As you click and reward your dog for looking at the scary thing, though, you’ll now also turn away from the scary thing and reset. So what’s the deal? She is an Associate Certified Dog Behavior Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and is a member of Dog Writer’s Association of America. For a quick visual reminder of how to play this game, check out this graphic from Choose Positive Dog Training. Keep it up, clicking and treating for any movement at all. Your Dog Will Associate Training With Good Things. When a dog is truly “shut down” and doesn’t seem to do anything other than tremble, it can feel hopeless. Today we’re going to talk about the various reasons you may have ended up with an insecure dog, and  how to help a fearful dog gain confidence. This game is far better than luring a dog towards a stranger for treats. For example, if a dog is afraid of bicycles, then the exercises will be designed to help the dog stop being afraid by focusing on a different activity, like sitting politely. Whenever they walk past the dog, they can casually toss treats to the dog (see Treat and Retreat, below). Learn More With the Help of Videos. Hey, Jane. It’s best if you can control the trigger – this game backfires if the scary stranger tries to approach and pet your dog. Eventually, the dog will learn to trust that this individual isn’t going to hurt them. Dog training is excellent to help a fearful dog build confidence. Would this generally be helpful in these cases? If the dog was scared of that person immediately upon meeting the new person, it’s likely that the problem is related back to a deeper problem of neophobia. There’s a pervasive myth that fearful dogs were abused – they often weren’t. You have to take away the scary stuff to truly help your dog! Share on facebook. Please educate yourselves. General training will be beneficial to your dog as it will feel that you are in charge and you will lead it to do the right thing. I don’t recommend that the “scary person” become the main walker or feeder at first. Every owner will have a different goal for their dog. How to Help a Fearful Dog Gain Confidence. Have you ever had to deal with a low confidence dog? That’s why puppy socialization is so important – if you teach your puppy that things are normal, they won’t fall into the “Scary New Stuff” category later in life. In general, the best course of action here is to have the “scary person” ignore the dog most of the time, averting their gaze and giving the dog space. For adult dogs, new = scary. Use a pen to click (put it in your pocket if that sound makes her flinch). The first step to take to help a fearful dog gain confidence is avoiding the fearful situation your dog is afraid of, so that it lowers its stress levels. Without further ado, here are some of my favorite dog confidence building games. The video below shows how to get started teaching your dog to associate clicks with treats: Step 2. The key with all of these games is that they should be fun and easy for your dog. She travels full time with her border collie Barley and her boyfriend, Andrew. Whether you’re brushing up on old skills like … For dogs who are scared of people, you’ll need to get a helper person. If your dog can’t focus on you, that’s ok. Just reset to make it easier, take a break, and try again. Begin teaching some easy exercises, such as sit, down, stay, walk nicely on the leash and come can build a foundation of understanding between you and your dog as well as establish trust. The click lets your dog know a treat is on its way. By … These nervous or timid dogs can benefit from confidence-building exercises that can help to retrain their brain and remove the fear stigma attached to various situations or things. Moving objects (like bags blowing in the wind), Situations (like being surrounded by people). After a while, you will be ready to train your fearful dog. How do you make it easier? My goal was to be able to pass people like this on the street or on the trail calmly. I am so sorry to have missed your seminar last weekend in Seattle! These dogs will really benefit most from a dog behavior consultant and/or veterinary help. They may be especially afraid of men, of children, or of strangers. Fearful dogs, more often than not, are afraid of something because they perceive it as new. Though Barley isn’t scared of the ocean, the engage/disengage game being demonstrated is the same! That said, I do actually know of a case of a dog who was petrified of the microwave beep (and all other repetitive beeps) after the owners installed an underground fencing system. Instead, she might conclude that there are “monsters” everywhere and get even more skittish! This game is one of my favorites, but it’s only suitable for dogs who can already be within about 10 feet of their triggers. You have to be careful, though, not to overwhelm the dog while using this technique, which is called desensitization. There are lot of basic things that are easy to overlook that can have a dramatic effect on your dog’s health, including: It’s incredible how much you can help your dog just by thoroughly meeting her needs. Step 3. It’d probably be a good idea to let your pooch meet any dog you’re considering adding to the family. If it’s his … This game teaches dogs that strangers produce treats without pressuring the dog to get too close. Share in the comments! Over time, you’ll start noticing that your dog has more confidence to just “behave more.” She’s learning that moving and doing stuff can pay off. While all positive training will help settle a fearful dog, these three specific training exercises can really pump up a scared dog’s confidence: • Ask politely for everything. Training Helps Build Confidence. If the dog looks at them or approaches them, the helper will toss a treat behind the dog (treat) so that the dog turns back to get the food (retreat). Kneel with your side to her. It must be said that it can be a long, hard process. Your dog will start to build a positive association in his mind between the scary thing and his favorite thing, and pretty soon, your dog may automatically sit and look expectantly at you, waiting for a treat whenever the scary thing is present. Manage your dog’s interactions with people When she’s not writing or training Barley, Kayla enjoys cross-country skiing, eating sushi, drinking cocktails, and going backpacking. If your dog exhibits any signs of fear, quit the exercise and try again the next day at a greater distance from the scary thing. There’s no social pressure and the dog should never get close enough to get scared. What Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food? Fortunately, it’s not impossible to help a scared dog gain confidence. The idea is to slowly reintroduce your dog to the stimulus that causes their fear at a far enough distance away to avoid eliciting a fear response. If she seems to like the new dog and they get along well, the companionship may help her feel more at ease. It would be difficult for you to entertain guests without aggravating your pet, … Helping fearful dogs become more confident is a multi-step process that can take weeks, months, or even years. What Are the Symptoms of Dog Anxiety? Love the article! Have your dog sit or down before you pet him, give treats, feed, play ball, open doors, etc. Play this game by setting up a careful training scenario where you know exactly how intense your trigger will be. This is incredibly important because learning is impaired when the brain is stressed. Simply use a quiet clicker to “mark” the precise second that your dog does something you like (in this case, literally anything). Truffle Hunting Dogs: Helping Owners Sniff Out Big Bucks! Share on google. 6 Comments. Try to be specific – is your dog scared of all men, or only men who are attempting to pet her? In the process of trying to make them better, they instead worsen the situation. It’s really hard if your dog is scared of someone who lives in your home. She was with her litter mates until 4 months of age but otherwise has not had much other dog interaction. I was interested until the suggestion of the beep of a shock collar is why they may be scared of the beep of the microwave . This article informing about how to help a fearful dog gain confidence. Finally, yes, sometimes we can point to an actual event that caused the fearfulness. “Find It” Like targeting, “Find it” is a behavior many dogs learn … Best Answer. This sort of thinking can really lead you to pushing your dog too hard, too fast and can even backfire. Some dogs are born with a shy personality, while other dogs have had life experiences that have caused them to become fearful. What other advice do you have for owners of fearful dogs? I own a very busy dog walking and pet sitting business and a conservative estimate of our clientele who are fearful … This is evolutionarily advantageous in wild animals – if mom was stressed out while pregnant, there’s a good chance that the pups should be on high alert. Training is great for building confidence. One way to help a dog feel more confident is to use repeated exposure to the scary thing (the stimulus) so that it becomes less novel and more routine. Helping your fearful dog gain confidence can be as simple as introducing exercise into their routine, implementing basic obedience skills, coping skills and using something pleasurable (food or toys) to change the way your dog feels about the fearful object or environment. Be prepared with some tasty treats, like shredded cooked chicken breast. Hold a treat in your hand. That’s because constant exposure to scary things can lead to your dog getting more scared of them, rather than less. Before coming to K9 of Mine, Kayla worked at Denver Dumb Friends League as a Behavior Technician. Its unfortunate that many people do not understand dogs that are fearful. The best way to help a shy or fearful dog gain confidence is to expose them to what frightens them at a low intensity. 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