large-breed dogs, dogs prone to certain cancers affected by early desexing, or dogs prone to musculoskeletal issues. I encourage waiting to neuter until the growth plates close.
  • Dogs under 24 months of age if they are giant or large-breed dogs, have an intended sports career or intended as mobility service dogs. I encourage waiting to neuter until the growth plates close.

Articles and Links on Behavior Considerations of Spay/Neuter

Owner-friendly overviews of pros and cons of spay/neuter

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