[Dailydrool] Interesting article & fearful dogs

[dpmcquade at verizon.net]

Great link to the article on St. Hubert's, who is working with shelter dogs who have been through terrible abuse. St. Hubert's is well known in northern New Jersey for its work with difficult animals. A friend of my husband's had a wild dog who went to their "Feisty Fido" class and did very well indeed. He became a wonderful companion as the result of the training he got there (and as a result of having some very devoted slaves). St. Hubert's runs a shelter in addition to the training classes of various sorts. My only concern about the dogs they talked about in this article is that I fear they will not thrive in a shelter environment. Fearful dogs, I would think, would do best in foster homes. But I'm sure establishing that kind of foster base would be a real challenge.

But I wanted to address the fearful dog issue this article brings up, because I know that as rescuers and adopters, at least some of you have had to deal with this problem. I have been reading up on this subject since before we adopted Horton. When he came into rescue, Horton was at least a bit nervous. Having been adopted out and had a car accident, he evidently got even more fearful (and who could blame him?). When we got him, after he was returned to rescue, Horton was terribly skinny because during his rehab he refused to eat in a kennel where other dogs and humans were close by. It took us a while to get him to eat comfortably. It looks as if my living room will always have a crate in it, though the only time Horton uses it is when he eats.

On top of that, Horton is very fearful of people other than me; even Drew makes him terrified. And he's terrified of cars, since he had his accident. So I started reading everything I could on fearful dogs. Though I haven't gotten through them all, these are some of the books I have found helpful:

THE CAUTIOUS CANINE, by Patricia B. McConnell: This is a pamphlet more than a book, weighing in at 30 pages. It focuses on classical counter-conditioning training methods that can help your dog learn to be secure. Think more training methods than personal experience as the focus here. But it is very helpful for a quick outline of how to clearly identify your dog's fears and institute training that will overcome them. The information on identifying fears is particularly helpful, and I have not found it elsewhere. This is the meat and potatoes of what you will need to do to help your dog lose that fearful reaction. You will not get much of the "what do I do when my dog does ______" information on daily living that's in the other books, but when you want a quick reminder of how to train, this is the book you'll return to.

A GUIDE TO LIVING WITH AND TRAINING A FEARFUL DOG, by Debbie Jacobs: This author took in a fearful border collie after Katrina. When Sunny came to her, he would only stay in the corner of one room of her house. She's successfully rehabilitated him, though he may never be a social butterfly. During her training, Debbie discovered that there weren't many resources out there on training fearful dogs (and there still aren't). Hers is a more personal story of dealing with a dog with these issues and the training methods that worked. Since taking in her fearful dog, she has become a trainer. The book is 66 pages with brief chapters of good advice; it contains many ideas that will help make the dog a successful part of a human's life. If you have a dog that won't even approach humans, this is probably the book to get. Her chapter "My Dog is Scared of Me" is short but helpful. And she has some good ideas on treats that can be used to make a fearful dog willing to overcome fears. I am about halfway through the book but have scanned the parts I have not read thoroughly.

HELP FOR YOUR SHY DOG, by Deborah Wood: Maybe it's because this was the last book I started to read, but I have found it most helpful. The author is a trainer who also adopted a shy Papillion, and she brings together the best of training and personal experience in this 146-page volume. There are many helpful tips here on the do's and don'ts of dealing with a fearful dog. I'm about a third of the way through this book and have valued it for the numerous tips that help with daily living. 
 
Maybe this seems like a lot of different books on the same topic, but each has some good ideas that have helped me understand Horton a bit better. Our start of training has been slow, since Horton ran away from former owners twice, and I wanted to get him secure with me before we started doing serious outside training, but I believe we are on the point of doing that now. He has made some unexpected headway in getting friendly with a neighbor and her dog, both of whom he once feared. I believe we are started on the road to healing. But we're only at the beginning right now. A lot of work lies ahead of us. As I understand it, this is long-haul training.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets