Comments on: Guest Blogger: Be a fearful dog’s friend http://blog.pets911.com/2008/12/be-a-fearful-dogs-friend/ Bringing the animal welfare community together Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:29:33 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Debbie Jacobs http://blog.pets911.com/2008/12/be-a-fearful-dogs-friend/comment-page-1/#comment-266 Debbie Jacobs Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:26:22 +0000 http://blog.pets911.com/?p=200#comment-266 You can use hand targeting games with dogs to help them feel more comfortable with hands. On the fearfuldogs.com website you'll find a link to games & exercises which describes targeting. Once a dog learns to target something, hands for example, it's all a game and the hands no longer are associated with something scary or unpleasant but are just another good thing about to happen. You can use hand targeting games with dogs to help them feel more comfortable with hands. On the fearfuldogs.com website you’ll find a link to games & exercises which describes targeting. Once a dog learns to target something, hands for example, it’s all a game and the hands no longer are associated with something scary or unpleasant but are just another good thing about to happen.

]]> By: nikosmom http://blog.pets911.com/2008/12/be-a-fearful-dogs-friend/comment-page-1/#comment-265 nikosmom Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:32:46 +0000 http://blog.pets911.com/?p=200#comment-265 This is an interesting post! I too have a fearful dog. He always reacted to bicycles, hands coming towards his face, motorcycles, people or children running, loud noises, fireworks, other dogs, he would also lose control and piddle whenever confronted by people outside his immediate family, etc. I went to trainer after trainer from the time he was a mere pup but nobody ever mentioned fear as a cause and his behavior worsened, it seemed, with each consecutive trainer. Looking back, the trainers were misguiding me in handling him. One night I was watching an episode of Dogtown and the trainer on the program was working with a fearful dog. The bells went off in my head. Ninety-five percent of my dog's "bad behaviors" were due to fear! Much to my horror, I actually had been unwittingly adding to his fear. I began to study him and started to see the signs that he was becoming fearful. His German Shepherd ears will slightly turn backwards, his eyes will somewhat dilate and narrow almost into slits and he will stare hard at the object of the fear, and he gets a look on his face that is hard to describe but it is unmistakable, and sometimes his breathing becomes audible. Once I recognized the signs of his being fearful, I have been able to work with him to ease some of his fears. We have a long ways to go! However, he has come such a long way. He no longer reacts to passing a motorcycle or bicycles in the car and most loud noises do not bother him at all although fireworks are still an issue. He still has an issue with hands coming towards his face, but he will always happily let me stroke his head and face if I approach from behind or to the side with a loving voice. We have a long ways to go, but our trust in one another is building each day and it feels great! This is an interesting post! I too have a fearful dog. He always reacted to bicycles, hands coming towards his face, motorcycles, people or children running, loud noises, fireworks, other dogs, he would also lose control and piddle whenever confronted by people outside his immediate family, etc. I went to trainer after trainer from the time he was a mere pup but nobody ever mentioned fear as a cause and his behavior worsened, it seemed, with each consecutive trainer. Looking back, the trainers were misguiding me in handling him. One night I was watching an episode of Dogtown and the trainer on the program was working with a fearful dog. The bells went off in my head. Ninety-five percent of my dog’s “bad behaviors” were due to fear! Much to my horror, I actually had been unwittingly adding to his fear.

I began to study him and started to see the signs that he was becoming fearful. His German Shepherd ears will slightly turn backwards, his eyes will somewhat dilate and narrow almost into slits and he will stare hard at the object of the fear, and he gets a look on his face that is hard to describe but it is unmistakable, and sometimes his breathing becomes audible.

Once I recognized the signs of his being fearful, I have been able to work with him to ease some of his fears. We have a long ways to go! However, he has come such a long way. He no longer reacts to passing a motorcycle or bicycles in the car and most loud noises do not bother him at all although fireworks are still an issue. He still has an issue with hands coming towards his face, but he will always happily let me stroke his head and face if I approach from behind or to the side with a loving voice. We have a long ways to go, but our trust in one another is building each day and it feels great!

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