Dog training
Training the shy or fearful
puppy or dog
With dogs as with people, some dogs and
puppies are naturally more
bold and daring than others. When you watch a
group of puppies
play, it will quickly become apparent which ones
are bold and which
ones are shy. Some of the puppies will hang back
at the edge of the
pack, perhaps fearful of angering the stronger
dogs, while others will
jump right into the fray and start jostling for control.
Working with a shy puppy or dog, or one that
is fearful, presents its
own special challenges. Of course bold, forceful
dogs present
challenges of their own, especially with control
and leadership issues.
Every type of puppy or dog has its own unique
personality, and its own
unique training challenges as a result.
One important reason to build confidence in a fearful
dog is to prevent
biting. High fear dogs often become biters to
deal with their fear of
new situations, and this type of fear response
can be dangerous for
you and your dog. It is important to teach the puppy
or dog that new
situations and new people are nothing to fear,
and that they are not
out to hurt him.
Signs of fear in both puppies and dogs include
being afraid of
strangers, being leery of new situations, and
avoiding certain people or
objects. A fearful puppy or dog may also snap or
bite, especially when
cornered.
If you recognize signs of fear in your dog or puppy, it is important to
act quickly. Fear responses can quickly become ingrained in a dog,
and once those fear memories are planted they can be difficult to
erase. Properly socializing a young puppy is essential to making sure
your dog is not fearful, and will not become a fear biter. Many puppies
are raised as only dogs, but even these puppies should be given the
opportunity to play with other puppies, and with well socialized older
dogs and friendly cats as well. The more novel situations the puppy
encounters when he is young, the better he will be able to adapt to
new situations as an adult dog.
Adapting to new and changing situations is a
vital life skill that every
puppy must learn. As you know, the world is
constantly changing and
adapting, and it is vital that both you and your four
legged companion
learn to take these changes in stride.
It is important for owners to not inadvertently
reinforce or reward shy
or fearful behaviors. For instance, when a puppy
or dog shows fear,
by whining, crying or hiding, it is only natural for the
owner to go over
and reassure the dog. This type of reassurance,
however, can be
misinterpreted by the animal as a sign of
approval from the pack
leader.
When the dog or puppy displays fearful or shy
behavior, the best
strategy is simply to ignore him. The dog must be
able to learn on his
own that there is nothing to fear. If left alone, a dog
will often start to
explore the fearful object on his own, thereby
learning that the initial
fear reaction was mistaken. The owner must allow
the dog to explore
things on his own, and not try to coddle or over
protect him.
Another reason for fear reactions, particularly in older dogs, is past
abuse or lack of proper socialization as puppies. The window for good
puppy socialization is relatively short, and once this window has closed
it can be difficult to teach a dog how to socialize with dogs and other
animals. Likewise, a dog that has been abused probably has all sorts
of negative associations, and it is up to a patient owner to work with
the dog to replace those fear reactions with more appropriate
responses.
When working with an older fearful dog, it is
important not to try to
rush the socialization and fear abatement process. It
is best to simply
allow the dog to explore things on his own, even if it
means he spends
a lot of time hiding from the perceived monster.
Trying to force the
dog to confront the things he fears will do more
harm than good.
It is also important to address already ingrained fear based behaviors,
such as biting, snapping and growling, whether they result from past
abuse, a lack of socialization or a combination of factors. If the dog is
frightened and reacts defensively to strangers, it is important to
introduce him slowly. It is important to correct these potentially
dangerous behaviors, however, and teach the dog that fear is no
excuse for growling, snapping or biting. The best way to do this is to
immediately reprimand and correct the dog when he bites, snaps or
growls at anyone.
The dog should be generously rewarded the minute it stops displaying
aggressive behavior. If you do find yourself having to reprimand your
dog for displaying aggressive behaviors, it probably means you have
tried to move him along too quickly. It is important to avoid
threatening situations as much as possible until the dog has built up
the confidence it takes to deal with those situations. If you think you
have moved too fast, take a few steps back and let the dog regain his
confidence.
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