Dog Community

Irrational Fears - again!!

Posted : 12/18/2006 8:21:14 PM

How long does the fear period last....?? Scout is 9 months old and she is becoming fearful of silly things, but I'm wondering if its not a period at all, but a habit....

I posted awhile ago about her dramatic reaction to me trying to put a sweater on her as well as nail clipping. She ran, hid, cowered, and it literally took several days for her to act normal around me again. We worked through it with fun games and stuff and I thought it was over. I haven't yet tried the sweater or the clippers again.

Now I bring a grooming mitt home today (the soft, fabric kind). I start by just putting it on the floor, no biggie. Then I come over to where she is, near the mitt, and throw some treats on the ground near the mitt. She immediately gets up and runs away, ears back and eyes bulging looking terrified. It's like the process of desensitization itself is what scares her. Whenever I try to encourage her to be around an object (like clippers, mitt) using treats she gets really nervous and scared.

What am I doing wrong?? [&o] I just hope she won't be like this forever.

jones

Posted : 12/18/2006 9:08:54 PM

I couldn't be sure not being there, but that sounds within the bounds of normal puppy shyness. Russell was like that around that age too... a particular highlight of the "afraid of new things" phase was when I had the brilliant idea of giving him a remote control car - he was PETRIFIED. No amount of treats could induce him to not only go near it, but stop frantically barking!

Part of the solution is time and maturity, but I would also recommend clicker training. I started using the clicker and playing the box game with Russell around that time and I feel it boosted his confidence and his willingness to interact with new, unfamiliar objects and sensations. He was pretty scared of the cardboard box at first too, but now he bats that thing around the room like a pro. [

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spiritdogs

Posted : 12/18/2006 11:26:44 PM

I think that the box game is a great idea! The click also tells your dog "you did it right" without any input from you that might project "oh, I hope she isn't afraid of this, too", which, of course, sends the fear message loud and clear. [

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sillysally

Posted : 12/19/2006 11:32:46 AM

How do you act when you are introducing something new? How do you react when she is afraid? Although Sally's fears are not really the same brand as your dog's, I find that sometimes the best way to deal with it is just act like it's part of everyday life. It could be that the bigger deal you make of something the more she anticipates it being scarey.

mrv

Posted : 12/19/2006 2:40:07 PM

In some cases it is temperment. There are shy, anxious, reactive dogs just like there are outgoing, calm and bombproof dogs. The genetic make up of the animal in question, early developmental period and current dance of behavior between the dog and the environment (which includes people) all play a part. Systematic desensitization is the best option. The use of time and distance while being exposed to frightening objects or actions will eventually impact the dog's behavior. In some cases, fears will vanish quickly without much work, in other cases, you may need to develop management strategies rather than have the behavior disappear.

Scout in Canada

Posted : 12/19/2006 5:15:35 PM

Well I've been leaving the grooming mitt laying on the floor so she can walk by it and realize it's not evil.

However apparently today DH picked up the mitt and brushed Scout with it, and she didn't care at all. So it seems that I am projecting anxiety on her somehow. I think since the first issue, I have become so hyper-aware of her reactions that I must come across to her as anxious or nervous. Hmmmm...

Erica Saunders

Posted : 12/19/2006 5:47:01 PM

Sometimes the best way to deal with this kind of issue is to literally ignore it and/or wait it out.
Example: storm drains or any kind of grate in the ground. Amos used to be pretty freaked out by these. (he still looks at them a little) I'd literally just wait it out. He could & would bounce, balk, dance, try to head the other way, leap around them etc. I'd just plant my feet, relax & wait, maybe laugh a little at his antics that's it. Any action that brought him closer would get praise & I'd step forward so that he couldn#%92t retreat. Repeat. No rushing, just letting him figure it out and always positioned to the side so that his 'way out' was over the grate.
The laughter is actually kind important, it has to be real laughter to remind yourself its no big deal. Its hard to be frustrated/tense/anxious and laugh at the same time.
The nice thing is that if something spooks him now, he simply sits beside me to check it out. Eventually I'll start asking him to keep moving his feet but this is good for now

jeano

Posted : 12/20/2006 3:39:21 AM

Sofia has always been skittish. She was just the way you describe Scout at Scout's age.

Some Scary Monsters made taking Sofia for a walk a real chore:

Someone rolling a trash can back into their driveway.

A fire hydrant (oooh, scary Alien! can't walk past! scary scary!!!)

A bag blowing down the street.

Children. Any children.

And so on.

We just installed the range hood over the stove so the fire alarm won't go off every time I cook (she's still terrified of the fire alarm noise). She shook for an hour because I had the fan on over the stove! She's FIVE. I was surprised, but immediately asked if she wanted a cookie and then ran upstairs where we played for a bit and she pounced on her cookie. We did that a couple times while I was cooking, so she would associate the fan noise with good stuff. I did NOT comfort her, that makes it worse. (You are reinforcing the scared behavior if you do that.)