Hi bella6454,
I'd like to direct your attention to the Important Disclaimer at the
bottom of this page:
"Important Disclaimer: Answers and comments provided on Google Answers
are general information, and are not intended to substitute for
informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal,
investment, accounting, or other professional advice."
The first thing you'll want to do is have your veterinarian rule out
physical problems.
I'm assuming nothing in the dog's environment has changed; such as a
move to a new home, a new baby in the house, new carpeting, etc.
Your dog previously was able to walk between the two rooms without any
fear before. The floor isn't slippery? She hasn't taken a fall?
If it's carpeted, is there an unusual odor (such as having had the
carpeting cleaned) which is upsetting her?
You'll not want to comfort her in a sympathetic voice when the she
acts afraid. This can make her feel even more than there really is
something to fear. Instead of a sympathetic voice, use a happy, jolly,
playful voice--a hearty voice. This may help give your dog confidence.
Refrain from using reassuring vocal tones and petting and body. This
does not "soothe the savage beast" but rather serves as reinforcement.
Like humans, all animals are capable of feeling physical pain and
suffering, and to varying degrees they too can experience fear,
stress, boredom, depression and psychological distress.
Dogs are highly intelligent, responsive to or conscious of sense
impressions, and they are social animals with a complex range of
physical as well as emotional needs, and dogs are also capable of
feeling fear and of recognizing and reacting to a familiar but
unpleasant action.
Believe it or not, dogs can become afraid of their food bowl!
There are many techniques owners can use to address fears and anxiety.
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Dogged by Fears? Dr Cam Day
http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/storytemplate_process.cfm?story_no=46&specie=Dogs&url.section=answers
How do fears develop?
Some studies show that some breeds are more prone to phobias, however
fears and phobias develop for a number of reasons. Most fear reactions
are learned. Phobias can develop from a single, horrific experience or
from continued exposure to the fearful stimulus. Owners may actually
reinforce the phobic and fearful behaviours when trying to calm the
animal down, thus inadvertently rewarding the fearful behaviour. Being
unfamiliar with an event or situation and then being forced into it
can cause the fearful behaviour.
[edit]
What can be done to treat fears, anxieties and phobias?
There are two broad approaches to the treatment of fears, anxieties
and phobias. One is to use behaviour modifying techniques such as
progressive desensitisation and the other is to use medication. Often
the two are combined.
Progressive desensitisation involves exposing your fearful pet to a
very mild form of the stimulus that upsets it but in such a manner
that your pet remains calm and happy. After many exposures at this
level, the stimulus is presented in a ?stronger? manner. The pet is
induced to remain calm and happy at this level before progressing to
the next.
Some dogs and cats are so overcome with fear that they cannot learn to
accept challenging situations like this. Their fear swamps their
ability to think logically. For such pets, medication is being used
more frequently nowadays. A range of ?target? medications is available
that specifically reduce anxieties without causing other unwanted side
effects.
If your dog or cat is fearful and you would like some help to solve
that problem, please contact your veterinarian.
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The following 5 links provide excellent information:
THE CANINE BEHAVIOR SERIES By Kathy Diamond Davis Author and Trainer
Fear: How to Help Your Dog Overcome It
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1612
New Fears in an Older Dog
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=936
Elderly Dog Terrified For No Reason
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=248&A=914&S=0
Motivating a Timid Dog
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=248&A=997&S=0
Timid Dogs - the Best Approach
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=153&A=1391&S=0
Slower is Faster
"The old thinking that led to throwing children into the water so they
would learn to swim is now known to be ineffective for both children
and dogs. To improve a timid dog's confidence requires a gentle,
positive, gradual approach. Whenever the process is pushed faster than
the dog's ability to enjoy it, you lose ground.
Start with the dog at a distance from whatever the dog finds
intimidating. When the dog is relaxed, you know you've found the right
distance. It may be much further than you would expect.
By the way, this is another thing to consider in whether or not to
bring a timid dog into your family. If you can't provide the dog with
enough distance within the home from things the dog fears, the fears
will only be made worse.
When a dog feels cornered, you get "fight or flight" survival
behavior, and neither reaction is helpful. When it's fight behavior,
the dog is faulted as aggressive.
The solution to this problem is not to try to punish the dog into
better behavior-that approach only increases the dog's need for
self-defense, both on that occasion and in the future. Instead, you
need to reduce the intensity of the situation for the dog, with
distance as well as other factors. For example, if the dog is afraid
of the vacuum cleaner, start working on that fear at a distance from
the vacuum cleaner when it is not running.
When you have found a degree of intensity low enough that the dog can
relax, use treats and games to help the dog form a positive
association with this experience. Move a little closer to the feared
object while continuing the pleasurable activities. Your goal is to
stay at a distance that keeps the dog comfortable, and yet gradually,
over many sessions, reach the point that the dog will be comfortable
close to the feared thing, and with it operating in a normal manner.
This is the case whether the thing is a person, another animal, a
piece of equipment, a place, etc.
One exception to note here to the rule of gradual conditioning to a
feared thing is when the fear is recent. If the dog has just been
frightened by something and you immediately respond by jollying the
dog with treats and/or games in the presence of that thing, you may be
able to resolve the problem in one session. More precisely, what
you're doing is preventing that fearful experience from becoming a
permanent new problem. Whenever your dog has a negative experience,
EVEN IF THE DOG DOESN'T SEEM UPSET, do this remedial conditioning. It
never hurts, and it will frequently prevent serious problems.
Do not attempt to overcome a dog's fear of something that is actually
dangerous for the dog. For example, if your dog is afraid of being in
the vicinity of a running lawn mowerū well, dogs should not be in the
vicinity of running lawn mowers as it's not safe! Anyway, if your dog
is afraid when the people across the street run their lawnmower,
you'll want to work on that fear, never going closer than a safe
distance.
Sideswiping
One way to work toward getting the dog closer to a feared situation is
to hold the dog's attention with your voice and treats as you walk
with the dog past that thing "sideswiping" it. This has a similar
effect to placing distance between the dog and the feared thing,
because the dog is thinking about something else instead. Thus the
intensity of the feared thing is reduced for the dog.
Before performing this maneuver, work in quiet settings to develop a
strong focus between yourself and the dog. The following method,
developed by expert trainer Linda O'Hare Newsome, is effective for the
purpose:
Have treats on your person (lots of tiny pieces of tempting food), but
keep them out of the dog's sight. To initiate the focused attention
sequence, say "[Dog's Name]!" and YOU MOVE ABRUPTLY away from her. If
you want to say "Heel" or "Come" or "Front" or "By Me," that's fine
too. The main thing is, say the name--this is going to become the word
on which she will learn to look at you--then MOVE.
When she moves with you, quickly PRAISE her. This is where you would
use a clicker if you wish to use that method, but a word of praise is
fine, too. Then instantly whip out a treat and give it to her. Do not
show the treats until you are ready to give one. This prevents the
treat from becoming, in the dog's mind, an actual part of the
command--or a bribe. Each time you give a treat, align it between the
dog's eyes and yours. You want eye contact from her with that treat.
Soon you will find her seeking your eye contact. Always praise her
when she does that, and it's fine to give her a "free" treat for doing
it.
Okay, you're not done. When you do this sequence, always do at least 3
to 5 in a row. Each time, you 1) say the name, 2) move, 3) praise, 4)
whip out a treat and 5) give it. This doesn't necessarily take up a
bunch of space. You can move one direction the first time, back the
other way the second time, etc., except when you have plenty of space
and want to move forward, or "sideswipe" something you're working on
with your timid dog. Always do at least 3 to 5 repetitions in a row
before you release the dog's attention. This is what teaches her to
SUSTAIN that attention on you until you release it. Practice this
exercise everywhere, including at obedience class.
There are other methods of teaching focused attention to a dog,
including work with a clicker. The important thing is to develop the
exercise to the point that the dog can maintain the focus and tune out
everything else. To very gradually increase the dog's "closeness" to
the object you're working on, you can, over time, release the dog's
attention for one second, then two seconds, etc. Just as when you use
distance to reduce the intensity of the feared thing to the dog, you
must not advance any more rapidly in this process than the dog finds
comfortable.
In Your Home
When a dog shows fear at home, don't put pressure on the dog in a rush
to get things done. To do so would risk pushing the dog into the
fight-or-flight survival mode. Use your attention exercise and all
other positive training you've done with the dog to move away from the
dog and induce the dog to come with you. TAKE YOUR TIME. Accept the
fact that taking care of any dog is going to take time out of your
day, and this is the kind of care your timid dog needs. Time spent in
positive training with a timid dog pays off mightily, both in giving
you more and better tools for managing the dog, and for increasing the
dog's confidence.
If the dog is afraid of one family member, that person needs to
patiently wait for the dog to make each approach. Never corner a dog.
You would increase the dog's fear, and also risk pushing the dog into
a defensive bite. It helps if this is the person who feeds the dog and
tosses toys if the dog likes to chase them. With plenty of patience,
the dog will usually get better. If months go by and the dog is still
afraid, rethink the way the person is handling the dog. Even one
outburst of impatience or anger from that person can create a huge
setback."
=================================================
Here is another article called: FEARS AND PHOBIAS: NOISES AND PLACES
http://www.pethealthcare.net/html/body_fears_and_phobias___noises_and.html
=================================================
Socialization - THE KEY TO A CONFIDENT DOG
http://www.ncbr.org/info/social.htm
THE JOLLY ROUTINE
Your dog sees the world through your attitude. So if you act happy and
at ease, your dog will interpret the world as Doggie Disneyland. If
you act scared, nervous and hesitant about certain situations, people,
objects or noises then that transfers right down the leash to your dog
and he becomes anxious and upset.
An example of this would be bringing your dog to the vet. Most dogs
are very nervous in this situation. The vet?s office smells strange,
has lots of strange noises and has people who are dressed differently
than anyone else they've seen. Plus every time Fido goes to this awful
place, he has something unpleasant happen to him! Most people don't
like going to the vet's as well; needles make us nervous!
So here is Fido, shaking and hiding under your chair. You reach under
a pet Fido and say "IT'S OK" in a soothing tone of voice. What has
just happened is that you have reinforced fearful behavior in your dog
by giving him attention (petting) and talking in a soothing tone of
voice to him. What your dog has learned to do is to act nervous, shake
and hide because then Mum pets me. Your dog actually thinks he is
doing the right thing, by acting scared, because your reaction to him
told him so! Your dog then starts to act even more nervous each time
you go to the vet's.
Instead, you should act happy and confident to help Fido overcome his
fears. Follow the guidelines below to help you learn the Jolly
Routine.
BASIC GUIDELINES FOR SOCIALIZING YOUR DOG
Do not drag your dog toward the object or person they are afraid of.
Let y our dog approach upon his own will power helped with some of his
most favorite treats! See the section on easing the fearful dog's
fright for detailed instructions on how to use treats and toys to help
him overcome his fear.
Do not touch or talk soothingly to a frightened dog. You only make
them worse. A better way to deal with that situation is to ignore your
dog if he is hiding, and only speak happily and touch Fido when he
comes out from under your chair or actually starts to investigate.
Help Fido learn that being confident and bold is what you really want
him to be. You are JOLLY to help your dog overcome his fear.
Do not pick up your small puppy or dog if he is afraid. You would be
rewarding him for acting shy by coddling him. Remember, a small breed
of dog is going to be little the rest of his life, so you need to help
him learn how to deal with the world at his own height level BY
LEAVING HIM ON THE FLOOR.
Act and talk happy. Act like the situation is no big deal. Talk to
your dog like you do when you play together. So instead of your dog
remaining in a fearful mode, you switch him over to a play mode.
Bringing your dog's favorite toy or treat with you can help him
overcome his fears as well.
Take your dog to as many places as possible, to meet as many different
people as possible. Your dog needs to have as many positive
experiences as you can possibly provide, so that when one bad
experience happens, like getting a shot at the vet's, it is not so
traumatic. Take your dog into your vet's just for a cookie from
everyone there and a hop on the weight scale. Then go home. Repeat
several times a month, if possible, and guess what your dog learns?
Fido thinks "Hey, this is not such a bad placein fact it is quite fun
I get lots of cookies and nothing bad happens, but once in a great
while! I think I really like this place!"
Hesitation is normal in socializing your dog, but panic is not! If
your dog panics, you need to actively work on socializing your dog to
that situation, person or object. Do not think that ignoring it will
help. Dogs do not grow out of fears, they only become worse unless you
work directly on the problem. Please use the techniques described
below to help your dog overcome his fears.
EASING THE FEARFUL DOG'S FRIGHT AND DEALING WITH DIFFERENT KINDS OF FEAR
I thought I saw a ghost or object fear.
If your dog is afraid of certain objects, like a beach ball, you would
need to use the Jolly Routine around the ball. At first, do not even
move or roll the ball but let your dog approach it on his own. The dog
approaching first gives him an element of control that will help him
with confidence.
If he is very leery put a special treat near the ball and let him eat
it. When he is calmly eating a treat at one distance from the ball,
then put the treat a step closer and repeat the process. Keep
repeating until your dog will eat a cookie right off the top of it or
right next to it.
For some dogs, the above process may take only ten minutes. For others
it may be a couple of days. The main thing is to let the dog tell you
when he's ready to move closer to the ball and that will be when he is
calmly eating a treat at a certain distance from the ball. Once your
dog is calmly approaching the ball, then you can add movement all the
while you do the Jolly Routine. Use this approach on all foreign
objects that our dog seems fearful of.
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The following article has to do with dogs that are afraid of men. I
realize this isn't what your dog is fearing! However, the information
is valuable because it can be applied for most any fears.
http://www.dogtrainersearch.com/articles/jill_miller/afraid_men.htm
For the basis of this article I will be focusing on dogs that are
afraid of men. These training techniques can be expanded and altered
to fit a fear of any type or gender of person and in some cases some
objects.
If a dog is afraid of men, try to decide if it is all men, or just
certain kinds of men. Some dogs can't stand beards, mustaches, hats,
different skin color, glasses, etc. Once you determine what triggers
the dog?s fear response, you can try to work to desensitize the dog to
this type of people.
If you can set things up in advance, that would be great, but if not,
you can certainly work around it. Find out what treats your dog
adores. In my house, cut up hot dogs work well, Natural Balance dog
food rolls, and pieces of deli meat. Whenever the dog encounters
someone that scares her, ask the person to turn sideways to her, look
slightly away (both of these things tell the dog that this person
isn't a threat), and have him toss treats in the dog?s direction. They
might have to throw treats quite a ways to begin with, but can
gradually get closer as the dog feels more confident and less scared.
Don't push her to accept anyone - if she feels really threatened there
is always the possibility that she'll bite. If she can work toward
someone on her own level she feels much safer.
Also, be sure that if you're talking to the dog that you're not
scolding, which can make her think that men = scolding, and also that
you're not reassuring her in a soft voice. That can sound an awful lot
like praise and she may think that you're telling her that it's good
to be scared of the man. As strange as this may sound, try laughing at
the dog when she's scared (I usually tack on a "silly puppy!" when I
laugh in these situations.) Your laughter may cue the dog that there
is nothing for her to be afraid of. If that seems too weird, just be
sure that if you talk to the dog when she shows fear, that you use a
very matter of fact voice. Kind of a "Yes Molly, I see him, too. He's
fine, you're fine, it's all fine. Let's get on with our day." It may
seem kind of callous, but dogs often take their cues from us and if
you don't act like this person is anything special, then the dog
shouldn't either.
You can also teach your dog to focus on you and not the scary thing. A
very quick way to do this is to put a treat in your hand, hold it up
to your face, waggle your finger and say "watch me!" in a happy voice.
This way the dog is looking at something other than the man. However,
many trainers (myself included) aren't crazy about this method since
the dog doesn't really learn to look at your face, just the food.
I taught my dogs to look at me by putting a good treat in each hand
and placing my hands at my sides. The dog smells the treat and tries
to get it, getting more and more frustrated, because you're just
standing there with a smile on your face, not saying anything or
moving around. Eventually the dog will get frustrated and glance your
way. To begin with, this is just a very short millisecond. As soon as
the dog looks at you say "yes!" and give the dog a treat. Once you
know that your dog is going to look at you, you can add a cue word
such as "watch", "look", "eyes", "ready", etc. Then delay saying
"yes!" and delivering the treat by a few seconds to build up the
amount of time that your dog looks at you.
I also make my dogs focus on me to get their dinner. I stand with
their dishes in my hands and wait for one to look at me. As soon as
one does, and holds eye contact with me, I say "yes" and put down the
food bowl. In addition, the dogs give me eye contact to come out of
their crates and in from outside. I've found that this has really
helped to make them more willing to make and hold eye contact.
Once you've established eye contact with your dog, you can cue her to
look at you whenever she encounters something or someone that scares
her. That way she's not watching the scary thing and getting more and
more worked up. Ideally the dog will learn to automatically look your
way whenever she sees something that she?s not sure about. If she does
look at you automatically, be sure to make a HUGE deal about it, which
lots of praise and treats. You want to be sure to let the dog know
that this makes you very happy and that she should try it again and
again.
=================================================
Again, the following article advises nothing to do with a hallway or
corridor but the information is valuable for addressing fears in a
dog.
Is Your Dog Scared of Loud Noises? Thunder? Fireworks? Gunshots?
by Brandy J. Oliver, MA
http://www.doggiedoor.com/noise.shtml
"Another method that I recommend is "yawning." Yawning is a calming
signal for dogs. Dogs will yawn when they are nervous in effort to
calm themselves. When you yawn repeatedly in the presence of your
dog you can produce the same effect for your dog. Look away from your
dog and yawn when he is nervous or scared. Yawn repeatedly for 5 -
30 minutes. Have everyone in the household yawn repeatedly during
this time. Over time, some dogs will respond by relaxing, realizing
that you are communicating that they should be calm, nothing is
threatening. Periodically, while you are yawning, lick your lips
repeatedly while keeping your head turned away from your dog. Most
dogs will return this communication with an obliged "kiss" by licking
your face. It is a friendly gesture and can be used interspersed with
the yawning, or at anytime on its own."
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Dogs can be afraid of ceiling fans!
My dog is afraid of ceiling fans
http://www.statedog.com/archives/my_dog_is_afraid_of_ceiling_fans.php
"She's really a good dog. But she has some quirks. If she walks into a
room with a ceiling fan on, she watches it like it's out to get her.
If the fan is on low, or you turn it off and it's getting slower and
slooower and slooooooower, it really freaks her out and she has to
leave the room. She's not so bad now, but there was a time when it
could even be off and she'd be in the room and she'd all of a sudden
bolt up from a nap, stare at the ceiling fan, and then slink out of
the room watching it closely as if it were about to jump off the
ceiling and whack her on the head."
keyword search:
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Best regards,
tlspiegel |
