Windows of Behaviour

The dog was lying in their bed, but they were not relaxed. All they could think about was 'What'll happen next?'. Despite their actions simulating being relaxed, their mindset was stuck in work mode.

The behaviour "Windows" are a description of any dogs broad behaviour at a given moment; that is a dog will at any moment be either Resting, Working, Playing, or At Liberty. Or transitioning between windows. A dog will present known behaviours compatible with the window they are in, or transitioning to.

1. Rest/Calm - Little or no anticipation of action, confident safety

2. Play - structured, appropriate, without physical or social risk,

3. Work - focused, risk of failure, clear expectations

4. At Liberty/Free - 'Choose your own fun', within established boundaries

This approach places the emphasis on the dog's mindset before particular behaviours. A dog can be taught to fully access a window, and comfortably transition between them. This can be put on cue, and a dog taught how to comfortably move between windows. Furthermore windows can be trained without the dog knowing any particular movement or action, making it ideal for nearly any situation. Even more, teaching windows often involves a significant element of establishing a clear routine and expectations for the dog - meaning training windows can have broad benefits to a dogs life. It can (and often should) be done alongside training of specific skills (such as a recall, out or down etc).

e.g. A dog would be shown how to, and then practice, properly relaxing during particular moments of the day. This could be put onto cue, and the dog also taught how to calm themselves from states of higher arousal to enter a restful state of mind.