While some dogs are scared by character, others will learn to be fearful due to events in their life, or because they missed out on learning some vital socialisation skills at an early age. Nervousness in dogs can produce a number of behaviour problems, the most troubling being nervous aggression.
If you've a nervous dog there are numerous ways that you can help them increases their confidence and confront the things that make them fearful in life.
- Create a calm and secure home environment
- Take a careful, step by step training approach to desensitising your dog
- Increase your own skills of patience, consistency and observation to give your dog the right messages at the best time
Creating Calm and Security for a Nervous Dog
A quiet household instead of one full of a lot of rushing about, banging doors, loud voices and non-stop visitors will create a sense of security for your nervous dog while you work on developing their confidence.
Avoid scolding your dog, punishing them or driving them to face their fears by putting them into situations they can not handle, as this approach is probably going to increase their fear related behaviour.
Don't comfort your dog when they're fearful or make a giant fuss of them as this is probably going to reinforce the fear and the petting may be viewed as a reward for their reaction to whatever they are nervous about. Treating the situation like it is nothing for them to be nervous about will have a rather more positive effect on your dog.
Desensitisation Training for Nervous Dogs
Desensitisation training will require time and patience as you'll need to take it one little step at a time. If you try to move too fast, you may find your dog's confidence shoots backwards.
Do not have too high expectancies as some dogs take a long time to develop confidence, instead trust that they will improve their confidence if your are consistent in your approach to training.
Dogs can be nervous of folk, places, other dogs or objects, but the approach to desensitising them is much the same. Start by working out how close your dog can get to the fear stimulus and still remain calm. Watch your dog's body language carefully for indications of fear and stop and back up a little if that occurs. Stay at a reasonable distance with your dog and play or give them a treat, or maybe just sit with them. Make sure you are calm yourself as any signs of anxiousness from you will intensify your own dogs nervousness.
If people are the problem with your dog, find somewhere you can take them where folk can be seen, but will not get too near. Do this a few times and when you are sure they are confident at this distance, gradually get a little closer. Continue to use treats as a reward for staying calm. As you progress, you need to try and create positive associations with seeing folk, maybe by staging it so that somebody passing by drops a treat near the dog, without looking at them or coming up to them. As they gain in confidence, someone could offer a treat from their hand, again without making any eye contact with the dog at all.
Your Patience and Consistency Will be Rewarded
If you can be patient with your dog, learn to give them consistent messages about the things they are fearful about and be ready to move ahead slowly over weeks and months, you will be rewarded by knowing you've helped your dog triumph over his nervousness and enabled him to live a fuller, more happy and less anxiety filled life. Your life might be more relaxed too!
If you've a nervous dog there are numerous ways that you can help them increases their confidence and confront the things that make them fearful in life.
- Create a calm and secure home environment
- Take a careful, step by step training approach to desensitising your dog
- Increase your own skills of patience, consistency and observation to give your dog the right messages at the best time
Creating Calm and Security for a Nervous Dog
A quiet household instead of one full of a lot of rushing about, banging doors, loud voices and non-stop visitors will create a sense of security for your nervous dog while you work on developing their confidence.
Avoid scolding your dog, punishing them or driving them to face their fears by putting them into situations they can not handle, as this approach is probably going to increase their fear related behaviour.
Don't comfort your dog when they're fearful or make a giant fuss of them as this is probably going to reinforce the fear and the petting may be viewed as a reward for their reaction to whatever they are nervous about. Treating the situation like it is nothing for them to be nervous about will have a rather more positive effect on your dog.
Desensitisation Training for Nervous Dogs
Desensitisation training will require time and patience as you'll need to take it one little step at a time. If you try to move too fast, you may find your dog's confidence shoots backwards.
Do not have too high expectancies as some dogs take a long time to develop confidence, instead trust that they will improve their confidence if your are consistent in your approach to training.
Dogs can be nervous of folk, places, other dogs or objects, but the approach to desensitising them is much the same. Start by working out how close your dog can get to the fear stimulus and still remain calm. Watch your dog's body language carefully for indications of fear and stop and back up a little if that occurs. Stay at a reasonable distance with your dog and play or give them a treat, or maybe just sit with them. Make sure you are calm yourself as any signs of anxiousness from you will intensify your own dogs nervousness.
If people are the problem with your dog, find somewhere you can take them where folk can be seen, but will not get too near. Do this a few times and when you are sure they are confident at this distance, gradually get a little closer. Continue to use treats as a reward for staying calm. As you progress, you need to try and create positive associations with seeing folk, maybe by staging it so that somebody passing by drops a treat near the dog, without looking at them or coming up to them. As they gain in confidence, someone could offer a treat from their hand, again without making any eye contact with the dog at all.
Your Patience and Consistency Will be Rewarded
If you can be patient with your dog, learn to give them consistent messages about the things they are fearful about and be ready to move ahead slowly over weeks and months, you will be rewarded by knowing you've helped your dog triumph over his nervousness and enabled him to live a fuller, more happy and less anxiety filled life. Your life might be more relaxed too!
About the Author:
Author Venice Marriott is a writer and dog owner and runs a Dog Anxiety site to help dog owners handle the behavior problems created by stress and fear. Get additional information about anxiousness in dogs when you visit the site.
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