Is your dog a nervous nelly? Are they afraid of things in their environment like the garbage truck, a suspicious couch on the sidewalk that wasn’t there yesterday, the potted plant you moved 12 inches while cleaning? Are they terrified of guests or people who have never done anything to them? Or maybe you go get their harness for their walk or take out the brush and they run away from you?
Does their fear feel unpredictable? Some days they’re fine, other days they’re not. Sometimes they can walk by 4 people but then the 5th one sends them skittering away like they saw a tarantula? Are they OK with people outside but a complete mess about them inside?
Whether your dog runs away from things that scare them or your dog charges towards them to try to scare the thing away, we can get your dog to feel more comfortable in their environment.
Counter Conditioning
Training your dog to be less afraid is different from obedience training. In obedience, your dog has to do something in order to earn a reward. In fear work, we are changing your dog’s response to something in their environment.
We are treating the emotions underlying the behaviour (“I’m scared so I’m going to growl until this thing gives me more space” -> “when I see this thing I get food so I’m no longer scared”).
Once your dog is no longer scared, we can use obedience skills to address any remaining behaviours, and to teach your dog what to do instead.
Gradual Process
Sometimes we get frustrated and try to expose our dogs to situations that they are not ready for. Putting your dog in overwhelming situations is not going to help them get better.
Some fearful dogs will shut down and look calm when internally they are panicking. Others become aggressive in an effort to change the situation or get some space from the scary thing.
It is important to go slowly when working with fear. We start with the least scary version of their triggers and counter condition until your dog is no longer afraid. Then we do it again with a slightly scarier version. Eventually we work our way up to the full trigger.
Safety Leads to Bravery
Unfortunately we humans are quite impatient and often push dogs too far. We want the dog to “get over it” or “grow out of it” or “learn to handle it”.
We need to help your dog feel safe. If your dog feels safe, they will be able to make the choice to be brave.
Fear work is a trust building exercise between you and your dog. You uphold your part of the bargain (“I promise to keep you safe”) and prove to your dog that you are listening to their signals. In return, your dog will start to trust you to guide them when they are afraid and will turn to you when they experience a trigger.
It starts with a 60 min Consultation for 125$ CAD. We will discuss your dog and your main concerns, which will help me plan for our lessons. You will receive a summary of what we discussed and training plans to start addressing your concerns.
We can then continue to work on your dog’s behaviour with lessons (60 min, 125$ CAD). Ideal lesson spacing is every 2-4 weeks.