By: Polina Semenoff, CPDT-KA
So you have a dog that’s shy, scared, nervous, and anxious, or exhibits any other related characteristics?
What can you do?
Many times, owners look online for answers asking vague questions and end up trying to solve an issue they misdiagnosed in the first place. It is important to speak with a professional to help you dig for details so you can work as a team to tackle the issue from the root.
Fear, as a blanket term, is acquired in dogs in many ways and for many different reasons.
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It starts even before they are born: Genetics – Poor selective breeding or natural selection can set a dog up for more challenges than usual.
Maternal stress while the puppy is still in the womb -This means the puppy is floating in stress hormones.
The behavior of the mother while raising the puppy – Puppies raised by a mother who is exhibiting stress-related behaviors are more likely to behave that way too.
It is important to note that these issues may have developed even before you got your hands on your new puppy. Once in human care (by the new owners or by the human caretakers of the litter), the puppy should start to be socialized.
Lack of socialization within the critical socialization period (puppies, 8-16 weeks old), results in even more stress towards everything new. Although socialization has the word ‘social’ in it, it does not mean playing with littermates or other puppies in the neighborhood. Trainers love to educate clients on the true definition of socialization and how to execute it properly to have a happy puppy that is neutral in all kinds of environments.
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Our last candidate for developing fear in puppies is bad experiences – This coincides with socialization because we can expose our puppies to all kinds of stimuli, but, if the puppy does not feel happy while experiencing these new things, we are setting them up for feeling uneasy and scared.
Behaviors have roots! If you keep cutting the weed, it will still come back and grow. This analogy is not only relevant to fear-related behaviors. It can be applied to any behaviors your puppy or dog is exhibiting that you find problematic. It is important to help our dogs grow by nurturing their roots and learning how to take care of them (mentally and physically). Sometimes we think that all that plants need is ample water and sunlight, but in fact, some don’t need that at all and end up suffering because of our general assumptions. Same with dogs! They are all different and have different needs.
So now maybe you know why your dog is fearful. How do you address it?
At My Dogs’ Got Class, we first address emotions, not behaviors. As certified dog trainers, we would first ask you to paint us a picture of your dog so we can use our skills to deduce the cause. Sometimes, the cause is rooted very deeply and it is important to address it as such. We would need as much information as possible to be able to help your dog overcome these fear-related feelings and behaviors. We always help clients ask themselves why their dog is doing something unfavorable, instead of solely addressing the problem behavior that is being displayed.
Speak with a professional at My Dogs’ Got Class so we can help you help your dog!