What is learned helplessness?
Why the Dog Whisperer's techniques can be damaging to a dog.
Training to flee
We want our scared dogs to be comfortable with the things that frighten them. Counter conditioning and desensitization are all about making that happen. But we don't just want them comfortable with the things that frighten them, we want them to be perfectly giddy with joy about them. Until that happens they are at risk of becoming aggressive. Don't think that because a dog has ...
Socialization? Not!
After a dog is 3-4 months old the 'socialization' window in its brain is closing. It doesn't mean that one shouldn't continue to give their dog opportunities to practice social skills or broaden their social network after that age, but a dog that didn't get 'socialized' during those early months often needs more than just exposure to the creatures, human or otherwise, it's suppose to ...
How Realistic Are Your Goals For Your Scared Dog
If you're an owner of a fearful dog you've heard it all before- "He just needs love." "Give her some time." "Lots of dogs are shy at first." But you've probably discovered that it takes more than time and love to help a fearful dog. If your dog is just afraid of some stuff, you may, with the understanding of counter conditioning and ...
Medications for Fearful Dogs
Whether or not to use behavioral medications to help your dog is a personal decision, but one which is often based on incomplete information. One comment often made by dog owners is, "I don't like to drug my dog." Fair enough. I don't like to 'drug' my dogs either, but I'm sure glad that my dog with no thyroid function has a medication to help ...
Bad Advice
Advising someone with a fearful or shy dog to expose their dog to whatever induces fear in them, without encouraging owners to have an understanding of thresholds, counter conditioning and desensitization, is IMHO, irresponsible. Every dog is different and just because someone has had success in improving fear based behaviors with their dog or even a number of dogs, using techniques such as flooding or ...
Go Ahead Comfort That Scared Dog!
I'm not sure why it is people are so reluctant to accept that you can comfort, or reward a dog when it is afraid and NOT be telling the dog it's ok to be afraid. Doctors give little kids lollipops, we hug people who are nervous, we hold the hand of someone who is afraid and we are not causing them to become ...
Be a better trainer, not a stronger leader
At an agility meet over the weekend I met a young woman who ran a rescue organization. She was at the event to run her own dog, a small breed mix that should be auditioning for the next Disney film it was so darn cute. Between runs we met in the parking lot, she had a different dog, a pom/chi mix that was visibly nervous. ...
How To Be A Friend To A Fearful Dog
It is possible to change how a dog feels and behaves around the things that scare them. And even a dog that isn’t exactly the dog of someone’s dreams can have a good life and provide their owner with companionship and joy. But making this happen usually means changing how we think about our scared dogs. It means questioning the things we’ve been told about dogs and how they learn new skills.
