Journey Of Rue... Dealing With a Fearful Dog

 

 Yes, I will be the first to admit, I am the worst blogger ever!  Ok, now that is out of the way, I wanted to give you all an update on Rue.  She is now almost a year old!  Lots have gone on since I last blogged about her.  The reason I wanted to update you all about it is because we have had some "struggles".  Yes its true. I work with dogs on a daily basis and I to have "struggles".  Rue is an adolescent.  Which, loosely translated means that Rue is a punk, brat right now.  So for all of you out there who are currently going through the adolescent stage with your dog right now, know that you are not alone.  We all go through it, to varying degrees.  Adolescent or "the teenage phase " of your dogs life can be quite challenging.  And even though Rue went through extensive socialization during her "socialization " window, and did fantastic, once the adolescence hit, combined with a "fear period" Rue began showing signs of fear of people; even people she knew when she was younger, people she saw on a regular basis.  She began backing away and barking at people, running away, hiding behind me or other objects.  Her reactions are sharp and fast and some what startling to the people she does it to.  How embarrassing right?   Especially for a "dog trainer's dog"   But the reality of it is that even though she had adequate socialization when she was young, socialization does not end at 4-5 months of age.  As a matter of fact, it is imperative that we keep socializing our dogs through all their different life stages. Puppy, adolescent , adult, even seniors, not only need to keep up with their socialization skills but we as the owners need to understand the changing needs of socialization.
From puppy to adolescent; dogs will relate differently to your puppy. Behaviour that they used to get away with  as a young puppy now may not be tolerated.  From adolescent to adult:   your dog is finding his way, discovering where he fits and who he is.  There may be some struggles within your pack while he figures it out.  And from adult to senior:   physical changes, (ie deterioration of eye sight or hearing) cause confusion as your dog needs to adjust his behaviour to how he responds to his environment. not to mention slowing down or aches or pains will cause him to react differently to dogs. Socialization is a lifetime commitment, for both you and the dog.
  So I have a dog acting fearful.  What do I do?

ACTION PLAN

Step 1:   Accept the fear. I feel as though I should stand up and say to you all
"Hello my name is Tracy, I am a dog trainer , and I have a fearful dog"
There shouldn't be any shame in it.  Dogs are all born innately something. Some are confident, some are not. some are a little too confident.  But regardless, it is what it is. Admit it , accept it and get working on it.

Step 2:  Get working on it.   Don't put off working on it.  Don't say "its just a phase"or " It will work its self out."  It wont. Get on it. Get help if you need to but DON'T IGNORE IT!!

Step 3:  Get Help.  If you are unsure how to proceed with your fearful dog, get help.  Doing it wrong will be just as detrimental as doing nothing.

Step 4:  Stand up and speak up for your fearful dog, especially on leash.  That's right stand up straight and tall look someone in the eye and say "NO" when they asks to meet your dog or pet your dog. Its not rude to say no.  It is however rude to ignore your dogs fear and allow them to feel uncomfortable.  It seriously damages your dogs trust in you.  It will make your dog more reactive in the future if he doesn't think you have his back when it comes to managing his environment.  Off leash, ask people to ignore your dog.  Give the dog time to come to them on his own terms. If he decides not to , that is his right, tell your guest not to take it personally and move on.

Step 5:  Build his confidence in you.  Be a leader. Someone your dog can look up to. Someone he knows "has his back" in all situations. Practice this daily and your dogs confidence will soar. Keep track of your "Leadership Score Card"


    A rule of thumb I like to follow when dealing with a nervous or fearful dog is control his space.  ON LEASH:  increase his space from the things that he fears, but DECREASE his space away from you.  MEANING : NO FLEXI LEASHES!!    Its almost cruel to have your fearful unconfident dog 12 feet in front of you, left to deal with all the scary things that approach him.  Walk your dog WITH you.  Let him know you have his back no matter what comes at him.  He doesn't need to react because you have got everything under control.

OFF LEASH:  give him more space. Tell people to leave him alone. They are not to approach him and try to befriend him or pet him.  Advocate for him with other dogs. Make sure he isn't being bullied or unnecessarily pressured but other dogs. Even if those dogs appear to have good intentions, your fearful dog needs time and space to feel comfortable. Make sure you are the one to give that to him.  Follow this rule of thumb and you will find your fearful dogs reactions decrease significantly.

If you are interested in learning more about helping the fearful dog please feel free to contact me.

Walk on

Tracy