Fear + Aggression

 

 

Fear is an emotion that helps keep us alive. It is a basic survival mechanism. Our very nature is to feel fear. It is a response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger. In short, fear is the ability to recognize danger leading to an urge to confront it or flee from it (also known as the fight-or-flee response) but in extreme cases of fear, a freeze or paralysis response is possible. This goes for both humans and dogs.

And when it comes to a dog's fear, we may not feel the same concern or view the situation as a threat. We may think their fear is trivial or silly. Could our dog just be anxious? Anxiety is a response to an imprecise or unknown threat. Fear is an emotional response to a known or definite threat. Although the focus of the response is different (real vs. imagined danger), fear and anxiety are interrelated. Fear causes anxiety, and anxiety can cause fear. The question now, is the dog afraid or anxious? Both have similar responses. Could the presumed idea of a threat cause the dog to bark, growl and bite?

This is where we need to step in to help our dog, regardless if imagined or real. In this event, even we need to overcome our own fear and anxiety. By taking the Leadership approach of "I got this you can stop now" and by drawing our self up for the challenge, the situation can be turned around and hopefully for the better.

Dogs behave badly when they are stressed. They may be barking because they are nervous. Whether our dog has had a bad experience or feels threatened, we have to stop our dog's behavior. Excessive barking is annoying and can lead to an escalation of our dog going overboard into growling and biting. Correcting their barking at the get go with a NO and making them yield to you can stop the hysteria. By doing this you are redirecting their focus from the "threat" to you which should help them calm down.

Instead of having to "Fix" our dog every time she reacts we want our dog to suppress the fear-triggering memory or stimulus. We want our dog to feel comfortable in the situation. Basically to ignore the problem. Counter Conditioning is a great way to accomplish this task. Mind you, emotional behaviors are not a "Quick Fix"! Counter Conditioning takes time and is a process. It is not like teaching Sit and you must practice in a controlled environment.

Let's address barking with some options:

1. Interrupt the barking with the Marker word NO.
2. Yield your dog by walking into them.
3. Have your dog switch focus to you by looking away from Threat.
4. Shift their state of mind by having them turn away to take food from you.

Not every problem can be rehearsed safely or under control but if you can practice on the minor problems such as door bell ringing, window guarding or people coming into your home then you will have a way to address the unexpected situation.

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net
Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070