Dog Fear
-Stop Feeding It And Fix It-

It’s amazing how many of us know practically nothing about dogs as dogs. From tiny little dogs we tote around like a baby, to huge dogs that knock us off the bed at night, they all think like a dog! Their rules are the same and how they react to what we do are the same. And last but not least, what they really want from us is the same - and I'm not talking about another dog treat (-:

And every one of them can experience dog fear, whether its a dog fear of thunderstorms, or a fear aggressive dog. Solving dog fear starts with taking a good hard look at ourselves first.

We treat them like our children because it fulfills an emotional need for us. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for them. Have your children ever peed on the floor, chewed up the trash, nipped your visitors, eaten your underwear, stolen your shoes or chased the neighbor’s cat? This should be a clue. Surely with a little knowledge we can close the gap and fulfill more of their needs while still fulfilling ours.

What do they need? Leadership. Calm, consistent leadership. They need us to be assertive. Assertive does not mean overpowering, mean or loud. It’s kind of a knowing/feeling inside us that wants and expects the right thing to be done. That same assertiveness can help them to conquer dog fear.

I’m not here to beat you in the head with a rolled up newspaper to make you change your ways completely. I would be offended if someone did that to me or my dogs, but let's do a comparison. Here is an example of a dog fear situation that is also a child fear situation.

Fear of Thunder

You may have to repeat this exercise several times.

DOG FEAR OF THUNDERSTORMS – If you have a dog that whimpers, cries, trembles and barks he is in a similar state as a child afraid of thunder. First we can forget the bowling, or God. If he’s monumentally intelligent he could think you are saying what he is, backward, but probably not.

You can tell him its okay and he still whimpers, cries, trembles and barks. If you rub his back while talking in a calm voice, he continues to whimper, cry, tremble and bark. The difference in mindset is the dog thinks you are actually praising him for whimpering, crying, trembling and barking every time he hears thunder – and it works!

This understanding only took me 32 years and I hope it doesn’t take a few members of my family nearly that long because I’m working hard at having secure and happy dogs. Let’s face it, I did the soothing thing that long and it never worked. Maybe someone should have hit me in the head with a newspaper. I dunno.

The lesson here is never soothe a dog during unwanted behavior. Every dog is different as to what will work with him or her. Some dogs respond with a firm no, but I’ve rarely been that lucky.

Change your dog's focus by doing something fun during a thunderstorm so he relates thunder to fun time. Play his favorite game with him indoors. If he fetches something for you, then you can praise him, give him a good rub down, or whatever you and your dog do for loving times. If you have a food oriented dog you can hide treats and praise him each time he finds one. Whatever you do, remain CALM. Your dog picks up your energy so make it a good energy.

REMEMBER - If you soothe, pet or baby talk your dog during ANY unwanted behavior, you are creating more of that unwanted behavior.

I helped keep dog fears and phobias alive and well in a few of my dogs without even realizing it. I soothed and comforted over the vacuum cleaner, the broom, the hose and even the rain...

until I started watching and reading The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan

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Do We Treat Our Dogs Like Dogs or Children?

When Our Dog's Behavior Is Bad, Do We Look In The Mirror?

Psychic Dogs - Does Your Dog Read Your Mind?

Best Family Dog - Did I Just Get a Good Dog or Did I Earn Him?

Bad Dog – Why Does This Dog Make Me Crazy?

Back from Dog Fear to Dog Behavior Modification

Home Page of Three-Little-Pitties Dog Health

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