Threshold training: working where your dog can cope

Guides · 6 min read · Not yet reviewed by a certified behaviour consultant

Almost every piece of reward-based advice for worried dogs comes back to one idea: work where your dog can cope. Trainers call that "staying under threshold". It sounds technical, but it's really about being kind and patient with a dog who is finding the world hard. This guide explains what it means for walks and for time alone.

What "under threshold" means

The East Bay SPCA explains it simply: keep the scary thing at a low enough intensity that your dog can notice it and stay comfortable. That is staying below threshold [1]. Once your dog is over threshold, barking, showing fear, refusing food or trying to leave, learning gets much harder, and the advice is to go back a step [1].

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior describes the same principle in its position on humane training: change should be gradual, the dog should feel safe, and the dog should be able to opt out [2].

For walks, the threshold is mostly about distance. For time alone, it's about duration. The principle is the same.

Finding where to start on walks

Debra Horwitz, a veterinary behaviourist, advises starting where your dog shows little or no response to the trigger [3]. A practical test from several sources: can your dog see the trigger and still take food? If they won't eat, it's too close [3][1]. Cornell's canine health centre also says to start at a safe distance and reward your dog there [4].

Most of us underestimate the distance our dog needs. That's normal. When It's OK Pooch builds your first plan, it starts at twice the distance you tell us your dog usually reacts at, and never closer than five metres. Those numbers are our own cautious choice, not a published rule, and you can always change them.

Finding where to start on time alone

For alone time, the ASPCA advises planning each absence to be shorter than the time it takes your dog to get upset, and describes first absences as short as one to two seconds [5]. One review points out that owners often miss the quiet early signs of worry, while video catches them [6]. So the time you think your dog copes is probably a little longer than the real number, and it's wise to start well below it.

Moving in small steps

Small steps feel slow. They are slow. They are also what the sources describe.

• On walks, Best Friends Animal Society suggests moving closer about a foot at a time [7].
• Alice Tong's engage and disengage game moves 1 to 5 steps closer, and only after 3 to 5 easy repeats in a row [8].
• Horwitz advises repeating at each distance before moving closer [3].
• For time alone, the ASPCA describes adding only a few seconds per session early on [5].

Cornell sums it up: move closer only while your dog stays calm [4]. Going slowly is not a sign you're doing it wrong.

Stepping back after a hard session

Hard sessions are part of this. When one happens, the advice is consistent: make it easier.

For time alone, the RSPCA says to go back to the last stage that worked and leave for less time [9]. Dogs Trust says to shorten the absences and go more slowly [10]. For walks, Best Friends and Cornell both say to move further away if your dog reacts [7][4].

There's a reason to step back further than you might expect after a big reaction. Dogs Trust explains that stress hormones can take 48 to 72 hours to settle afterwards, so a day or two of rest helps [11]. The AKC suggests starting again at a greater distance [12].

Stepping back is not going back to square one. It's how you find solid ground again.

Trigger stacking: why thresholds move

Your dog's threshold isn't a fixed line. It changes from day to day. Battersea describes trigger stacking: several stressful moments close together add up until a dog can no longer cope, while most dogs can manage one or two [13]. A dog who coped at a certain distance yesterday may not today, after a noisy morning or a visitor.

That's why a hard day doesn't mean the plan was wrong. It may mean the bucket was already full. You can read more in our guide to trigger stacking.

Ending on a good note

The East Bay SPCA suggests ending each session where your dog is comfortable [1]. Short and easy beats long and stretched. If you'd like a plan that works this out from your logs and moves your targets up or down for you, you can get your dog's first week, free, no card.

When to get more help

If your dog's threshold seems to be shrinking, the problem started suddenly, or your dog has bitten, please talk to your vet first. Our guide on when to see a vet behaviourist explains the signs and how to find qualified help.

This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. If your dog is hurting themselves or others, talk to your vet.

Sources

1. The Science of Emotions: Desensitization and Counter Conditioning (DS/CC), East Bay SPCA, 2024
2. Position Statement on Humane Dog Training, American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), 2021
3. How to Help Dogs That Are Aggressive During Leash Walking, Debra F. Horwitz, DVM, DACVB, Today's Veterinary Practice, 2015
4. Managing reactive behavior, Cornell Riney Canine Health Center
5. Treating Separation Anxiety in Dogs, ASPCA, 2020
6. Canine separation anxiety: strategies for treatment and management, Rebecca J. Sargisson, Veterinary Medicine: Research and Reports, 2014
7. 'Look at That' (LAT) Training for Reactive Dogs, Best Friends Animal Society
8. Reducing Leash Reactivity: The Engage-Disengage Game, Alice Tong, KPA CTP, Karen Pryor Academy
9. Training your dog to be left alone, RSPCA
10. How to help your dog get used to spending time alone, Dogs Trust
11. Reactive dogs: why it happens and how to help, Dogs Trust
12. How to avoid trigger stacking in dogs, American Kennel Club
13. Trigger stacking in dogs, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home

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