HELPING YOUR PET OVERCOME FEAR BASED AGGRESSION

1. HELPING YOUR PET OVERCOME FEAR BASED AGGRESSION

2. Aggression can be a result of fear in dogs and is often mistaken for dominance aggression; the two are not the same. Whatever the cause of fear in your pet dog, you’ll want to help your best friend overcome it, for your sake and theirs, and fortunately, while it often requires a lot of patience, you can help your pet to overcome fear-based aggression and be a happy, well-rounded dog. Here’s what not to do when trying to help your dog overcome their fear: One popular, but ultimately misguided train of thought, is to bring the dog to the object or place that induces fear in them and make them stay there until they’re no longer afraid.

3. Often referred to as ‘flooding’, it can cause even more distress to your dog, not to mention ruining any trust that dog and owner may previously have had. Here’s what you should do: DCC, or desensitization and counter-conditioning involve exposing your dog to what makes them fearful, in small doses, one at a time. Reward your dog when they can stay calm in the face of their fear and continue until each fear has been conquered.

4. Getting started with DCC: The situation that you most often deal with when your dog becomes fearful, is the situation you should start with. Try to break the situation down into steps and observe what exactly it is that causes your dog’s fear and when it starts. Begin by identifying the stimuli and having it at a reasonable distance from your dog; they will be aware of it, but it’s not close enough to frighten them. Keep them relaxed, distract them and reward them when they keep their focus on you instead of the fearful object, place or person. When you’re ready to bring the stimuli closer to your dog, do it slowly and in stages and never rush the procedure.

5. Helpful tips for beginners: While you’re trying to undergo DCC with your dog, try to avoid any situations that may lead to your dog’s fear-based aggression. Don’t reach over the top of your dog while training, don’t corner them and avoid eye contact wherever possible. If a fearful dog is sleeping, disturbing them can lead to an aggressive response, so try to wake them from a distance and with a non-frightening sound. If your dog is behaving in a fearful manner, try not to comfort them as this simply reinforces their fear. Praise them, but only when they are calm, and if they are not becoming calm, remove them from the situation and then reward them.

6. However, don’t punish your dog when they are not becoming calm as this will make the whole process very confusing for them, and could cause them to lose trust in you. Never, leave a fear-based aggressive dog alone with children of any age (but the younger they are, the more unpredictable they tend to be) and wherever possible, don’t allow strangers to go near them. Try to remember that it can be extremely challenging to desensitize and counter-condition a fear-based aggressive dog, but that with patience, it is always possible.

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