Helping fearful dogs

Depending on the situation, when faced with something scary a dog has limited choices as to how to respond. Early in the life of a fearful dog many choose to move (i.e., run as fast as they can) away from things that scare them, if this is an option. This is the behavior that the dog is more likely to repeat as it gets older, ...

Life with a fearful dog requires additional management to ensure that our pets are kept safe and as stress free as possible. There are simple steps that an owner can take to help make the holidays a time of joy and happiness for everyone. Be sure that your dog has a 'safe' space to retreat. As much as we might want our dogs to be ...

As challenging and frustrating as living with a fearful dog can be, learning to work with one successfully is the best education any trainer (and we are all our dogs' trainers) can have. Here is my Thanksgiving thought of the day: One of the ways that shy dogs help us become better trainers is they force us to acknowledge that they are behaving the way ...

One of the search terms that landed a reader on the Fearful Dog's blog was 'how do I teach my shy dog to play with other dogs?' Owners often want to give their dogs the opportunity to play with other dogs, which for a dog that enjoys playing with other dogs, is a kind and reasonable thing to do. But for many dogs, ...

Play: Begin by figuring out what rocks your dog's world. If the dog is too afraid to engage in playful behaviors with or without your involvement you need to lower their stress level. It may mean changing their environment, giving them a place where they feel safer or are exposed to triggers less often or intensely. Changing how you and others interact with the dog ...

For those of us who use positive reinforcement training to work with dogs, as opposed to techniques grounded in punishing inappropriate behaviors, it is easy to forget that though in practice it's not difficult to do, it can be challenging to explain. Here's one way to think about it. If someone calls you, they have a jar and threaded lid, and need to know how ...

On Saturday evening I presented my shy dog talk at the Windham County Humane Society in Brattleboro, Vermont. In attendance was a local trainer who had kindly sent me a flower essence potion when Sunny first arrived to live with me. Perhaps in the presentation I had over-stressed my belief that owners need to have a reality check in regard to the challenges of living ...

Dogs have different 'systems' in their brains for dealing with their environment. One of those is the fear/stress system. In a dog with general fear and anxiety this system is very efficient so it doesn't take much to get a response. In some situations this might provide a biological advantage. A prey animal that spooks easily may live to reproduce as opposed to the animal ...

One of the disservices done to fearful dogs by trainers, who I will assume are well-meaning, is giving owners the impression that all dogs can be 'cured' of their fearfulness. Since we will never know the exact reasons why our dogs are fearful, it is worth continuing to work with them, throughout their lives if necessary. But believing that your timid dog is one day ...