Helping fearful dogs
Standard- an accepted or approved example of something against which others are judged or measured. I was recently contacted by someone who was starting a rescue group for dogs with mild to moderate behavior challenges. I'm not sure how 'mild to moderate' was being quantified and nothing about the information they readily shared gave any indication that they did either. They may be skilled people ...
When I was growing up it was likely you'd find a box of wooden 'strike anywhere' matches in any household. For kids these matches provided hours of recreation and skill building. First we had to learn to light them using the rough siding on the box, but we didn't stop there, we were determined to put the definition of 'anywhere' to the test. Rocks, sidewalks ...
I have the opportunity to talk to many people about their fearful dogs. One thing almost all of them have in common is that they waited too long to get help for themselves and their dog. I'm not pointing a finger of blame at them, I understand the delay. Most of the dogs we've lived with have been adaptable, resilient and tolerant. Some have been ...
For those of you who got numerous notices about a blog post please accept my apologies! Not sure what happened as I hadn't even intended to publish the post, it was an as yet unedited morning rant I was having with myself. Something did cause my computer to freeze up and I suspect you can imagine that sinking feeling I had in my gut when ...
Apparently irony is lost on Sunny's hoarder Tammy Hanson. She is suing the sheriff's department and others for cruel and unusual conditions she claims she was subjected to while in prison for cruelty involving dogs she had collected on her property. Certainly jail time is not meant to inflict the same conditions on someone which they were convicted of inflicting on others. Nor is it ...
For over a decade I worked at a summer camp in New Hampshire. They were blissful summers, as summer is often remembered by New Englanders who get too little warmth and sunshine the rest of the year. I had different jobs. Some years I traveled with groups of teenagers exploring the world and introducing them to a variety of recreations, alternate years I returned to ...
Given the recent news about antidepressants and the 'placebo effect' I thought I'd go there first before folks get themselves all in a lather about those medications and their usefulness treating dogs with fear, phobias and anxiety disorders. That there are other ways to treat mild depression other than medication is not news. Research demonstrating the 'placebo effect' in patients suffering from depression dates back ...
There seems to be a rash of redemption videos making the rounds online. Dogs who once fearful are transformed into confident, huggable dogs by the deft handling and/or love of their savior. The savior varies, from well-intentioned pet owner to professional dog handler, of one kind or another. One thing most of these videos have in common is the use of confrontational handling techniques to ...
There is no magic to what we do to help fearful dogs, however you define magic. It's time, energy, and effort all resting on a nice bed of patience. In order to survive every species has to have reason to crawl out of bed every morning, or evening if they're nocturnal. If they can't it's an indication something is wrong, seriously wrong. If we have ...
I am a 'directional dyslexic'. My thinking is that if our culture found knowing which way was north was important enough they would have provided me with remedial classes in school. As it is, that didn't happen and lacking specific instructions, when given a choice of going right or left to get somewhere, will choose the wrong way. It happens to me when I'm driving, ...
Learn more about Debbie’s seminal book that has brought hope to thousands of fearful dog owners worldwide.
Copyright Fearfuldogs.com 2022.
