P.E.T. Therapy: A Protocol For Fearful 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 may be in order. Speaking to a vet about medications that help lower your dog’s stress level & also improves their ability to learn new skills and behaviors, should be at the top of every fearful dog owner’s list.

Do not limit your definition of what play is, it will vary from dog to dog. A young dog might engage in more rough and tumble play while an older dog might enjoy a game of finding hidden treats or chewing on a bone.

Exercise: Studies have shown that exercise helps animals cope with stress. While any type of exercise is likely to be beneficial to a dog’s health, try to find activities which allow the dog freedom of movement so that they have the opportunity to use their bodies in varying ways. Exercise can look like or be play.

Training: I could ruffle feathers and say that ‘training is the last thing a fearful dog needs’! The reality is that we are training our dogs whether we are conscious of it or not. But rather than begin our work with a fearful dog by thinking about what we want or need from them and focusing on that, begin by discovering what makes your dog feel happy and playful. A fearful dog is very good at feeling afraid and reacting in fearful ways, most are less competent at feeling happy and positively excited about life. By giving them the opportunity to practice feeling good we are also making it easier for them to focus on what we are trying to teach them.

Training should be done in the most dog-friendly ways possible. Anything that scares or stresses your dog, especially early in your relationship is only going to make the process of rehabilitation more challenging. If the training you are doing with your dog looks like play even better!

P.E.T. Therapy will help change your dog’s brain and thinking about it will change yours as well.

*copyright 2009 Debbie Jacobs

‘My Doggie Says’ Radio Show Broadcast

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Fred Haney of My Doggie Says radio show and podcast. He asked me to speak about my website fearfuldogs.com and about fearful dogs in general. When Fred told me to just start talking he didn’t know what he was in for! I appreciate Fred’s interest in the subject of fearful dogs and for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings about the way fearful dogs should be handled.

You can find this broadcast on the My Doggie Says website and also on iTunes under podcasts at My Doggie Says, the episode is titled “How Do You Deal With A Damaged Dog?”.

 

 

Helping Owners Understand R+ Training

For those of us that 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 to put the jar on the lid, you might say, “It’s easy, just put the lid on the top of the jar and screw it on.” They follow your advice, put the lid on the jar and turn the lid counter clockwise and darn it, it’s just not working! During their next call to report that they’ve tried what you’ve suggested and it’s ‘just not working’, you clarify yourself and explain, “Put the lid on and turn it clockwise.” On this attempt they put the lid on and give it a quarter turn clockwise and with a small amount of jostling the lid falls off. You can sense the disillusionment in their voice when they call yet again, your method must be wrong because, it’s ’still not working’.

There happens to be a fellow in town who is known for getting lids to stay on jars, he employs the use of hammer and by banging on the lid is able to get it on securely. On occasion he breaks a jar or two, but the owners of these jars are not on his reference list, and he asserts that a defect in the jar caused the shattering, not his technique. The jars that explode because the hammered on lid allows pressure to build are also not his responsibility, or so he attests. His job is getting lids on. There are, he claims, lots of jars out there with lids on that owners have him to thank for.

It’s easy to lose owners to the lure of the quick fix, whether it employs a hammer or not. Providing information and direction that will lead to success takes time, patience and practice. I believe that the majority of people who consult with a trainer want to learn the best and most humane ways to train their dogs and can even become excited about the untapped potential both they and their dogs share. What seems obvious to positive reinforcement trainers may not be to someone else. If we strive for clarity and simplicity we might not put the guy with the hammer out of business but we might decrease his market share.

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.