General Guidelines for Effective Controlled Exposure Behavior Modification in Dogs

The dog must remain calm throughout exposure sessions.

The dog’s body language should be used as a guide to the pace of progress. The intensity of the stimulus may be increased only when the dog shows no response or a positive response to it.

If a reaction occurs during a desensitization session, the owner should stop immediately, allow the dog to regain calmness, and then revert to a level that won't provoke a response (eg, shorten the duration) and start again.

Frequent, shorter sessions are more effective than infrequent, longer ones.

The owner should be counseled to avoid linear increases in intensity of the stimulus. For example, instead of turning up the volume of a recorded noise each session, the owner should vary volume both up and down, with an overall trend toward increasing it.

If there is no progress or if the dog begins to regress, the owner should pause and reevaluate. Minor adjustments in context (such as location, time of day, type of treats, and timing) can greatly influence the outcome.