A Fearful Dog Speaks

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.

Should we hug or kiss our dogs?

Another great article by Dr. Sophia Yin, this one about a book called "Smooch Your Pooch".  It is NOT advisable for anyone, kid or adult, to hug or kiss a dog -- quite often, this is how a dog bite arises.  This article talks about some great alternative ways to show affection to our dogs (such as trick training, playing fetch and going for a supervised walk), and how to read whether a dog is enjoying our physical affection or not.

Do dogs understand what the word "no" means?

A great article that explores the question of whether dogs understand our words, particularly "no".

Dogs and young families

A great article about deciding whether (or not) to get a dog when you have a young family.

Dogs and fear

In this month's BARK magazine, there is a wonderful article by Karen B. London about dogs and fear:  "Cautious Canines: Understanding and Helping Fearful Dogs".  The article isn't online (at least not yet), but I'd really encourage anyone who knows a shy, timid or fearful dog to read the article.   It's a great overview of dogs and fearfulness.

Here is another great article (by the wonderful Dr. Patricia McConnell) about reducing fear in dogs.  As she points out, "A gentle hand or a tasty treat doesn’t reinforce fear, it reduces it."  

My very favourite resource on dogs and fear is Debbie Jacobs' fantastic website, www.fearfuldogs.com.   This is THE place to start if you know a dog that you would describe as shy, timid, cautious, or fearful.  This site will help anyone who has or works with a dog like this.

Finally, I'd also like to link to a fabulous Yahoo group Shy-k9s.  The group description reads, "The shy-k9s mailing list is for the discussion of shy, fearful and/or fear-aggressive dogs and positive solutions to their problems."  Another great resource and source of support for people who have fearful dogs in their lives.

Punishment: A Cultural Phenomenon

I may be opening a can of worms here...   Here is an interesting article about punishment and our society.  "Punishment is a completely ineffective way to change anyone’s behavior", whether human or canine.

Children hugging dogs

This is a great article on children hugging dogs, and why it's not a good idea.