How to Train Fearful Dogs

August 8, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Fearful Dog Training Tips

Fearful dogs break my heart. It’s not their fault they’re scared. They are either born this way and/or learned through scary encounters.

When training or living with a fearful dog, you’re using the same basic learning principles, but doing a few things differently. Always remember: fear causes aggression. We are all equipped with “fight or flight” mode. It’s a defensive mechanism. In fearful dogs, this mode is turned up a few notches.

Never use punishment-based training methods. Never punish a dog for being fearful, you will make it much worse. Punishment means yelling, screaming, pushing, pulling, correcting with a collar or verbally, and hitting a dog. It’s not their fault. Would you punish a child for being scared? I think not.

First, enroll in a Relaxed Rover class. Relaxed Rover classes are designed for fearful dogs and incorporate the below fearful dog tips. Class size is smaller than regular group classes and provides plenty of opportunities for practicing while offering guidance from a professional dog trainer.

Use the Very Best Treats

This is so important. I’m shocked how many dog owners disregard dog training treats. This is your dog’s currency, so use treats your dog loves!

Control His Environment

If your fearful dog refuses to eat his treats and you’re using hot dogs and string cheese (i.e. high value treats), stop and assess the situation. Is your dog distracted by:

Another dog standing too close?

o Move your dog away, at least 10 feet, if possible and try again.
o Provide visual barriers, such as bushes, fences and distance.

A person standing too close?

o Move your dog away, at least 10 feet, if possible and try again.
o Provide visual barriers, such as bushes, fences and distance.

Loud noise?

o Move away from loud noises and refrain from teaching your dog around loud noises. This could mean walking your dog in a park instead of alongside a busy road.

Quick movement?

o This startles many fearful dogs, as they believe quick movement means they are coming to get me.
o Provide visual barriers.

Teach Redirection

Redirection means to reward your dog for doing something else. If your dog jumps up, reward him for sitting instead. When redirecting, always continue to manage your environment.

If another dog is standing too close,

o Teach your dog the “look at that” cue.
o When your dog looks at another dog, click and treat. Your dog learns dogs equal food.

If a person is standing too close,

o Teach your dog the “look at that” cue.
o When your dog looks at a person, click and treat. Your dog learns strangers equal food.

If there is loud noise,

o Feed your dog as a loud noise is happening.
o Trust me, you’re not rewarding your dog’s scared behavior. You are pairing yummy food with something scary, such as a noise. This works wonderfully!

If there is quick movement,

o Teach your dog the “look at that” cue.
o When your dog looks at whatever is causing quick movement, click and treat. Your dog learns quick movement equals food and quick movement does not mean you are coming to get him.

Build Confidence

By teaching a fearful dog the “look at that” cue, he’s learning the world is not scary, which is very empowering. The more your fearful dog learns, the more confidence he will build!

I highly recommend enrolling in controlled dog sports, such as agility and nosework. By controlled, I mean one dog and handler are allowed in the ring at a time. This means low distractions and lots of one-on-one attention from the dog trainer.

Nosework is awesome for fearful dogs! Nervous dogs usually blossom after just one session. They learn to do something else instead of worry, and every dog has a good nose–even baby Pugs. 🙂

Preventing Shut Down Dogs

When a dog shuts down, he has given up to the extent he becomes frustrated. This condition is called learned helplessness, which can be treated. We cover learned helplessness in more detail in this article.

Bark back! What tips have worked for your fearful dog?

Can Dogs Speak Human?

August 6, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Communicate With a Dog, Don’t Scare Him!

Can dogs understand human behavior? Yes and no. Mostly, humans confuse dogs. Some human behaviors are offensive to dogs, especially when we crowd and insist on petting them. In this guide, we teach you how to better communicate with a dog.

How to Communicate With a Dog

Dos

As a dog approaches you, stand still and turn sideways.

Turning sideways is much more inviting than facing a dog with your body held forward (same for people too!).
Standing still asks the dog to make the first move.

Allow a dog to approach you first.

If a dog ignores you, it’s OK. Do you want to meet and shake hands with everyone in the grocery store? Probably not.
Dogs can engage without physical contact just like when a person nods and then goes about his business. Take the hint and do the same. 🙂

Bend down when attaching your dog’s leash or collar or petting him.

It’s intimidating when someone looms over you. I’m 5’2″ and it’s uncomfortable when this happens. I move away from the person.
Toss treats toward your dog. He learns you equals treats.

RELATED: Dog Socialization Tips

Only pet a dog when he wants to be petted.

Never reach out and sneak a few pats in. Read the dog’s body language if he’s ignoring you. Take the hint! 🙂
If you reach out to pet a dog and he moves away, it’s OK. Most people take this as an insult, but it’s your dog’s way of saying, “Nice to meet you too, but I’m not too sure about this situation.”
Always listen to the dog’s body language, then explain to the pet parent, “Well, she’s not too sure about me, so I’ll respect her space.”

Allow a dog to sniff you before petting him.

When dogs sniff you, they’re deciding if they want to meet you or not.
Just because a dog sniffs you does not mean he wants to be petted. If he moves away from you, do not attempt to pet him.

Provide plenty of space, especially if a dog is fearful or stressed.

Respect a dog’s bubble. We all have space bubbles and some have larger bubbles than others. We dread the guy who gets in your face when talking. He has a small bubble!
If a dog is uncomfortable, take 4 steps away from the dog. Respect the bubble!

Don’ts

How to Interact With Dogs — Good job! Bend down, stand sideways and pet dog’s chest.

While you’re reading these examples, imagine a person doing these things to you. Scary, right?

Stare directly into a dog’s eyes. Instead, look at the dog’s chin or upper neck.

Walk directly toward a dog to pet him.

Reach out and pet a dog you’ve never met before. Allow the dog to approach your hand held by your side.

Greet a dog and pet him on top of the head or face.

Force a dog to meet another person, dog or scary object.

Force your dog to play with other dogs, and it’s clear he isn’t comfortable in that situation. Not all dogs enjoy playing with other dogs. Just like some people don’t like hanging out with a bunch of other people.

Put your face next to your dog’s face (hugging or kissing your dog). In the dog world, this is rude behavior. Remember, dogs smell each others’ butts as greetings. 🙂 If your dog turns his head away or pulls away from you, he doesn’t like it.

Yell or scream at your dog. Dogs don’t know why you’re mad. They live in the moment and act guilty because you’re scaring them. Acting guilty is a combo of stress behaviors.

Play “I’m gonna get you!” game with a dog you’ve never met before. Usually, this involves a person jumping toward a dog, which is very scary to dogs. I’ve seen dogs lunge and attack a person because they were terrified. Dog are fast and have huge teeth, so never tease them.

Chase a scared or stranger dog. Instead, stop, bend down and say “puppy puppy puppy” in a high-pitched voice. Remember, when you’re standing still and squatting down, you’re more approachable and the high-pitched voice will draw the dog toward you.

Take a treat away from a dog. Instead, play the trade game.

Scare your dog by hiding and jumping out, wearing a mask, etc. Your dog learns you’re unpredictable, and this could cause a dog to become aggressive to people.

Can you imagine a person patting you on the head or a stranger walking directly up to you and touching you—yikes, respect the bubble! If you’ve done some of these human behaviors dogs hate, don’t beat yourself up. You did it because you didn’t know any better. 🙂 But now you do! It’s time to try to communicate with your dog again with these tips! Trust me, your dog will thank you!

Now, it’s your turn! How well do you communicate with your dog? What human behaviors have you noticed your dog hates? Please comment below!

Is Your Dog Confused?

August 4, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Confused Dog: Dog Training Tips

If you’re wondering whether or not your dog is confused, the answer is probably yes!

I will say it: it’s our fault when a dog becomes confused. We didn’t give clear instructions. Many teachers are quick to blame their students, but it’s not the students’ fault when they make mistakes. The teacher wasn’t clear enough for the students to understand. Students must be successful within 1-2 attempts. If not, they will become confused.

Don’t allow your dog to make mistakes. If he doesn’t understand within 1-2 attempts, stop and make the next attempt easy. Mistakes are part of the learning process, but too many mistakes cause frustration, which stops the learning process.

What does a confused dog look like?

Confused dogs display many signs, such as:

Become hyperactive
Ignore you and their high value treats
Startle easily
Bark or lunge at other dogs
Lay on the ground and totally ignore you

During group dog training class, when I notice a confused dog, the owners are usually very frustrated at this point. They feel the dogs are blowing them off. I gently explain their dogs are simply confused and they should take a break. If you keep pushing, your dog will shut down completely, and we never want to get this far ever.

What should I do?

When you have a confused dog, remain still and drop 10 treats on the ground for your dog. Take 5 deep breaths and relax for a few minutes. Continue relaxing until you and your dog feel better. Pushing, pulling, tugging or yelling will only make the situation worse.

In a few minutes, your dog will look up at you, so smile and ask your dog to “touch.” Touch is an easy cue, which sets your dog up for success immediately. We all like small wins, right? Now, you and your dog are feeling much better, so you can get started again.

VIDEO: Teach the “Touch” Behavior

How to Prevent Confusing Your Dog Again

Use treats your dog loves! Confused dogs are more forgiving if you’re using fabulous treats. 🙂
Take lots of breaks: Let your dog drink some water, enjoy a quick play session in the backyard or let him sniff outside. Meanwhile, you should sit and relax, drink some water, or read the paper.
Keep dog training sessions short: Think 1-2 mins.
If your dog becomes confused and isn’t successful within 2 attempts, this means it’s too difficult for him to understand. End the dog training session with an easy behavior, such as “touch.” Then, try to simplify the behavior further by breaking it into smaller sections.
- Example 1: Your dog will stay until you step away. This is normal, as your dog has learned that your movement means he’s moving too.
- Instead of stepping away, shift your feet while remaining in the same place.
- When your dog is successful, take one step back and then one step forward, and so on.
- Move at your dog’s pace until he learns “stay” means to remain in this spot while you walk away.

Prevent Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness is when your dog shuts down, meaning he’s become so discouraged. Make sure to listen to your dog.

It’s your turn! When does your dog become confused?

Supervised Dog Tethering

July 29, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Tethering Dogs

Supervised tethering is an invaluable dog training tool and can be used for potty training and teaching your dog new skills, such as calm behavior.

What is Supervised Tethering?

Tethering means to connect a dog to a stationary object (wall mount, your body or heavy furniture) using a 4- to 6-foot leash. Supervised tethering means you are always able to visually watch your dog.

Connect to dog. Attach tether to dog’s flat buckle collar or body harness. I prefer using a body harness so the dog is comfortable. Never use a slip collar, which can choke your dog.
Tether. Use non-chewable materials, such as cable cord or thin chain leashes with a snap on one end and hand loop on the other end. Long tethers (longer than six feet) are cumbersome, tangle easily and become caught on furniture.
Stationary Object
- Wall mount. Chose an eye hook mount and drill in a wall. Always drill into a wall stud for maximum strength.
- Heavy piece of furniture, especially useful if you are sitting on it, which provides additional weight.
- Your body. Try leash around your waist or tether to a belt loop. I prefer to use a hands-free leash combo, which attaches the leash to a built-in belt designed to fit most people.

How to Use a Tether

You’ll need a clicker, lots of yummy pea-sized treats, your dog’s favorite chew stick or a food stuffed toy.

Click/treat while snapping the tether to your dog’s harness. Your dog learns it’s fun to be tethered.
Reward your dog when the leash is loose (he is not pulled against the tether).
When tethered, always provide a favorite chew stick or food stuffed toy so your dog learns that tethering means yummy stuff!
If your dog barks or whines while wearing his tether, ask him to sit instead and unsnap the tether. Never unsnap a tether when your dog is barking or whining. He will learn to bark and whine until you remove the tether. 🙂
When your dog is tethered to you, call his name before you begin moving. This will teach your dog to focus attention (by using his name) and prevent you from pulling your dog around.

For safety concerns, never leave your dog alone when tethered (either indoors or outdoors).

When left alone, your dog can chew through the tether and escape.
Tethers can wrap around your dog’s body and cause major damage. I’ve witnessed dogs jumping over furniture and hanging themselves.
When leaving your dog alone, put him in his crate with a food stuffed toy.

When to Use Supervised Tethering

Potty Training

Pet owner learns puppy’s cue for “I need to potty”: If your puppy becomes squirmy or stares at you, bring him outside. Your puppy will learn to cue you by staring at you that he needs to potty.
Tethering provides supervision, which prevents your puppy from wandering off and pottying in inappropriate places.
Tether dog while everyone is in the same room, such as eating in the dining room or watching a movie in the family room. This prevents potty accidents, your dog wandering off and your dog chewing on inappropriate objects.
I recommend tethering in conjunction with crate training. When I leave, my dogs are in their crates. When I’m home and need to supervise a puppy, I tether him to me or furniture. This provides plenty of opportunities to learn calm behavior outside of his crate.

RELATED: Housebreaking a Puppy

Teaching Self-Control (It Pays to Be Calm)

When watching TV, tether your dog near you, preferably to the chair you are sitting in.
Click and treat when dog is calm, chews on his favorite chew stick or enjoys a food stuffed toy.
If your dog gets up and pulls on the tether, ignore him. When your dog stops pulling on the tether, click and give him a treat.
Every night, while watching TV, tether your dog, so he will learn to settle down while you are settling in for the night too.

Multiple Dog Environments

One dog harasses the other dog: Tether the dog doing the harassing dog. This works perfectly for a young puppy, which constantly harasses an older dog.
- Example: Sobek (large puppy) would chase Stella (small adult dog), trying to elicit a play session. Stella refused to play and preferred a nap instead. I tethered Sobek to my chair, provided him a wonderful food stuffed toy and clicked/treated when he did not pull on his tether. Sobek learned calm behavior is more rewarding than harassing Stella for a play session. Plus Sobek learned to enjoy being calming instead of relishing the excitement of hyperactivity!
Two hyperactive dogs: Tether both dogs. However, separate them by tethering them across the room from each other. Use visual barriers, so they cannot see each other. Examples of visual barriers could be furniture, a person sitting in between, etc.

More Tethering Options

Tether your dog while eating dinner. This will eliminate begging at the table.
If your dog likes to dash out an open door, tether him.
Your dog bugs you for attention, tether him.
Dog jumps up on guests, tether him.

Are Tethers Forever?

Nope! Tethers are a tool used to teach your dog polite behaviors. Once your dog learns how and can remain calm, then discontinue use of tethers. Dogs should earn privileges, which means if they remain calm, then no tether. If they begin harassing a resident dog or sneaking off and causing mischief, they are tethered until they learn calm behavior pays.

Now it’s your turn! How can you use tethering to teach polite behaviors? Comment in the section below. I want to hear from you!

You may also like: Puppy Biting

My Dog Growls at Me

July 25, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Dogs Growling

My Dog Growls at Me — Chart of calming signals.

What should you do when your dog growls?

Dogs will growl. This is completely normal behavior. They may growl during play or when encountering something new or scary (like a plastic bag flapping wildly in the wind). Always look at your dog’s body language and environment to determine if your dog is having fun or your dog is growling out of fear.

Dog Growls When Playing

When dogs play, they usually growl. Some puppies may be more vocal than others. If your dog or puppy is playing with another dog and he begins growling, separate your dog from the other dog in a calm manner. Pay close attention to watch the other dog’s body language. If the other dog runs away, then your dog’s growling (or play style) may be too much for that dog. That is a safe time to end the play session.

If the other dog continues to play with your dog, then allow them to continue playing.View the Chart of Calming Signals created by Doggie Drawings to understand your dog’s body language.

A special shout-out to Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin. This site has wonderful educational tools for everyone, including posters for educating children about dog bites.

RELATED: Dog Aggression

When Your Dog Growls, But it’s Not Playtime

Dogs will display signals that say to a dog behaviorist that the dog is uncomfortable in a situation before he growls. Think of it this way: How do you know a thunderstorm is approaching? The wind picks up, dark clouds roll in, you can smell an increase of moisture in the air, and it begins to rain, then you hear lightening strike. Think of growling as lightening strikes. We need to interrupt and acknowledge calming signals before the lightening strikes. In my 20+ years of dog training, I’ve never witnessed a dog growl or bite without warning signs. We must understand a dog’ s body language to be able to prevent dog bites.

Never punish a dog for growling! This is your dog’s warning system. A dog growl means that he is uncomfortable in the current situation. People react the same way when scared. We may say, “Leave me alone,” “Stop” or “You are scaring me” to the person who is causing discomfort. As pet parents, we must respect a dog’s growl.

To learn more about dog body language, visit “Learn to Speak Dog” by Dog Gone Safe and watch videos and free downloads. The “Learn to Speak Dog” series is highly educational and will help you better understand dog behavior and growling signals.

Doggie Language Chart — Calming Signal Chart by DoggieDrawings by Lili Chin

What should I do if my dog growls as a warning?

Acknowledge and respect your dog’s calming signals (example: a growl).
Scan the environment to locate what caused your dog to growl (flying plastic bag, another dog standing too close in his face, doorbell ringing, stranger approaching, touching his toenails, meeting new strangers, child is too close and in his face, fill in the blank).
Calmly move the dog away from the trigger that caused the growl.
Write down important facts about the trigger:

– Happened when…
– Trigger was…
– We were doing…
– Has happened X amount of times…

Keep your dog away from these triggers. If he is exposed to his trigger over and over again, he rehearses his stressed behavior, which strengthens it and that means it will take much longer to teach him good behavior around the trigger. Anxiety is caused by repeated exposure to a stressor, and we don’t want your dog to become anxious. Not removing the dog from the situation that brought on a growl reinforces that the growling is the default.

Use desensitization and counter conditioning to overcome the trigger that caused your dog to growl fearfully.

Dictionary.com defines desensitization as:

1. The elimination or reduction of natural or acquired reactivity or sensitivity to an external stimulus, as an allergen.
2. A behavior modification technique, used especially in treating phobias, in which panic or other undesirable emotional response to a given stimulus is reduced or extinguished, especially by repeated exposure to that stimulus.

Both definitions apply to training your dog so he can overcome things that he may have first thought were threatening or scary.

To better illustrate the fear-based growl, here is a brief example:

If your dog is terribly scared of crickets and he growls because of the:

Noise they make
Unpredictable hops
Scent they carry

This is generally a fear-based or warning growl.

The dog growl as the cricket is encroaching in his space is the dog’s trigger warning.

If the dog was taken out of the growl situation, but can still acknowledge that the cricket is in the room you can begin to reward the dog with his favorite treat while he can still see the cricket. Doing this will begin to teach your dog to associate that the cricket isn’t something to fear. Instead, he can begin to learn that a cricket present followed by yummy food and no growling is an acceptable behavior.

Overtime even if the cricket moves closer towards the dog (slowly) while feeding the dog treats. You will see improvement in the dog’s temperament. Your dog will become more comfortable with the cricket in the room.

You will want to feed the dog a treat as he continues looking at the cricket. If, at any time, it comes too close and the dog begins to growl or his body language shows he is getting uncomfortable, it is important to remove the dog from the situation and not treat during the uncomfortable moments. That will only reinforce the wrong feelings or behavior with getting a reward.

Never force, pull a dog towards a trigger or repeatedly introduce a dog to a known trigger, which causes them to freak out. This will make your dog way worse, we call this “flooding.”

This does not work. You are teaching a dog to become helpless, which is cruel.

This example is no substitute for a professional behaviorist or dog trainer assessing the behavior problem that causes your dog to growl. There is no one size fits all scenario.

Please consult with a local professional to correct growling behavioral issues.

Locate a qualified animal behaviorist and dog trainer in your area to begin the desensitization process. We recommend having an expert physically involved to offer guidance and to be successful with these behavior modifications. Hiring a professional dog behaviorist and/or a professional dog trainer will quicken positive results.

If you have any concerns, find a qualified dog trainer and animal behaviorist. Most dog trainers will meet you and your dog, assess their behavior and answer your questions. Dog trainers have many resources at their fingers tips, such as qualified animal behaviorists. Qualified animal behaviorists (ABs) are extremely knowledgeable in dealing with complex behaviors. A certified animal behavior trainer or an animal behavioral expert will work with your local vet and dog trainer. I’ve consulted with pet parents and animal behaviorists in several cases to arrive at a point where the dog has overcome his fears and provide the animal’s owner with excellent results.

When does your dog display calming signals? Please share in the comment section below.

READ ALSO: Choosing an Animal Behaviorist