Fearful Timid and Anxious Dogs

Socialisation is so vitally important that it almost outweighs all other considerations. The fear of infections has led breeders and owners alike to make the tragic mistake of keeping their puppies isolated until they have completed their vaccinations. By taking this stance they risk ending up with a fearful, timid dog that may become aggressive in later life,
(FACT) “95% of all reported dog bites are fear related”.

Owners should strike a commonsense balance. Puppies, especially from birth through to 16 weeks must be exposed to a variety of experiences including people, places, and meeting other vaccinated dogs (this is perfectly safe). There are many activities and places to take dogs, without endangering their health or their lives. It is vital that you take the time to expose your new pup to as many of these situations as possible. This is especially true for one’s second or third dog; it is too easy to keep the new pup in the company of the older dogs, depriving him of the opportunity to develop self-confidence of his own, without relying totally on the older dog/s and their protection.

There is a vaccination that has been available for two years, where the full course can be administered by ten weeks rather than the normal twelve, therefore allowing two extra vital weeks of socialisation. The vaccine is made by Intervet and is called Nobivac D.H.P.P.I/L. I would discuss this with your Vet, if they don’t supply it ask why?

Having said all that, genetics as well as socialisation ie Nature x Nurture have a major impact on your dog’s ability to cope successfully with life. Some are so solid genetically that whatever life throws at them they just bounce back. I have a little rescue Jack Russell/Dachund cross whose early experiences were so horrific that he should have every hang up in the book, the abuse and injuries suffered by this poor dog included his leg being fractured and snapped out of the hip socket, and all his ribs systematically broken.

Over a period of time and with the ministrations of a fabulous veterinary nurse I was asked to look at his temperament with a view to rehoming. After meeting him and hearing his awful story I decided to treat and rehome him with me. He has now made a full recovery, his confidence has soared, once again he loves and trusts people, his tail a constant blur is testament to his ability to cope with everything life has thrown at him. So despite a traumatic start “the abuse started at four months old” he has overcome this and is now one of the nicest and most loving dogs I have ever owned.

Unfortunately other dogs are not so genetically sound. Even with an ideal environment, early socialisation and the perfect owner. This will not be enough to help these hereditary unstable dogs. Their genetic temperament can and will determine how much improvement in personality and social skills the dog can achieve. It is about time that some breeders came to the realisation that that temperament not looks or conformity should be the main reason for breeding.
Not money or accolades!

Don’t expect a 100% cure there is no miracle word or magic wand, and don’t underestimate the amount of work involved. Yes you can create a less fearful and anxiety ridden dog but only to the level that the dog can sustain. The type of owner or trainer that believes that the fearful dog should be thrust headlong into every situation, and that it will desensitise and cure them are I am afraid sadly disillusioned.

The old trick of throwing a child into a swimming pool in the hope it would quickly learn to swim, is now hopefully outdated and outmoded, it achieved nothing except possibly leaving the victim with a lifelong fear of water. Crashing headlong into circumstances the dog cannot cope with will normally produce similar results.

You should also give careful consideration as the whether you want, or indeed have the time the stamina and the patience to treat and work with a dog that has irrational fears and phobias. If you do not possess the above traits, it may be better for both of you to separate and the dog be rehomed with someone that is hopefully experienced with this type of dog, and who has the necessary temperament to deal with a dog that can at the best of times exasperate and at the worst infuriate.

Distance Learning
To gain and improve a dog’s confidence and reduce the level of anxiety and timidity you need to use a consistent, gentle, positive, and measured approach. If you try to speed up the process beyond the capability of the dog, then you will go backwards and your dog’s new found confidence will plummet. Firstly you must work out the distance where your dog feels fearful of a given situation, let’s say it is another dog, then you need to approach the dog with yours on a lead, do not tighten the lead as this will convey your own anxiety to your dog. Watch your dog’s body language as soon as you see any submissive, aggressive or fearful reaction then stop and back up until the dog is relaxed again.

Once you have found the distance that allows the dog to relax then either treat or play with your dog using a favoured toy. What we are looking for is a positive association whereby the dog sees the feared object which could be anything from a vacuum cleaner to a bus. As a matter of interest dogs will not take food when they are fearful or stressed. This is instinctual as the flight mode kicks in, your dog does not want a full stomach when it may need to run away. This can also be used as an indicator of the dog’s state of mind even if there are no outward signs of distress.

Move in stages a little closer to whatever is causing the aggression or fear keep talking and reassuring the dog, you should be aiming to stay at a distance that allows the dog to feel reasonably relaxed. Gradually, over what could be many sessions you should reach the point where the dog will be comfortable, even though he is near to the object that caused the initial fear/reaction. Irrespective of whether it is another dog, place, or object gradual desensitisation should work for all.

Play or Training Therapy
There is an exception to this, if the dog has been recently frightened say by fireworks, you can actually act very blasé and go immediately outside and play with toys such as balls or Frisbees even a training session where you can praise for actions other than the fear this can be done whilst the noise is going on. You may therefore overcome a potential problem immediately.

Why this works is the same principal as for instance flying, the plane suddenly hits a lot of turbulence, watch everyone’s first reactions, they look to the Stewards/Stewardesses to see if they are showing anxiety. If they are calm and acting perfectly normally then our anxiety and fear also dissipates. It is worth trying this tactic when your dog has any negative experience, even though it does not appear too affected, just in case of a potential phobia later on.

Focused Attention
One way of getting your dog to overcome certain fear situations is to gain the dog’s attention with treats, toys or your voice as you walk past whatever is causing the problem.

This has a similar effect as using distance because the dog is thinking about something else instead. Therefore the intensity of the fear is reduced.

You will need treats or toys for this method I recommend either cheese, liver, or puffed jerky, do not use treats to lure dogs keep them out of sight till required. Sit next to the dog and call its name, it is even better if you can get a partner or friend to help on the other side, sit the dog between you and your partner or friend and say the dog’s name. If he doesn’t look at you, give his ear a gentle tug to gain his attention so that he turns his head towards you, As soon as this happens praise and treat enthusiastically or play or use a toy, get your partner/friend to do the same and keep repeating back and forth for a few minutes, do this regularly and for the rest of the dogs life, and he/she should always respond enthusiastically whenever his name is mentioned. Never use the dogs name in a negative situation, ie do not scold or punish using his/her name. Once you have got the dog to acknowledge his name then start these exercises:

To start focused attention say the dogs name and move immediately away from the dog when he moves towards and with you PRAISE and TREAT/PLAY immediately you can use a clicker for the praise or a target word, I use the word “good” in these circumstances. Remember to not show the treat until you are ready to give it or it will become part of the command.

When you give the treat try and align it between both yours and the dog’s eyes this will make sure you are making good eye contact after a while you will see the dog making eye contact regularly you can treat this action at this time so as to embed it. Do these sequences at least 4 times in a row, ie name/move/praise/treat. The repetition is what teaches the dog to maintain that attention until you give the release command. The release command can be OK or whatever you choose to use. Practice this everywhere you go including training classes.

What you are looking for by performing these exercises is to tune out outside influences including the ones that are causing a fear or aggressive response. Once you can comfortably perform this exercise use it to move gradually ever closer to the problem you are trying to overcome. Over time you can momentarily release the dogs attention, increase this as you would using the distance technique, if you get a fear response then you have moved too far too fast. And you must go back to where the dog last felt comfortable.

Punishment is not an Option
It is of no use whatsoever punishing the dog for its fearful actions, this only causes more stress and therefore more fearful behaviour, therefore in the case of interdog aggression even more defensive behaviour, remember the dog had really only three choices when confronted with a fearful situation these are commonly listed as the three Fs. Freeze, Flight or Fight. If the first two are found not to work the third one kicks in.
Let’s take the vacuum cleaner as an example. If you had watched your pup from the first time it was confronted by this “demon of the dark abyss” he would more than likely have crouched down as low as possible his body rigid, if the noise and the monster continued the puppy would have run away, probably under a table or a chair and if it came closer it would have growled and snarled probably making darting and biting motions especially when you playfully pushed the Hoover closer to see the pups reaction. Anything ring a bell?

Some pups will be SO traumatised by the noise and the movement of the cleaner that they go into total freeze mode, our initial instinct would be to pick up and cuddle and comfort the frightened puppy. Perfectly natural human behaviour, something is frightened then nurture it. Unfortunately to a dogs mind this indicates that it is being praised for the fear, confirming his need to be fearful. If this happens when to pup is between 8 to 11.5 week old, which is the first of several fear periods throughout the dog’s life, then that fear could be so deep rooted as to be almost impossible to eradicate completely.
Obedience Classes?

Some dogs that are fearful or timid may benefit from a training class especially one that uses positive methods. I, the case of a rescue dog or any adult dog that you have rehomed, I would wait at least six weeks before embarking on this method. Some very fearful dogs may be too nervous for class work until you’ve done some remedial work first. A private trainer or behaviourist should be able to help structure a positive approach to build up confidence in your dog, and also help determine when the dog is capable of class work.

Do not make your dog jump into the deep end at classes or you can go undo all the good work so far. Initially keep the dog on the outer edge of the class and at a distance from anything the dog fears. If you’ve developed focused attention before starting class, then this will be extremely useful for helping the dog relax in these situations. Some dogs may need several visits starting with very short periods at a time before actually participating in the classes. Unfortunately some dogs may never be able to function well enough for this type of remedial work.
If the dog has any tendency to snap at dogs or people or to bark inappropriately, a head Halter or Halti can be an excellent safeguard that helps to eliminate this habit without introducing new problems. Have a trainer or behaviour specialist help you fit the halter/halti. Use your focused attention exercise to keep the dog’s mind off the Halter/Halti. Be sure to remove the head halter at all times except when you are actively working the dog. Don’t use a long line with a head halter, because you could put a dangerous amount of force against the neck.
What Other Treatments Could Help?

Change of Diet: A good quality food helps in many cases, most cheap food has cereal as filler, this can lead to a lack of serotonin, and low serotonin has been linked to aggression and anxiety. Feeding a good quality dog food has other benefits, it need not be more expensive as you do not require as much to get the same calorific intake, so it works out good value for money, but more importantly you are giving your dog a scientifically developed formula that is best for him or her. The nervous dog who eats a food overly-high in protein or sugar can experience even higher levels of anxiety. Therefore consider switching to a food with slightly lower protein levels.

To check on the level of protein of your dog’s food, look on the back or side of the dog food bag or can, where the percentage of protein will be listed. Levels usually vary from 14% (for aged dogs) all the way up to 25% (for puppies and working dogs). I am not a fan of canned food I find a quality dry all in one food is a much better option ,especially with the fearful phobic dog

If a nervous, hyper dog eats food with protein levels at around 22%, for example, consider trying a food with 18-20% protein. Doing so may help calm him down. If done in conjunction with regular exercise and desensitisation program.

These are a number of homeopathic and mainstream drugs that can be used in situations of stress, fear, aggression, barking, and noise aversion etc;

• Dr Bach’s Flower Remedies: They are made from wild flowers. These gentle remedies are used to help relieve emotional and stress related disturbances in people and animals. The most common one used is Dr Bach’s Rescue Remedy
Available Chemist, health food shop or internet

• Skullcap and Valerian: A traditional herbal remedy for the symptomatic relief of anxiety, nervousness, excitability and travel sickness, and an adjunct in the treatment of epilepsy in dogs and cats. Normally supplied in a sugar coated tablet, it helps to calm and relax dogs and cats suffering from, apprehension, phobias or hyperactivity.
Available Chemist, health food shop or internet

• D.A.P Diffusers: In mammals all lactating females release substances which are called appeasing pheromones, the function is to reassure and calm their offspring, In the bitch these are produced 3-5 days post whelping by the sebaceous glands of the belly near the milk glands.

They are believed to enhance attachment between mother and pups and to reassure and comfort. As the pup explores its new environment it will come across new stimuli which set off emotional reactions and stresses.

The pup reacts by looking for mum with her reassuring odour which stabilises its emotional state. Research has shown that these reassuring properties last well into adulthood. They appear to modulate both emotional state and social interaction throughout the dog’s life. The DAP Diffuser standing for Dog Appeasing Pheromone Diffuser is a chemical mimic of the mothers natural pheromone and is supplied in spray and plug in varieties. I prefer the plug in as it has a culminative effect constantly seeding the area with calming smells.
Available Vet or Internet or Me

• Anxiety: Promotes a sense of calm in animals exhibiting fretting, fear, anxiety or any unwanted behaviour caused by: thunderstorms, fireworks, travel, being left alone, vet and grooming visits. 100% natural organic non-sedating liquid. Safe for cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, birds, rabbits, and ferrets.

Dosage: Once in the morning, evening and bedtime, into mouth or in water. Under 20 lbs.: 5 drops, 20-100 lbs.:10 drops, over 100 lbs.:15 drops. Reduce dosage with improvement, repeat with flare up.

• Prozac: Mainstream controlled drug and only available from your Veterinarian. Originally developed for humans, the controversial antidepressant is now being prescribed by veterinarians for dogs suffering from a variety of emotional disorders.

This is sometimes used in cases of depression, aggression panic attacks and serious phobic responses. The drug is believed to work in the same way as it does in humans by altering the uptake of the brain chemical serotonin. Scientists hope the drug will cut the number of dog attacks and lead to fewer animals being destroyed, normally used with a tapering program of drug treatment
Available Vet only

With all the above it is always prudent to discuss any medication homeopathic or otherwise with your Vet before embarking on any treatment program

Stan Rawlinson Dip MTCBPT. PAACT
Dog Behaviourist and Obedience Trainer, who has owned and worked dogs for over 25 years, starting with gundogs then moving to the behavioural and obedience side of training companion dogs. He now has a successful practice covering Greater London, Surrey, and Middlesex.

Stan is recommended by numerous Vets, Rescue Centres, and Charities. He writes articles and comments on behavioural issues and techniques for dog magazines including Our Dogs, Dogs Monthly, K9 Magazine, Shooting Times, Pet Talk and Pet Owner Magazine. He is also a behavioural spokesman for Disney and has appeared on Television, Radio and in National Newspapers on many occassions

© Stan Rawlinson
Telephone: 0208 979 2019
Mobile Number: 07976 153161
E-mail:[email protected]
web site http://www.doglistener.co.uk