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High Risk Activities

By |2019-02-20T11:09:31-05:00March 2nd, 2017|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

"I'd rather not." "So?" One of the primary goals I have for this blog, the seminars and webinars, and consults I do for folks living or working with fearful dogs is to help them understand how to think about fear based behaviors. When I am contracted to help someone train their dog I can directly and specifically tell them what to do. But that's just ...

Summertime

By |2013-07-26T09:58:26-04:00July 26th, 2013|Categories: Dog training, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

The neighbor kid has enjoyed learning how to train dogs For the past two summers I've been staying with my mum near Cape Cod. I know that having her youngest, and least fastidious daughter come and stay along with her four dogs is a challenge for her, but it's a trade-off she's had to make. Despite needing to spray the couch with Febreeze ...

The Beautiful Flow of Experimentation

By |2012-10-26T11:57:16-04:00October 26th, 2012|Categories: Dog training, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , |

When we are living with any dog, but especially a fearful dog, we need to be prepared, at any moment, to reinforce behaviors we like. This is what behavior modification is all about. If you sat two children down, one with a pile of marbles, the other with a bucket of tennis balls and gave each the task to put these objects into a milk ...

Guest Blogger Roxanne Hawn

By |2009-04-02T01:00:02-04:00April 2nd, 2009|Categories: Guest bloggers talk about fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Fearfuldogs: Tell me about your dog Lilly. Roxanne: Lilly is a nearly 5-year-old smooth coat border collie, adopted at 6 months old from a progressive humane society in Boulder, CO. She came in as a transfer. So, she lived in two shelters and a foster home before we adopted her. She passed all temperament testing with better-than-average scores even though she did show some shyness/fear. ...

Energy Wise

By |2009-03-06T20:31:04-05:00March 6th, 2009|Categories: Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

While I agree that our own energy has an affect on our dogs, I do find the focus on an owner's energy to be at times confusing or just plain useless when it comes to training dogs. In Cesar's Way owners are encouraged to imitate people like Cleopatra, John Wayne and Oprah. Huh? Now while some people out there might think they know what Millan ...

My last post on Cesar Millan

By |2009-01-15T14:49:24-05:00January 15th, 2009|Categories: Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I say this is my last post about Cesar Millan because this blog is not about him, regardless of the benefit of the additional hits it may get me from the Dog Whisperer Ambassadors out there. It is not about trying to convince his loyal converts that he is wrong or bad. I agree with him that many dogs in America have less than stellar ...

Training to flee

By |2009-01-13T15:29:52-05:00January 13th, 2009|Categories: Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

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 ...

How Realistic Are Your Goals For Your Scared Dog

By |2009-01-08T19:56:22-05:00January 8th, 2009|Categories: Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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

By |2009-01-04T15:08:02-05:00January 4th, 2009|Categories: Medications for fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

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 ...

Go Ahead Comfort That Scared Dog!

By |2008-12-20T01:08:06-05:00December 20th, 2008|Categories: Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , |

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 ...

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