luvmyswissy
Posted : 2/23/2008 9:14:00 PM
Sometimes its more about anxiety than aggression of the fearful dog. I would suggest you have a full blood panel done to rule out Hypothyrodism that can sometimes leave dogs very anixious and therefore fearful.
As with all other fears, desensitization, a process of gradual systematic re-exposure to the fear-inducing stimulus, is the gold standard of treatment. This approach is usually carried out in conjunction with counterconditioning (training a different, more acceptable attitude and response and at each stage of the introduction process). Counterconditioning, which is usually accomplished using food treats in conjunction with a "relax" command. Click to calm shows you these methods and can be used for any type of fear.