To me, training is all about developing a solid way of communicating with animals, paying attention to what they are saying with their behavior, and developing rapport.
Wow, this can be hard when you have a fearful dog who doesn’t yet trust you and isn’t offering a lot of behavior because they are either too scared and shut down or they have learned that their behavior is likely to be punished or that their behavior “doesn’t work” nothing good will come of this – or all of the above!
The first question is: Will this dog take treats?
If no, our first order of business is to become NOT SCARY. This can include getting further away, less eye contact, a quieter voice, smaller movements, offering our side etc. and may involve spending quiet time with the dog at a distance in which we are not scary. We’re also going to offer higher value treats provided to the dog at a distance. The treat is offered far enough away so the dog can relax and enjoy it. Working in rescue, this often meant leaving it for the dog to eat while we were not there at first, working towards getting the dog to a comfort point where they could eat with us present.
If yes, great!, then we are going to start with tossing treats at a distance where we are not scary and build a positive association between us and the dog. Our presence = good stuff.
With classical conditioning this is what we are doing, this is the dog’s work (and it is work!): to associate us with good stuff. It is not a behavior. We are not asking for or rewarding behaviors, we are trying to change an emotional response from SCARY to NOT SCARY.
Actually, from NOT SCARY to THAT'S WONDERFUL! This is key.
For one of my very cute, but very scared rescue dog clients, Romeo, this made a big difference. Romeo was comfortable with the first person he met in his home, but unsure about other family members (who also happened to be men–whose sometimes larger bodies, lower voices, and different ways of moving and approaching can be scary to some dogs).
Romeo’s person was holding him (because Romeo found this comforting) while he met and got used to other family members, but Romeo wasn’t warming up to them.
So we switched strategies to having Romeo be able to choose whether to approach or not and having the family members toss treats from a distance.
It worked! By giving Romeo more choice in the situation and making the introductions less scary, he began to choose to interact.
One of the other suggestions I like to offer is to make sure to share the feeding duties. Mealtimes are a chance to build a really great positive association every day. Usually if an animal has a strong relationship with one person and isn’t sure about others in the house –well, guess who is also doing all of the feeding?
Certainly, food is not the only way to build a positive association, but it’s a big one. We have to eat to survive so it’s an important motivator. It’s also how we celebrate and build relationships.Think of the grandmother who made you cookies, perhaps. Game night snacks, birthday cake, anniversary dinners, holiday meals and your favorite dishes and the people who make them, work potlucks…etc. etc.
But changing a fear response, even with something really wonderful, can be a really gradual and slow process. It goes at the animal’s pace.
Once your fearful dog is accustomed to you and thinks you are not scary and in fact a source of wonderfulness, classical conditioning remains a useful tool for all kinds of things.
For a fearful dog, you are likely going to want to use this kind of training for all kinds of things.
First of all handling: Does your dog think having their chest, ears, tail, paw, face handling is wonderful? Let’s make sure! This will be really useful for encounters with new people and at the vet’s office.
Secondly, walkie stuff. Does your dog think their leash and harness are amazing? Let’s teach them that they are as well as other essentials like grooming brushes, nail clippers, cars, and vet visits.
Is your dog or cat afraid of the vet visit? It doesn’t have to be like this. This kind of training can help your dog or cat have a positive feeling about trips to the vet and your dog and cat can learn to participate willingly in their care (no fearful struggling!) –this training called cooperative care uses the other kind of training we discussed in part one, where the animal opts-in and participates in their care.
Training a fearful animal isn’t easy. It takes a lot of practice, repetition, and careful techniques.
Want to learn more: Check out this great book with far more detail!
Need help with a fearful dog? Book an initial consult.