surchinmy
Ultra ALPHA
Dec 31, 2003, 6:49 PM
Post #12 of 19
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Re: [hunter] Fear of thunder + lightning a little extreme. advice needed!
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Hi ya ... Yeaps ... agree with everyone ... As a general rule, pampering or catering to a dog's "unreasonable anxiety or fear" ... or exposing the dog in isolation to the "element" causing the anxiety (in hope that the dog will learn by itself, not to be frightened) ... are not answers ... Neither are likely to eradicate nor improve the situation. Coddling rewards the dog for being frightened, encourages the doggie to think that exhibiting anxiety or fear is appropriate behaviour - thus, imbedding the "bad" habit ... Exposing the dog in isolation to the fear causing "element" merely causes the dog to withdraw even more ... Proper "desensitisation to fear elements" requires the owner's participation ... and the dog is exposed to the "element causing fear" in a controlled and monitored way - teaching the lesson that the "element" is nothing to be afraid of ... Our male RR hates thunder (he makes a beeline for the daybed, sticks his head between the cushions ... cute but not very desirable ... ) ... (a) Do not coddle the dog, but do not scold or reprimand the dog either ... as far as you are concerned it is a non event. (b) Act normally, and show the dog that "you" are not frightened ... - If you have another dog/s - play with them ... thunder is the recess bell for fun & games for everyone.
- Engage the dog in his favourite game or pastime ... play fetch, retrieve, go into your training routine ... whatever.
- Everytime thunder sounds or lightening strikes - call the dog to you & perform a command (encourage the dog away from his hiding place) and reward with a special treat ... (Remember, this treat must be associated the act of obeying a command and not for being frightened).
Hopefully with consistency ... the dog learns to associate the loud noise in the sky with good & happy events ... and even if the anxiety does not go away completely, it is diminished. Cheers
(This post was edited by surchinmy on Dec 31, 2003, 6:53 PM)
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