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Training The Shy Or Fearful Puppy Or Dog
By Tony Robinson, Fri Dec 9th
With dogs as with people, some dogs and are naturallymore bold and daring than others. When you watch a group ofpuppies play, it will quickly become apparent which ones arebold and which ones are shy. Some of the will hang backat the edge of the pack, perhaps fearful of angering thestronger dogs, while others will jump right into the fray andstart jostling for control. Working with a shy puppy or dog, or one that is fearful,presents its own special challenges. Of course bold, forcefuldogs present challenges of their own, especially with controland leadership issues. Every type of puppy or dog has its ownunique personality, and its own unique training challenges as aresult. One important reason to build confidence in a fearful dog is toprevent biting. High fear dogs often become biters to deal withtheir fear of new situations, and this type of fear response canbe dangerous for you and your dog. It is important to teach thepuppy or dog that new situations and new people are nothing tofear, and that they are not out to hurt him.
Signs of fear in both and dogs include being afraid ofstrangers, being leery of new situations, and avoiding certainpeople 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 isimportant to act quickly. Fear responses can quickly becomeingrained in a dog, and once those fear memories are plantedthey can be difficult to erase. Properly socializing a youngpuppy is essential to making sure your dog is not fearful, andwill not become a fear biter. Many are raised as onlydogs, but even these should be given the opportunity toplay with other puppies, and with well socialized older dogs andfriendly cats as well. The more novel situations the puppyencounters when he is young, the better he will be able to adaptto new situations as an adult dog. Adapting to new and changing situations is a vital life skillthat every puppy must learn. As you know, the world isconstantly changing and adapting, and it is vital that both youand your four legged companion learn to take these changes instride. It is important for owners to not inadvertently reinforce orreward shy or fearful behaviors. For instance, when a puppy ordog shows fear, by whining, crying or hiding, it is only naturalfor the owner to go over and reassure the dog. This type ofreassurance,
however, can be misinterpreted by the animal as asign of approval from the pack leader. When the dog or puppy displays fearful or shy behavior, the beststrategy is simply to ignore him. The dog must be able to learnon his own that there is nothing to fear. If left alone, a dogwill 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, andnot 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. Thewindow for good puppy socialization is relatively short, andonce this window has closed it can be difficult to teach a doghow to socialize with dogs and other animals. Likewise, a dogthat has been abused probably has all sorts of negativeassociations, and it is up to a patient owner to work with thedog to replace those fear reactions with more appropriateresponses. When working with an older fearful dog, it is important not totry to rush the socialization and fear abatement process. It isbest to simply allow the dog to explore things on his own, evenif it means he spends a lot of time hiding from the perceivedmonster. Trying to force the dog to confront the things he fearswill do more harm than good. It is also important to address already ingrained fear basedbehaviors, such as biting, snapping and growling, whether theyresult from past abuse, a lack of socialization or a combinationof factors. If the dog is frightened and reacts defensively tostrangers, it is important to introduce him slowly. It isimportant 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 immediatelyreprimand and correct the dog when he bites, snaps or growls atanyone. The dog should be generously rewarded the minute it stopsdisplaying aggressive behavior. If you do find yourself havingto reprimand your dog for displaying aggressive behaviors, itprobably means you have tried to move him along too quickly. Itis important to avoid threatening situations as much as possibleuntil the dog has built up the confidence it takes to deal withthose situations. If you think you have moved too fast, take afew steps back and let the dog regain his confidence. About the author:Tony Robinson is an international author and dog lover. Hiswebsite http://www.dogtraining4u.com contains valuable insightsinto the life of our canine friends.
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