It Ain’t All Bad

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 with a fearful dog because he reminded me that it isn’t all hard work when it comes to living with a fearful dog.

Deciding to keep a dog with serious behavior problems is usually life altering. On the surface it changes how you live on a day to day basis. If your dog is reactive to other dogs or people you might find yourself walking your dog in the wee hours of the morning or at midnight to avoid potential encounters. Management of your dog can become a 24 hour job. Finding care for a fearful dog can be challenging and many owners chose not to travel rather than kennel their pets.

Most people are not looking to restructure their life to accommodate an animal which may never be able to fully participate in it. For many owners making the concessions and changes necessary to incorporate a dog without fear issues into their lives is challenging enough. It doesn’t seem fair to either the dog or owner to disregard how much time, energy, training and expense, a fearful dog can require.

I tend to steer away from believing that things happen ‘for a reason’. I might find a reason, but I’m far too much of a pragmatic New Englander to believe that some kind of predestination was responsible for getting my fearful dog into my life. But there is no doubt that my dog Sunny changed my life, for the better. Working with an animal that is damaged in any way can force us to draw on parts of our selves that may not get enough daily exercise- our ability to be patient, to be compassionate, to move beyond our current set of skills and learn new ones, to list a few.

It’s not uncommon to hear from fearful dog owners that they have learned things about dogs and about themselves that they might never have come to understand if their dog had not come into their lives. My goal has been to show Sunny that a world full of people isn’t all bad, and though I’ve had some late nights and frustrated days with him, adding him to my life has not only not been all bad, it’s been pretty darn good.

Now That Feels Good!

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 that when exposed to a potential threat doesn’t react quickly or spends too much time deciding what to do. The gazelle that looks at other members of its herd and asks, ‘Hey, does that look like a lion to you?’ is probably going to be meat before it gets to be a parent. For dogs with fears and phobias life can be overwhelming and they may develop inappropriate behaviors and responses in order to deal with it.

Like us, dogs also have a reward/feel good system in their brains. If you’ve ever been sick, sad or depressed you may have noticed that your interest in things wanes. Even things that might have made you feel good in the past just don’t have the potency they used to. A dog that is afraid much of the time may also experience this shortcoming in his ability to feel good.

As an owner of a fearful dog you can help your dog by limiting the opportunities your dog has to rehearse fearful reactions and increase the opportunities for feel good experiences. It can take time and management to make this happen, but it becomes easier for both of you with time and practice. Using positive reinforcement training gives you the opportunity to reward your dog and provide these feel good opportunities routinely.

If you believe there is nothing that makes your dog happy think about how you can restructure its environment and experiences so that scary things (this includes punishment and ‘corrections’) happen as infrequently as possible (or never in the case of punishment). Talk to your vet about a behavioral medication and start using your big brain to find ways to tickle your dog’s fancy.

For more ideas on how to help your fearful dog visit fearfuldogs.com website

It Depends On The Dog

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 going to become a social butterfly may create more frustration than hope for many pet owners.

Don’t get me wrong, I retain a dream for my fearful dog Sunny, and that is that one day he will be able to enjoy all the wonderful people, places and things that I can share with him, and I have never stopped learning about ways to achieve this goal. However the damage done to Sunny occurred long before he came to live with me and though he has made huge strides the scars remain in the form of missing neural pathways, imbalanced hormones and neurotransmitters and superhighways of communication in his amygdala.

I have been tempted to bite at the shiny lure that a trainer’s special ability or technique will undo the damage done by the lack of early socialization and what may be a genetic predisposition to being sensitive or fearful. Some trainers even claim to be able to turn back the clock of brain development and re-socialize a dog in some kind of doggie rebirthing process. No doubt they have success with some, since for some dogs any type of consistent, predictable handling will enable them to figure out coping strategies and behaviors that are acceptable to people.

Deciding what will work for your dog means that you have to understand how animals learn new behaviors and how you change emotional responses to triggers. The magic you will see occurs when you learn how to communicate effectively with your dog and create situations that help, not hinder, learning. How much progress you will see depends on your dog, but if you are using appropriate training techniques the progress never ends.

Check out this page on the fearfuldogs.com website for a list of books that will help you learn how to help your dog.

The More You Know The Better You Get

I had a great time in Maine this past weekend offering presentations on living and working with fearful dogs. What was clear to me when I spoke to people was that the more you understand about the fundamentals of dog training, the better you’ll be at helping your scared dog.

One of the common mistakes that people make with their dogs is assuming that their dogs know and understand more than they do. If a dog happens to do the right thing as far as we’re concerned it’s a done deal, we stop training and rewarding the behavior and then are upset when the dog fails to perform it on cue.

As you are working with your dog it is probably safe to assume that you are not rewarding the behaviors you want soon or often enough. If you are not using a clicker or marker word you may be missing the boat entirely and your dog has no idea what the actual behavior is for which you are praising or treating them. It’s difficult enough for a fearful dog to think and concentration as is, why make it harder for them by being unclear about what you’re after?

I’ll be putting my money where my mouth is and spending five days at the APDT conference in California next week. For most of my life I’d been able to muddle my way through training my dogs, Sunny raised the bar for me. Since he has been so good about making the effort to learn and change I figure I’ll return the favor.

Be sure to visit www.fearfuldogs.com for more information about working with your scared dog.

It’s Not Just The Dog That Feels Better

Lasts weekend in both shy dog agility class and a Control Unleashed-based class for reactive dogs there were owners returning for a second set of classes with their dogs. Not only was the improvement in the dogs apparent, their owners were looking fabulous as well.

Anyone that finds themselves with a challenging dog will appreciate how simple activities can require special pre-planning and are often fraught with worry and concern. What if someone shows up? What if there is a dog off leash? Not knowing how to respond in these situations, and likely a number of bad experiences fueling the anxiety that is felt, makes it difficult for owners to handle their dogs in a way which will lead to an improvement in the dog’s behavior.

By using positive reinforcement training techniques and rewarding their dog for focusing on them, both dogs and handlers began to appear calmer and more ‘in control’ of themselves. The dogs which had often looked at their owner in the past and received no information, were now looking at an owner who provided a response. That response may have been to reward the attention or to offer a cue to perform a different behavior. Owners were no longer just impediments to their dogs movement because they held their dog’s leash. They were a team (I’m tempted to say ‘couple’), both sharing their preferences as to how they would like impending events to unfold. ‘I’d rather not get closer to that person’ one dog might be indicating and her owner acknowledges the request. A young, high energy dog makes it clear that he’d like to race headlong into another dog while his owner shows him that she had other plans for him.

While observing a training workshop for fearful dogs hosted by trainer Sarah Wilson I was impressed by her positive reinforcement of one handler, a wide-eyed woman who was tense with concern. As the woman began to focus more on her dog and use the techniques the group was practicing, Sarah was quick to compliment her and I watched as her ‘deer in the headlights’ look began to fade. Both she and her dog responded to the information that they were on the right track.

Back in the shy dog agility class one owner was excited to go out and purchase a hula hoop so she could continue the shaping exercises we started to help her dog feel more comfortable going through objects. Interacting with her dog had become a game, instead of a chore. The owner of the young, high energy dog had learned how to use movement to distract her dog and did not hesitate to walk away from a situation in which her dog was becoming over aroused. As I watched her I thought ’she looks like a trainer’. To her dog I think she might be looking like a pretty good friend.

I’ve Got Your Back!

Imagine living with someone who scared you every day, even if they didn’t mean to, they did. Imagine living with someone who at any moment might put you in a situation in which you were scared, and they did nothing! This is how many fearful dogs live their lives, anticipating being scared and then being scared, by one thing or another.

The training advice given to people regarding how to interact with their fearful dogs often includes the admonition to ‘ignore’ your scared dog, as though paying attention to your dog is going to confirm to them they have reason to be afraid.* Now imagine being with a friend and being afraid of something and rather than your friend acknowledging that you’re afraid they pretend you don’t exist. Does this make you feel better? Now imagine that your friend takes your hand and says, “Don’t worry it will be fine”. Does this make you more afraid? Hopefully not! Our dogs are not that different from us when it comes to being scared.

I was told a story recently. My husband and I were having lunch with his niece, her husband and his parents. As is often the case the conversation got around to dogs, I trust you know how that goes! The young fellow’s mother shared this story with us about her son-

As a boy he had enrolled in a training class with his beloved dog. It was the first night of class and the trainer had the group walking around the ring practicing heeling. One dog in the class consistently pulled on its leash and the trainer intervened, took the leash from the owner and ‘hung’ the dog, lifting it off its feet while the dog flailed and choked. When the procession around the room resumed and the boy and his dog were near the door he turned and walked straight out of the class, never to return. He was not going to let anything like that happen to HIS dog.

I loved the story and I loved the boy, now a man, who knew in his young heart that it was his responsibility to protect his dog. I let my fearful dog know every day that I have his back, so he doesn’t have to worry and keep glancing over it.

*Ignoring a fearful dog IS often the best way to deal with them when you are new to each other and have not established a relationship with them.

Choose Your Words Carefully

Just fun & games

In a class for reactive dogs a sheltie was described by participants watching the dog interact with its owner, as ‘demanding’. And there was no question that it was. If the owner was not interacting with the dog it jumped and pawed at her and its high pitched bark was enough to make us all cringe. This was the kind of dog that made you think that maybe the problems you had with your own dog weren’t so bad!

Even though the way to work with this dog might not change regardless of why it behaved the way it did, I noted the response I had to the dog when it was labeled ‘demanding’ as opposed to anxious, confused, uncomfortable, upset or bored. It’s not easy for me to like a ‘demanding’ dog, but I can sympathize with a dog that is anxious or bored. I suggest that dog owners try this experiment.

The next time you come up with a reason as to why your dog behaves the way it does, think of 2 or 3 other reasons for the behavior. Have one of those reasons be that your dog is anxious. Think your dog is jealous, angry, stubborn? How about insecure, scared or inexperienced instead?

You can take this exercise one step further and when working with a behavior that is challenging for your dog, consider training your dog to do the opposite. Do you want your dog to play at the dog park? Instead of trying to teach your dog to get along with other dogs, work on teaching your dog to ignore other dogs. Do you wish your dog could greet people calmly and happily? Rather than teaching your dog to approach people, work on teaching your dog to move away from people.

As John Rogerson, a trainer from the U.K., said at a seminar I attended, “People have all the theories, dogs have all the facts.” Be willing to re-think your theories.

I Can Do That!

Owners of fearful or shy dogs are often told that they need to build their dog’s confidence, but just what does that mean? I start with the definition of ‘confidence’ which is to my thinking, the ability to reliably predict that your actions will have a successful outcome. A dog’s definition of ’success’ will affect whether or not something actually helps them feel more confident.

Some dogs, like some people seem ready to plunge into life without a thought about potentially consequences (e.g., teenage boys), while others seem to hang back and need encouragement and time to try something new. Just watching another dog do something that is scary to a fearful dog is not enough for a fearful dog to feel confident enough to try it themselves. I could watch people jump out of airplanes all day and I probably never work up the nerve to do it myself. Anyone that thought that putting me in a plane and tossing me out, so I could learn how much fun it was, would earn a spot on my s**t list. Yet all too often this is how owners treat their fearful dogs. They may not be tossing them out of planes but they are making them stand still while a small monster pets them, or they are putting a leash on them and subjecting them to the attention of gangs of dogs that for all their dog knows, are out for his lunch money.

Toastmasters International is an organization dedicated to helping people learn the art of public speaking. Regular meetings help people learn how to construct interesting and informational speeches, while giving them the opportunity to stand in front of a supportive group of people and practice. Even with practice and a good speech, finding yourself on a stage with dozens of pairs of eyes staring at you can get your heart pumping and thoughts jumbling out of control. But with knowledge of how to deal with this physiological effect, it becomes possible to focus on your task and succeed. Each success leads to more confidence in your ability to perform in front of crowd.

To achieve more comfort in this situation you know your speech backward & forward. You practice at home in front of a mirror or with someone you feel comfortable with. You make mistakes and correct them, practicing until those mistakes are fewer and further between. You learn to take a few deep breaths, slowing yourself down before you jump into action. A good coach will remind you of this as you train. Bit by bit your physical response to being on stage begins to lessen, stage fright may never go away totally, but it becomes manageable. And if you make a mistake you discover that it is not fatal, you move on.

For some dogs much of the world is like a stage where their hearts race and their only thought of success is to flee the scene. By working with your dog to teach them skills they can use when faced with what scares them, they can begin to experience success in other ways. They don’t need to run away or snarl to keep scary things at bay, turning and walking away works just as well (and gets them a treat and some words of praise for a job well done).

Think about the skills you can teach your dog at home, with praise and encouragement, before you ask them to climb onto that big scary world stage.

Practice Makes….More Likely!

If you are living with a fearful dog who has inappropriate responses to the things it’s afraid of, cowering, lunging, barking, growling, fleeing, etc., it is important to understand something about how animals (including humans) behave when stressed. When your dog is afraid, it is experiencing stress. When an animal is stressed and needs to respond it is more likely to perform whatever behavior it has performed in the past, you could call this behavior a habit. So your dog may be in the habit of snapping at small children. As long as your dog feels stressed, and this is the habit your dog has, this is the behavior you are most likely to see when near small children.

People who are required to perform in stressful situations, police, fire fighters, soldiers, actors, or musicians, for example, will practice whatever behavior is appropriate for situations they may find themselves in. A police officer will practice drawing their weapon, aiming and firing, soldiers may practice dropping to the ground, actors will rehearse their lines and stage directions, musicians will practice their piece over and over again. When these people find themselves in a stressful situation they are more likely to perform the behaviors they have practiced and which have become habits.

In order to help a fearful dog behave more appropriately in stressful situations it’s important to give them the opportunity to practice an alternate behavior at which they can become proficient. This will become the behavior which will replace the one that you don’t like. But in order to learn and practice this new behavior the dog needs to be in a situation in which it does not feel stressed or the level of stress has to be low enough so that they do not revert to whatever behavior has become a habit for them.

The way to learn any behavior is to begin slowly, gradually adding to the difficulty of it. The fewer mistakes made in the process the less likely those mistakes will be repeated. If you are teaching someone to drive a car, it’s best to begin in a parking lot, preferably empty, rather than on a busy highway. If you are working to teach your dog to sit and look at you, it’s best to begin in a place where your dog feels comfortable and can focus. As this behavior becomes more reliable in this place you can begin to work in more challenging locations, always striving to practice the appropriate behavior, not the old habit.

When it comes to dogs and people, practice may not always make perfect, but it does make it more likely!

For more information about how to help a fearful dog be sure to visit the Fearful Dogs website

Guest Blogger Veronica Zimmerman

Over the years I’ve been working with my own fearful dog and learning about fear based behaviors and how to change them, I’ve corresponded with many others who are doing the same. There is something to be learned by each of our experiences with our dogs and Veronica’s post addresses many of the important components of how to go about helping a fearful dog. Veronica is the owner and Canine Clicker Trainer at V’s Cloud 9 K-9 LLC.

I recently took in a puppy, a golden retriever mix, which was abandoned on the side of the road. He was found covered with blue paint ball paint and oil. He was very reactive to people, especially children and men with tattoos. I focused on counter conditioning him to various situations in combination with TTouch. I’ve been working with him for about two months and he is now approaching people with an open mouth, wiggly butt and showing more confidence. This includes men and children. He will still bark at some men, however, he is able to refocus and adapt within a few seconds. He is not the same frightened little puppy I first met.

I combine clicker training with TTouch TM in some cases for fearful or reactive dogs to change the emotional state and help the dog gain confidence. I first start by determining what triggers the dog and what its threshold is. You always want to work one step below the dog’s threshold where he or she will accept treats. In this case I began clicking him and giving him treats every time he turned to look at a person in the distance. I would click him before he had a chance to react. Soon the puppy began looking for people and turning to look at me as soon as he saw someone as if to say “Look, aren’t you going to click me? I just spotted a person, where is my paycheck?” This told me he was ready to move forward. And by forward I mean baby steps, always remaining just one step below the dog’s threshold. This was conditioning him to see people as a positive event vs. a negative one.

I would also use other distractions, such as having him target my hand, look at my eyes and target my shoe when I could not control the distance from people passing by. What can I tell you, it doesn’t matter if you put a vest with big letters on your dog that says “DO NOT TOUCH, I’M IN TRAINING”, people see a fluffy puppy and lose their reading and listening skills. In some instances I was forced to get up and start walking in the opposite direction as if we were going to play a game of chase. It’s important to use the “Jolly routine” in these instances so your dog doesn’t feel that you are running from danger but because we are going to go play. I was also using TTouch on his ears, mouth, head, tail and neck. In the beginning I also used a wrap to help ease tension on his hind quarters. People that met the puppy before the training tell me that he’s not the same dog.

I hope this information helps someone else out there with a fearful dog.