You Cannot "Correct" The Fear Out of Your Dog

You Cannot "Correct" The Fear Out of Your Dog

Seriously.

First of all, fear isn't logical, it's a primal emotion meant to keep us safe.  If you feel afraid this will hopefully help you to avoid a dangerous situation.  Unfortunately sometimes our warning systems go a little awry and we become scared of things that can't actually harm us in any way.  Or sometimes we just feel a little wary or nervous about something because we don't know enough about a situation - also important evolutionarily, so that we gather enough data before we proceed with something that may or may not be risky.  Sometimes our brains make connections between things that aren't actually connected, as I described in a previous blog post, "pawsitive = fear free".  

Some scientifically inaccurate information has been floating around for quite some time advising us to not comfort or show affection to our pets when they are afraid because we will "reward" the fear.  This similarly misinformed advice also encourages us to "correct" our dog when they are afraid to somehow put them in a different frame of mind.  Now, it's one thing to pleasantly distract a dog when they have to endure something they don't like (i.e. feeding a dog treats while the vet staff have to take his temperature), but it's something different if you're trying to correct the fear out of your dog.  This won't work and will likely make the fear worse.  Think of a time when you've been afraid or nervous.  If someone gave you a smack on the shoulder and said "snap out of it", or stepped on your toe and said "stop that!", would that help you feel any better?  You might just feel annoyed at the person, not to mention have a sore shoulder or toe.  You may even try to hide your outward signs of anxiety to avoid another smack from your friend, but here's the problem: suppressing emotions or their resulting behaviours is certainly not the same thing as changing them.  

If your dog is feeling afraid and you yank his leash or poke his side, you're likely to put him more on edge and create further negative associations rather than "correcting" his emotions.  Even if he stops doing whatever behaviour you disapproved of, this only suppresses his ability to communicate his discomfort to you and does not improve his internal experience.  You can, however, do something called counterconditioning.  This is a wonderful process by which you take something the dog doesn't like and help him make positive associations with it.  

One example happened recently without me even having to do anything (it's kind of nice when things work out that way!)

Recently our son started taking the bus home from school.  We meet the bus at the end of our laneway, which is a few minutes' walk from our front door, so I decided to take my dog with me for a little sniff and potty break on the way.  The first time the bus pulled up, our dog that tends to be nervous of new things, was of course unsure.  The bus is large, makes noise, and she's probably never seen one up close before in her life.  She tucked her tail and hid behind my leg a little bit.  Then our son came off the bus.  Our girl (Phoenix) just loves our son.  They have a great relationship and she is always happy to see him.  When she saw him come of the bus her tail began to wag, her body relaxed, and she moved towards him (and the bus), excited to greet her buddy.  

The next day I took her with me again to meet the bus.  When she saw the bus, instead of cowering or tucking her tail, she immediately looked relaxed and happy: her tail wagging, moving towards the bus.  

What happened?

Yes, she learned that our son comes off the bus and she likes him, so she was happy to see the bus because it brings him.  More importantly though, a connection in her brain between a school bus and a good thing formed.  If we repeated this many times, then one day the bus came with out our son, she would still get the good feeling because of the positive association that has developed.  This is because of classical conditioning (something I also discuss in my blog post, called "Remember Pavlov?").  

If I had "corrected" her fearful reaction, forcing her to come out from behind my legs, or jerking the collar and telling her "no", I probably would have made her fear worse.  Her brain could make a connection between bus arriving and experiencing an aversive (an unpleasant consequence), and the next time the bus arrived she may act even more fearfully or defensively.  This is why aversive training of a fearful dog can lead to an aggressive dog.  

So, if your dog is fearful of something, please be patient with him or her.  He is only responding to his brain warning him of danger and is acting the only way he knows to try to keep himself safe or avoid something unpleasant.  If you want to help him through his fear, think of ways you can make it easier for him and ways you can create positive associations.  This can include yummy food treats, favourite toys, comfort from his family members, or the ability to move away and have control over the situation.  If the fear is significant, you  may need to break this down into very small elements, or find a competent, compassionate, qualified trainer (yes, I wrote a blog post on that too!).  

Remember, your dog does not have the benefit of the education you have received and certain situations may be very scary for him.  You can build his confidence by giving him a sense of control and security, by being his source of comfort, and by building trust. 

If you need help, please find a trainer that uses positive reinforcement and understands the counter-conditioning process.  

You can visit our website to learn more about our training services, and if you are outside of our service area, we can certainly try to connect you with a qualified and compassionate trainer in your area.

Some good places to look for a trainer are:

Fear Free Pets 

Pet Professional Guild

Certified Professional Dog Trainers

The International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants

About the Author 

Jillian is a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist and has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.  

Visit us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PawsPetMB


More Resources

For more information on helping fearful dogs, visit Debbie Jacob's website, FearfulDogs.com

And check out Dr. Marty Becker's latest book, "From Fearful to Fear Free"

Another anecdote for those who like examples :) 

Another personal example of classical conditioning and counterconditioning (helping to change the dogs' emotional response to something).  

My dog Phoenix recently had knee surgery and as part of her recovery she has to take some medications.  Dogs tend not to like pills, and who can blame them, really?  They don't understand that this yucky-tasting strange object we're giving them is to help them.  So, to make it a little easier for her, I would always follow each pill with a delicious piece of meat leftover from dinner.  

Initially when I would start preparing her medications she would show signs of discomfort: lowered head, moving away, looking nervous, general avoidance.  After a few times of getting a very special reinforcer (meat!), she started getting excited while I was preparing the medications.  She actually started doing a little happy tap-dance and woo-wooing in excitement, wagging her tail, sitting nice waiting for her food.  Initially she was trying to avoid swallowing the pills and would spit them out.  Once she realized something really good was coming, she voluntarily swallowed the pills and waited nicely for the pay-out.

This process of counterconditioning doesn't just apply to pills and school busses, it can apply to more complex situations as well.  However, if a dog's fear and/or resulting behaviour are severe, please consult a professional for help.  Above I listed a few organizations that are good starting places for finding a qualified, compassionate trainer.  

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