A great post by Kevin Myers about some things to consider when dealing with a fearful dog. I suspect most people wind up with fearful dogs without knowing in advance what they are getting themselves into, or even that the dog in question is fearful. Kevin Myers really touches on some of the really important things to remember when working with a fearful dog.
We've seen quite a few fearful dogs lately at the training centre. Patience, as Kevin points out, is an absolute requirement. Fearful dogs, even more so than dogs generally, really benefit from routine. And a dog's fears are real for them, just like my fears are real for me. Anybody have a phobia of spiders, for instance? :)
Fear isn't necessarily rooted in a bad experience, either. I have an intense fear of mice, but nothing bad has ever happened to me involving a mouse. No attacks by crazed mice, no traumatic incident of any sort. I'm just terrified of them. So if a dog is afraid of men, or people in hats, or of the sound of thunder, for instance, it doesn't mean that dog has had a bad experience with men, or people in hats, or thunder. It might just be that the dog is afraid.
Of course, it might also be the case that the dog in question HAS had a bad experience with the object of it's fear. But quite often, we'll never know whether this is the case or not. And the way to deal with the fear is the same whether you know where it came from or not.
Kevin refers readers to Debbie Jacobs' fabulous website, www.fearfuldogs.com. I second that advice; Debbie's website is the place to start if you know a fearful dog.
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And on that note, I HAVE had a few traumatic experiences with mice, and really, not many positive ones, yet I'm still not afraid of mice. So there certainly is something else at play than just nurture!
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