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Dealing with Fear: Q & A

Drayton Michaels | Wed, 10/01/2008 - 07:57

Is it wrong to offer a food reward or to pet to a dog that is displaying fear?

If the dog is under threshold meaning the dog is not tipping over into an overt display of reacting, lunging, barking, growling etc… the dog is concerned but not upset… it can be useful in making a positive association to the dog. As long as the appearance of the scary thing predicts the food is coming then it is paired correctly. Where many people go wrong in this food for scary “things” is in the distance factor of the Counter Conditioning & Desensitization Protocol and the sequence. With the proper distance and the right sequence you can make great strides in getting a dog to like, love or at the very least tolerate something they once found scary.

Is this just reassuring the dog or reinforcing the unwanted behavior?

Responding to Fear

Nicole Wilde | Tue, 09/30/2008 - 10:41

There is an old misconception about canine fear issues that responding to a dog’s fear by interacting with the dog in any way will “reinforce” or “reward” that fear, and possibly make the dog even more afraid.

Let’s look at a human example of a potentially frightening experience. A child falls down and skins his knee. His mother becomes visibly distressed and makes a fuss, nervously examining the child while repeating in a high-pitched, worried voice, “Are you okay? Are you alright?” The child, taking his signals from his mother, realizes there is something wrong, and bursts out crying. Now imagine instead that the mother calmly examines the scraped knee, ruffles the child’s hair and says, “It’s fine, kiddo, nothing to worry about. Go play.” In the second scenario, the child is apt to have a much calmer response.

STREET SMARTS

Gillian Ridgeway | Tue, 09/30/2008 - 05:56

Imagine yourself being afraid of roller coasters. Having a fear so overwhelming that if you ever find yourself in the position of taking a ride, you have a hard time even thinking straight. You persevere through all the twists and turns and you finally and very thankfully find yourself coming to a halt. Then imagine someone becoming angry with you, yelling for you to not be so afraid and even going as far as physically punishing you for your fears. It is a sure bet that you would not find this kind of approach helpful.
Now lets take a look at this scenario as it pertains to dogs and their fears.

Buckle Up!

Dr. Jon Klingborg | Mon, 09/29/2008 - 10:42

Assembly Bill 2233 is intended to prevent the additional distraction of a wandering pooch while you are driving, putting on make up, and drinking coffee.

AB2233 does have some merit, because pets can be very distracting passengers. Unfortunately, improperly secured animals become projectiles when they’re riding in a car that becomes involved in an accident. Having seen the aftermath of many pets in fender benders, I can tell you that it is a sobering sight. The best bets: use one of the harness & seat belt gizmos that are designed for dogs to buckle up, or place the pooch in a secured crate, or leave the pet at home.

Dangerous Dog Diatribe Part III: The Circumstances That Surround Fatal or Injurious Dog Incidents

Drayton Michaels | Fri, 09/26/2008 - 08:38

Unfortunately people only hear about the sensational and terrorizing aspects of dog incidents that result in injury or fatality. As with any news story or myth, there are facts and factors left out for effect. It is this news, based on partial information, slanted to be sensational, coupled with word of mouth myth making that leads to any breed getting an unfair reputation. The over-representation of the negative in the media is what causes people to fear a breed. We’ve seen this throughout history. In addition, if at any point in time a certain breed of dog is used for intimidating or negative functions such as guarding / protection or fighting, it is the type of dog most represented in the news; we saw this with the Doberman in the 1970s.

The fact and the factors of fatal or injurious dog incidents:

Mojo Breaks on Through to the Other Side

Nicole Wilde | Thu, 09/25/2008 - 07:19

Mojo, our beloved German Shepherd-Rottweiler-Malamute-wolf mix, came to us in February of 1994. We had gone to New Mexico to escape the relentless aftershocks of the L.A. earthquake, and ended up snowed in in Albuquerque. Looking through the pet section of a local paper, we saw an ad for wolf hybrids. Out of curiosity and a lack of anything more exciting to do, we went to see the pups. They were very low wolf content, and extremely adorable. The breeders had named each little black and tan fuzzball in the litter after a character in the Addams Family.

View from the castle

Sarah Whitehead | Wed, 09/24/2008 - 02:51

OK, well I don’t actually live in Windsor castle, but close enough to see it out of my upstairs window!

Windsor is a beautiful place to live – not only are we home to the Queen of England and her famous Corgis (my claim to fame was rescuing one from the middle of the road and returning it to the gate keeper, who was less than complimentary about it!) – we also have plenty of green fields, open parkland and woodland – nearly all of which is open to lucky British dogs owners to walk their dogs on.

Of course, this idyllic environment also brings its own training challenges. The woodland is the home of free-roaming deer, squirrels and other small furries. The open parkland also happens to be where the local polo clubs exercise their horses (plenty of scope for unruly puppies to engage in chasing and horse poo eating as a double-whammy), and the fields are often unfenced, with roads running alongside or livestock temptingly close.

A Call For Canine Commendation (Inspiration Included)

Kelly Gorman Dunbar | Sun, 09/21/2008 - 03:23

I'm in lush and lovely Dublin at the moment and this morning while having my porridge and tea I came across The Sunday Poem in the Sunday Independent newspaper. Much to my delight this week's poem is about dogs; divine coincidence!

It is a fun poem, I’ve included it below, and it jolted my memory about a poem I wrote at the passing of Ivan, my first dog as an adult. I am not generally known for my poetry skills, but the love and loss of one of my very dearest companions inspired me to take up my pen. As I grieved the loss of him in body, I also feared the loss of the intangibles. The sweet happiness he brought to me, his playful demeanor, all of the nicknames I had for him, and his silly and unique wooo-wooo-wooo that I’d never hear again. So I felt compelled to write it all down.

Little Dog Syndrome & Other DNA Stories

Dr. Jon Klingborg | Fri, 09/19/2008 - 01:52

Our best friend’s DNA is probably the second most studied on the planet (next to human DNA, of course.) Nearly every month, another doggie DNA breakthrough is announced somewhere in the world. Recently, the cause of Little Dog Syndrome was determined by the National Human Genome Research Institute.

Yes, human DNA researchers are also studying canine DNA. Why are these scientists trying on a dog’s genes for size? According to Chief Scientist Dr. Elaine Ostrander, the selective breeding of dogs allows “us to more readily analyze the genetic causes of particular traits than is possible in humans.”

A Perry Mason Moment

Dr. Ian Dunbar | Tue, 09/16/2008 - 02:33

Quietly enjoying the blogs and comments on DogStarDaily.com, DogTime.com and YouTube, all of a sudden, I burst out laughing. Occasionally, one reads a comment that is perfect… succinct, sweet and precisely to the point. “ Confused’s” post was such a comment — a nail-you-to-the-wall comment — a Perry Mason moment.

On many occasions, I have been quoted as saying, that we can never really know for certain what dogs are thinking, or why they do what they do.