WORKING WITH SHY, FEARFUL & ANXIOUS DOGS

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FernDogTraining.com/GroomExpo

TODAY 1

What you can do as a dog person.

2

What you can do as a groomer.

This presentation will cover 2 things: 1- how you can address fear and anxiety issues for dogs in general, and 2 - what you need to know as a groomer working with these kinds of dogs.

FACT: You’re much more likely to be bitten by a fearful dog than an aggressive one.

QUALITY OF LIFE

You’re more likely to get bitten by a fearful dog because you don’t realize the danger. These dogs don’t look aggressive, however if pushed they will readily bite.

I see fear and anxiety as a big cry for help. These dogs are screaming out that they are not comfortable and asking to please help them feel better about the situations. Every day a dog goes through life in a state of anxiety, his quality of life goes down. And it gets worse over time if left unaddressed.

Recognize The Signs Ears down & back

Understand and read the dog’s body language

Eyes wide, staring

Tail Tucked Body down & back

Before you can help these dogs you need to recognize the signs that a dog is fearful. Dogs that have their bodies down and back are typically not confident and unsure of themselves. Their ears will be down, their eyes wide and their tail will be down or even tucked under if they’re really frightened. Scared dogs will be stiff and still.

Determine The Triggers People

Very Fearful

10 9 8 7 6

Dogs

5 4

Environment

The Sweet Spot

3 2 1 Calm

MUST work within the dog’s threshold of tolerance

Once you see a dog has gone from okay to anxious/uncomfortable you need to determine what the trigger is. What is her scared of? The 3 main triggers are people, dogs and/or something in the environment (object or sound).

To successfully work with fearful dogs you MUST keep them below threshold or you’ll be doing more harm than good. On a scale of 1 - 10 (1 being not scared, 10 being scared out of his mind) you want the dog in the 1-4 range, where he’s uncomfortable but not really freaked out. It’s just out of his comfort zone. A good indicator is if he will take food. If he stops taking treats he normally loves, the stimulus is too close or too intense and you can’t work there.

Keys To Success Always go at the dog’s pace Use food as your guide (the good stuff!) Try to work in a controlled environment Work to change state of mind and association

Make sure you don’t rush the process - ALWAYS go at the dog’s pace, not yours. Use high value food treats as your guide. If he’s taking the food, you can work there. The more you can control the environment the better chance you have of setting things up to be a good experience. Understand when too many factors are unpredictable and don’t put the dog in situations that could just increase his association of fear. The goal is to work to change the dog’s state of mind in the presence of the stimulus that makes him anxious and through positive repetitions, change his association to the triggers.

1 - People Don’t make direct eye contact Don’t directly face them Work at comfortable distance (his threshold of tolerance) Ignore any reactivity

If the dog is fearful of people - let’s say you, as an example - you want to make yourself as least threatening and confrontational as possible. Don’t directly face the dog, try not to make eye contact (look out the side of your vision or just steal glances) and keep your body loose and relaxed. Figure out the distance from the dog where you’re in the “sweet spot” (4 or under on his fear scale) and if he does bark or growl or react do your best to ignore it. This dog doesn’t want to be noticed so don’t notice him.

TREATMENT

1 - People Go for a walk Drop food at a workable distance & slowly bring in

Take your time don’t get cocky

The single best way to help a dog learn to trust you is to go for a walk with them (assuming they’re not also afraid of stuff outside). The walk is such a powerful bonding, non-confrontational positive experience and provides the dog with lots of other stuff to focus on besides you. There’s lots to see, smell and hear out there so they tend to not focus on you so much. But every once in a while they will notice you and it’s not so bad. I’ve seen amazing things happen on a simple 5 minute walk, but the longer the better.

You can also work inside at a comfortable distance and throw the dog something awesome every so often (good stuff - hot dogs, chicken, bacon). As the dog takes the food slowly begin throwing the food closer and closer to you, rewarding the dog from moving toward you. Take your time and eventually move to hand feeding and then maybe some scratches under the chin. DON’T GET COCKY though. Don’t think just because everything is going good you can can start petting the dogs. Fear and anxiety is a slow process and you don’t want to ruin all the work you put in by being impatient.

2 - Dogs Fight or Flight response

On leash vs. Off leash

If a dog is shy or anxious around other dogs you have to understand that the dog were always prefer to run away. If given the out, they will always take it. If however, they are enclosed or leashed, they cannot get the space they need by retreating so they will be forced to take it aggressively.

On leash interactions are always more tense because of this.

2 - Dogs

TREATMENT

Walking dogs together Working around dogs behind fences or the outside of dog parks

As with a fear of people, the best treatment is to walk dogs together. Bringing dogs together unifies them as one single unit instead of two and alleviates eye contact, once you get them all moving in the same direction. The dogs may not be right next to each other, they just need to be moving the same way. I’ve had dog’s start on other sides of the street and then as we walked them, we slowly move them closer and closer. Moving a dog’s body forward, helps their mind also move forward.

If you don’t have dog’s to walk with you can find dogs that are behind fences and work at the distance from the fenced dog that your dog is in the 1 - 4 level and move him back and forth, maybe asking for some simple eye contact or a sit (you’re trying to make him pay attention to you and not the other dog). You want him to occasionally look over to the dog but not linger there. Slowly over time you can change his association.

3 - Environment Identify The Triggers Sight Sound Scent Situational Then find and work in the dog’s threshold of tolerance.

First you ned to identify what is making the dog frightened and be very careful not to stack triggers on top of each other. You want to only work with one at a time.

TREATMENT

3 - Environment Use top shelf treats Work one trigger at a time As controlled environment as possible Break eye contact early and often Practice some basic obedience

Find the distance from and/or the intensity of the trigger where the dog is in then 1- 4 level of fear and begin working with high value treats. As the dog relaxes, up the intensity a little or decrease the distance a bit. Take your time and work slowly.

As always try to control the environment as much as you can so you don’t risk increasing the fear. If the dog begins to stare at the stimulus for too long, break eye contact and get him back on you. Doing some basic obedience can help him get his mind off the trigger so he doesn’t fixate.

For more detailed info on working with fearful dogs, check out this podcast: http://ferndogtraining.com/episode65

What Groomers Can Do Take fearful dogs at slow, quiet times Schedule in extra time so you don’t have to rush Take dog for short walk first Be fun and casual Let hot dogs rain from the sky

For you as a groomer there are a few things you can do to make dogs more comfortable. Try to schedule really fearful dogs at quite times when you have more time for them. If possible take the dog for a little walk to build your relationship and clear his head. Try to keep your demeanor light and fun - be loose. And feed the dog lots of really amazing, high value treats to sweeten the deal.

! S K N A TH Get my slides and notes at

FernDogTraining.com/GroomExpo Thank you so much for taking the time to sit in on my presentation. I hope it helps you do your job better and safer.

I’ve got lots more information and tips over on my website: FernDogTraining.com