[Dailydrool] Fearful puppy

[Happy Hound Pet Services]

If your puppy is fearful you may need a behaviorist or a behavioral consultant.  There is a difference, by the way.  Behaviorists usually have PhDs and tend to be pricy because they have spent years in school studying biology, psychology, and ethology.  They often are DVMs.

Bark Busters and other dog trainers are behavioral consultants with varying educational backgounds (if any).  There is certainly nothing wrong with us if we don't have PhDs... I don't have one, although I did go to school for a year and study under a mentor.  

Be very careful when interviewing.  Make sure if you hire a trainer and they tell you that they use positive methods that they really do.  Some trainers claim to be positive motivation trainers, and then punish dogs for non-compliance.  If your dog trainer punishes your fearful dog in any physical way SEND HIM PACKING.  I once watched a so-called positive trainer shock a very sweet beagle for breaking her sit until the beagle emotionally shut down - just stood there terrified enduring shock after shock.  It was heartbreaking, and you can bet the beagle did not trust that trainer anymore!  She was afraid of him!  It would have been even worse with a very young dog, possibly permanently traumatic.

A fearful dog cannot get over his fear until he can trust you.  A dog cannot build trust by being punished - they just can't understand punishment.  We can remove rewards for negative behavior (for example, to stop jumping behavior we take away the attention the dog gets for jumping up).  Dogs do what comes naturally to them (biting is one natural response to perceived threat), what works for them, and what they have been taught to do.  You don't address bad behavior by punishing it.  You remove the benifit they are getting from the bad behavior and you teach good behavior to replace it that does have rewards.  With a fearful dog, even loud noises can be a stresser, and may be inappropriate.  

I would recommend that you search for a dog trainer on www.apdt.com.  APDT members have an oath that we must agree to.  You can read it on their website if you would like.  Unfortunately some trainers have gone back to methods that were discarded by the behavioral community decades ago.  Please don't let anybody use intimidation and fear to address this.  And if you find yourself uncomfortable with something your trainer does, it is okay to tell them - if they are professionals, they should respect their client's wishes.

I just thought I would chime in because this sort of behavior is a very tricky situation.  I would be happy to have a conversation via e-mail with you (privately) if you would like to discuss it further, although having the right trainer come to your home may be your best bet.  But I might be able to get you started with a few tricks of the trade.


Dawn Gardner
Behavioral Consultant & Trainer
dawn at happyhoundpetservices.com
www.happyhoundpetservices.com