My dog is a scaredy-cat!
Not every dog lives by the motto "Oops, here I come!" There are also many rather shy, even fearful dogs. It's important to help your dog overcome these fears, writes dog training consultant Holger Schüler. Whether it's before a car ride, using the vacuum cleaner, or being brushed.
Dealing with fears is a constant balancing act: On the one hand, you have to work with the trigger, while on the other, you must not overwhelm the dog. The golden rule is: approach and retreat.
An example: the brush. Hardly any dog immediately takes to being brushed. If it backs away, it is simply held back and brushed as quickly (and therefore often roughly) as possible. The main thing is that the goal has been achieved. The next time, the dog disappears under the sofa at the mere sight of the brush. The problem, of course, is not the brush at all, but that the dog has not been given the opportunity to deal with the situation. The same is true if the dog shows environmental anxiety: all too often, dogs are forced to do something instead of being allowed to learn. Once the fear is established, it quickly becomes stronger, the behavior more problematic, and the owner begins to avoid the fear-trigger. Then learning is even more impossible.
How do you get out of this vicious circle? It's actually quite simple. Confront your dog with its fear – but only as far as it can bear. Take the brush, for example: Sit next to your dog with the brush in your hand. Let it look at the brush, take a treat from the brush, touch it only with the back of the brush, and so on. Before your dog backs away, take the brush away. As soon as it relaxes, approach again. You have to learn to read your dog and recognize when you've reached its limit. Push this limit very carefully and always give your dog the opportunity to retreat. Your dog needs to know that it can decide how much it can tolerate and is not being forced. With patience and persistence, you will help your dog overcome its fear on its own. That is the goal – not the freshly brushed dog!
The same applies to environmental fears. If your dog is afraid of the vacuum cleaner, for example, you should get him used to it slowly and not overwhelm him. For example, leave the vacuum cleaner running in the next room while the dog is eating. Encourage him to come as close as he can. Play with him or feed him from your hand, gradually moving closer to the vacuum cleaner. If you notice that the dog is alarmed, increase the distance again—and then move it a little closer again.
Small steps are always the fastest way to reach your goal. Don't let your dog walk the entire flight of stairs at once; just one step, then two, and so on. Don't close the car door immediately; let your dog get in, collect a reward, and then get out again. Approaching and withdrawing also means being creative, being responsive to your dog, and always being prepared to take a step back. But then also take a step forward! Don't fall into an avoidance strategy.
Most importantly, make it clear to your dog that you yourself aren't afraid. Constantly looking for the next danger, immediately shortening the leash at the sight of a car, or flinching at every loud noise—in other words, anticipating your dog's reaction—only reinforces your dog's belief that there's cause for concern.
