Is Your Dog a Scaredy-Cat?

So far this week, all of my appointments have involved fearful dogs.  Dogs afraid of noises, dogs afraid of the stairs, dogs afraid of walking on hardwood floors, and dogs afraid to ride in the car. In each case, the owners were frustrated and feeling like they were never going to get their dogs past these issues.  I get it, I really do.  Fear is one of the most frustrating problems to deal with, for owners, for veterinarians and groomers, and even for trainers and behaviorists like myself.  If you've ever had a fearful dog, you get it.  It IS frustrating.

Fear is a functional response and very hard to unlearn. While some fears are rational, many are irrational. For example, if you were bitten by a dog as a child, you might grow up being afraid of dogs.  That's a rational fear; you've been bitten before, so you could very well get bitten again.  If you're afraid of dogs, but never had a negative encounter with one, then that's an irrational fear, that is one not based on the reality of your experiences. This is true for dogs as well. I had a client years ago who was in a serious car accident and her dog was in the car with her when it happened. After the accident, he refused to get in the car, any car, no matter who was driving.  That's a rational fear.  I've also met a handful of dogs who are afraid to ride in the car, and have never had a negative experience there to support their fear.  That's an irrational fear. 

For dogs with rational fears, treatment is about convincing them that while their fears are valid, we can assure them that whatever it was that happened before is unlikely to happen again.  This is a slow process and one that takes into consideration the depth of the dog's fear and the necessity of doing whatever it is that scares them. So, while you could certainly just pick up that fearful dog, put them in the car, and take them for a drive, doing so will not allay those fears. This is akin to handing a person a live snake when you know they are afraid of snakes!  Pushing a dog (or a person) too quickly like that results in a lack of trust for the person who forced them to "cowboy up."  In the case of the dog, good luck ever being able to scoop them up again without a struggle!  Better to break up a car ride into all of its component pieces and work on each of those pieces one by one, helping the dog gain confidence and overcome their fears of each step in the process. Working on obedience exercises or playing games around the outside of the car.  Feeding the dog near the car.  Open all of the car doors and repeat the obedience work/games with judicious use of food/treats.  Sit in the car while the dog sits outside.  See if you can coax the dog to sit in the car with you, doors still open, no restraints involved.  Build up to sitting in the car together for longer periods of time until they will get in and sit down and allow a safety restraint and closed doors.  Now, turn on the car and sit with the car running.  Move on from this to a short drive down your street.  Then it's on to around the block and eventually to a location the dog loves; the park, a friend's house, a favorite hiking spot.  Baby steps are key and not pushing through any of the steps too quickly.  I had one client diligently working through the steps, making great progress, but then she rushed the last few steps as she wanted to drive the dog to the vet for a vaccine appointment.  Not only was the dog not ready for that drive, a vaccine appointment isn't a particularly pleasurable experience for a dog.  This one vet appointment car ride set my client back over a month in her desensitization training.  I asked her why she hadn't just scheduled for a mobile vet to come to the house to do the vaccine appointment and she said she sure wished that she had!

For irrational fears, the treatment still involves desensitization, but often also involves distractions and redirection.  The dog almost needs to be tricked into doing whatever scares them so that they can see that there wasn't anything to be afraid of in the first place.  For example, I treated a dog who was terrified of shiny floors.  He'd never once slipped or fallen, he just hated them and avoided them like they were hot lava.  He'd try to jump over them, or go around them, even if it meant going out one door and coming back inside through another.  For him, I brought along some foot balm that would give him traction.  I massaged his feet, applying the balm as I went along.  I gave him high value treats while I touched his feet. Then, I put down a few rugs on the shiny surface and had him walk with me while on a leash, lots of praise and treats. He was so focused on the steak that when he stepped off the last rug onto the shiny floor, he just kept going.  I walked along with him dropping treats until we got to the other side.  When he realized what he'd done, he seemed surprised himself!  I then sat down on the shiny floor with my bag of steak, eating a few bites myself.  He was tentative at first, but he took a few steps on his own, realized he wasn't going to slip or slide, and he moved right over and nudged me to share.  Mission accomplished.

The world is full of potential risks.  Some things are more likely to occur than others.  Smart, fearful dogs seem to be able to think about all of the possible outcomes, dwelling on the worst case scenarios.  It's our job as their caretakers to help them see that while the world can be a scary place, we are there to help them navigate it.  It's worth it to do this slowly so you build trust and your dog gains confidence.  Try not to get too frustrated.  Keep your sessions frequent and short, that helps.  Some dogs may need some anti-anxiety medication as part of the process as well.  I am always happy to help you figure out what will work best for your individual situation.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Westley used to be overcome with fear on trash day; the sound of the garbage trucks created such panic for him. Now, after slow desensitization exercises and CBD oil made for dogs, he can manage garbage day with minimal stress, often just retreating to his crate until they are gone.  When he's visiting me, he can even walk the neighborhood on trash day as long as his buddy Ozzie is there for moral support. And his favorite thing to do on trash day?  Go for a ride in the car to his favorite hiking trail and hike with my daughter until the garbage truck monsters have moved on.