Most puppies go through a ‘Fear Period’ stage, which can include fear of objects, adults, children, and other dogs. Unfortunately, many popular strategies taught to counter puppy fear are the absolute worst things possible. I’m covering three things you should never do when your puppy or rescue dog displays fear of people and what to do instead to create confident and empowered dogs.
In the episode you'll hear:
- The bad advice given when puppies show fear of people.
- What 'flooding' is and why it intensifies fears.
- The 3E's of Environment, Education and Empowerment for puppy and rescue dog socializing.
- About empowering your dog with choice vs. controlling them.
- Cues and games that grow confidence for puppies and dogs.
- How to use a distinct noise to refocus a puppy's attention when they're worried.
- Ways to change the environment easily by changing your appearance.
- How to set up "training dens" in your home and increase confidence for puppies or rescue dogs.
- What body language looks like for confident and joyful dogs.
- How to manage and train in environments with potential fear triggers for your dog.
- What to do when you have houseguests that your dog or puppy fears.
Shaped by Dog Episode 200 Online Celebration Event
Learn to Play ItsYerChoice:
Resources:
- Crate Games Online
- Podcast Episode 191: Get Your Dog To Calm Down With This Common Sense Protocol For Relaxation
- YouTube Video: Susan Garrett’s Perch Work Dog Tricks (Pivots and Spins)
- YouTube Playlist: Target Training for Dogs with Susan Garrett
- Podcast Episode 89: Why Dogs Should Not Tug: The Truth Revealed
- YouTube Video: All About Trick Training and Wag Nation (Teach Crawl)
- Podcast Episode 175: Food Luring VS Shaping In Dog Training: How Science Changed How I Teach Dogs
- Podcast Episode 111: How An Anchor Dog Can Help Overcome Your Dog’s Anxiety Or Reactivity
- Podcast Episode 157: Dog Body Language: Understanding Canine Communication Signals And Emotions
- Podcast Episode 4: T.E.M.P. (Tail, Eyes/Ears, Mouth, Posture)
- Podcast Episode 112: Stressed Dog? How Trigger Stacking Might Be Putting Your Dog Over Threshold
- Podcast Episode 58: How to Create Kid Friendly Dogs and Dog Friendly Kids
- Podcast Episode 68: 3 Easy Tricks Every Dog Should Know
- YouTube Video: Normalizing Imperfection in Dog Training
- Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube
My dog is tall, I’m a senior and have a little balance issue so coming between my legs might be risky. Would a heel position chin rest in my hand be a good alternative for security? My boy is a very suspicious, aloof 4 yr old primitive breed who has a lot of fear issues with strangers and other dogs
One of the things I love most about the way you train, Susan, is how very scientific you are! You can take an idea that people may sort of be aware of in a general way and turn into a complete protocol, with steps that are so easy to follow you almost don’t even have to think all that much to be able to follow it!! For instance I usually try to be aware of what behaviors does the dog I’m working with just love to do the most… that way I have a way to test how or if she is over threshold. But you have taken that concept to an entire new level! Now we can use their favorite behaviors, build on those in their favorite environments until their confidence is high enough to add more behaviors and more environments, which in turn really builds their confidence. Then when they are faced with a scary thing or person or whatever, we can quickly evaluate just how scared they are and take appropriate action. Brilliant!! Thank you once again for thinking big picture and passing it on to the rest of us!! It is much appreciated!!! ❤️
This makes so much sense!
My 9 month old Aussie pup has just started a fear period. On a walk this week he was barking and lunging at a neighbour in her driveway. We backed off across the street and did some search and all was good. At our obedience training (working towards CGN) he was great with the crowd and other dogs even when the people were running, but when they added some props he panicked and wanted to bolt out of there so we retreated to the sidelines and watched for a bit, and when we calmed down we walked round the edge rather than through the crowd. Then today we were surprised by some kids with sleds to go tobogganing at the local hill and that tipped him over the edge. Again backing off and search worked for him. I can see that ‘brrrrp’ between the legs would be great for him as he always looks to me for protection.