How to deal with fearful dogs

Having a fearful dog can often be frustrating for its owner. Fearful dogs may be unwilling to go for walks, unwilling to properly greet other dogs or people, and often are reactive to the point of being aggressive when approached by strange dogs or strangers. This fear could be inherent, meaning the dog was born with the genetic predisposition, or it could be due to a traumatic event or events such as a dog fight or owner abuse. This blog addresses the latter.

To address your pup’s fearfulness, be prepared to address it slowly, patiently, consistently and repeatedly over a lengthy period of time. It could take weeks, it could take months, or even years. Here are some tips to desensitize and/or counter-condition your pup.

So regarding visitors at your home, instruct visitors when they arrive that they should ignore and not look at your dog for 10 minutes or so. Then walk a few feet toward him, throw some treats and then walk away and do this several times. You should have your pup on a loose leash the whole time and make sure you hold the leash firm, but loosely when visitors get up and move around your house or leave. You should regularly walk your dog in open-air centers and parks, at first when they are quiet, so he can get accustomed to sharing his environment with others safely.

As time passes, take him to busier areas. But only do this for 20 minutes at a time, maximum. Also, ask strangers to toss some treats to your dog and walk away. It’s OK for your pup to sniff them if he isn’t showing signs of fear (ears back and tail down), but they should never bend down to pet him, at least for another few months. Note, sometimes dogs will sniff a person and walk away, only to turn and try to snap at them. If this happens, you have moved too quickly and need to reduce your pup’s exposure to larger groups of people.

Regarding seeing dogs, try to keep distance and for the dogs that he does not react to, say “yes!” and give him a treat or two. For dogs that he reacts to (or people for that matter), give a sharp tug on the leash and say “leave it!” a few times while creating distance from the triggers. Once your pup stops pulling toward the triggers and moves away with you, say “yes!” and treat him.

In general, your dog should be rewarded for calm behavior. In time, he will see that it’s much more rewarding to not snap than it is to snap and he will come to understand that neither people nor dogs are a threat.