The PE class provided some high level distractions for Tipton. Last year this number of people would have totally freaked Tipton out. Today he was able to continue ur to focus ane come when called. He still wanted to move away, but he didn’t totally freak out. Celebrating the progress Tipton has made.
On a hike with Vienna today and seeing some things that indicate she trusts me more than before. This is a very sweet dog. Got a some cactus thorns in her leg, let me life her paw and pull them out
Feral or street dogs are much more aware of potential threats and vulnerable places. Here I explain how to help them. I also could have gone around the corner, checked it out for safety (in Tiptons mind) and them picked up Chars poop
One way to connect with a fearful dog is to do something the dog likes to do with them. For Tipton this is climbing on stuff. So I set up an obstacle course of sorts in my yard.
What do I look for in a fearful dog that indicates relatively easy rehabilitation? Vienna will show you. I look for a desire to connect and follow people, and I look for a dog that likes human touch. These things may be hard to detect in severe case dogs, but in relatively easy cases it looks like Vienna in this video.
The more a dog practices NOT being afraid the more confident the dog will become. The more a dog practices being afraid the more fear will become part of its go-to behavior. DON’T let a dog practice fear. I use the word practice because the dog will get better at either one it is allowed to do just like a yoga practice. And like Yoga, it is a lifelong pursuit of Improvement and awareness with self-empathy. Here, Vienna would have liked to run away from the bicycles. But I didn’t let her. I just stopped her and sat as a calm influence and supported her. She can come closer to me for support but she can’t run away. You can see her thinking this through and realizing the bicyclists were not a threat to her because she actually had to watch them instead of avoiding. This is at a far distance that she can succeed at. This must be balanced by not putting the dog in too stressful of a situation where the dog will just panic and not succeed.
Quick tip On getting an apprehensive dog out of the car. Give them time to sniff, check out the location with them, then face the way you want the dog to go (away from the car). Here I demonstrate with rescues dog Onyx
Different dogs require different methods. This dog is going on likely her first walk ever and certainly a first walk in this type of commercial area. She likes to stop and look around her to survey the area. Some fearful dogs wants to hug the edges of areas or keep moving. It is important to take cues from the dog you are working with as to what helps them.
What to look for in an Easy Fearful dog to rehab? This dog was relinquished to a vet after the owner threw her and her brother into his pickup truck then drug her across the parking lot into the vet. The past owner stated he didn’t want the dogs anyway so a rescue took them. I walked the female today,named Onyx. She was a bit unsure because this dog has likely never seen the world before. But she was willing to give things a try when I persuaded her by calling her to me and praised her. This is temperament shining through. This kind of dog will also make a relatively easy and fast recovery because of her affinity for humans and her willingness to trust despite her past.
Tipton - previous feral dog - loves to learn and do agility type activities. So
for Tipton this is great fun and a bonding experience. For other dogs this would be terrifying and too much to ask. It is important to go with the dog in front of you and make adjustments
Two minute dog tip - Help with fear based setbacks Eith setbacks
Hawkeye has some setbacks occasionally. Here is talk about how to get a dog past something that scares them and sets them back.
