Comfort Tosses

Comfort Tosses: Helping Your Dog Feel Safe with Visitors at Home

For many dogs, home is their safe zone—but that can change the moment a stranger walks through the door. If your pup barks, hides, growls, or shows fear-based behaviors around guests, they’re not being “bad”—they’re just overwhelmed. That’s where our Comfort Tosses protocol comes in.

What Are Comfort Tosses?

Comfort Tosses are the indoor companion to our Welcome Walks protocol. Once your dog feels more at ease outside with one of our trainers or a visitor, we take the trust we’ve built and bring it indoors—carefully, and on your dog’s terms.

Using a calm presence and neutral body language, we move through your home at a pace that keeps your dog comfortable. We toss high-value treats away from ourselves—not as a bribe, but as a way to create space and positive associations with our presence.

Every toss is a choice for your dog: move away if you need to, or come closer when you're ready. There’s no pressure to interact.

Why It Works

Comfort Tosses allow your dog to observe and engage at their own speed, which helps reduce anxiety and prevent defensive behaviors. By consistently pairing our presence with good things (like their favorite treats), we help shift your dog’s emotional response from “Uh-oh, a stranger!” to “Oh hey, that person brings snacks!”

We also guide you on how to use this same approach with future visitors, so your dog can learn that new people don’t have to be scary.

A Science-Based, Fear-Free Approach

At Wiggle Butt Academy, we don’t believe in forcing interactions or flooding dogs with fear. Instead, we focus on slow, steady trust-building backed by behavior science. All of our trainers are Fear Free Certified and experienced in helping sensitive or reactive dogs feel more confident in their home environments.