How to Use Dog CER to Help Tackle Collar Resistance

In this Omaha dog training session, we helped 9-year-old Carin Terrier Bear. He is pictured here on the left with his friends Frankie and Loki. We worked on getting Bear used to wearing a collar with some dog CER training. We also shared tips to stop him from pulling on the leash during walks.

Bear was a little mouthy during the session, but this was not at all surprising as he is a puppy mill survivor. Dogs in these terrible places have very few positive interactions with people. As a result, they often show many unwanted behaviors.

Dog CER (Conditioned Emotional Response)

Conditioned Emotional Response (CER) training changes a dog’s emotions by linking a trigger to a positive experience. Creating a CER is an easy and effective technique for many dog behavior issues, though it requires many repetitions.

Conditioned Emotional Responses are automatic emotional reactions rather than conscious choices. They develop when someone is repeatedly exposed to a situation and learns to associate it with a specific emotional response. In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus is paired with a stimulus that naturally triggers a response. After enough pairings, the neutral stimulus alone will provoke the same response.

Understanding dog CERs can be extremely beneficial in dog training. For example, in clicker training, a clicker can be used to create positive CERs associated with desired behaviors. This method helps puppies learn and respond to commands like recall and eye contact by building a positive emotional connection to the clicker itself.

I spent quite a bit of time sharing dog behavior tips and secrets to help the humans better understand their dogs. I taught them how to add structure by petting with a purpose.

This is essentially when you reward your pup’s desired behavior with pets and attention. We recommend avoiding petting your dog when they are demand barking or pawing at you for attention. This will help them fall into a follower role and see you as a leader.

How to Use a CER

We reinforced good behaviors through passive training. I showed them how to introduce and enforce rules. We also discussed how to use body language to disagree with unwanted behaviors.

One of Bear’s issues was he did not like having his collar put on. This is another consequence of growing up in a puppy mill. Fortunately, I learned a dog behavior secret to fixing a dog who doesn’t like the collar.

I gave my camera to the guardian. I wanted to show her how to use a CER and counterconditioning. This method helps stop a dog from resisting when putting on a collar.

As you can see in the video above, Bear came a long way in just one in-home training session.

The most important part of helping a dog, especially a puppy mill survivor, overcome a fear is to work at the pup’s pace. We started by just showing Bear his collar and tossing him a treat when he looked at it. After doing that about 15 times, we could work up to Bear touching his collar with his nose, then giving him a treat.

If you rush a dog into something before they are ready, they may fight or resist. Sometimes, they might even nip to make you stop. Be patient and work at their pace.

Stop a Dog from Resisting When Putting on a Collar

By being patient and using positive reinforcement, we helped Bear put on the collar by himself. With a little practice, Bear should stop fearing having the collar put on.

To stop a dog from resisting when putting on a collar or getting over a fear of their collar, we recommend trying a martingale collar.

A martingale collar is a type of dog collar featuring two loops that tighten around a dog’s neck when they pull on the leash. This design helps stop dogs from slipping out of their collars. It is great for breeds with narrow heads that can escape easily.

Do not leave martingale collars on dogs without supervision. While they are safe for walks and training, keeping them on all the time can be risky. They might catch on objects and cause injury.

To help the guardians remember the dog behavior tips I shared, like how to help tackle collar resistance, we made a roadmap to success video.