Edie MacKenzie On Dogs

Posts Tagged ‘Dog Aggression’

Are You The Proud Owner Of An Extremely Shy Puppy?

This fear-based behavioral characteristic is very common if you have a toy dog breed.

However, it’s a known fact that every litter will have a least one shy puppy that will need to be treated a little differently than the rest of the pups.

When these shy puppies grow up they can become extremely needy and look towards their owners for reinforcement in almost every situation they come across.  And unfortunately, while this need to “run to mommy or daddy” every time she gets scared, your shy puppy may start to initiate aggression if she is not getting the soothing attention needed. This could be labeled as aggression induced by fear.

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Ironically enough, if you constantly caress and soothe your shy puppy when she demonstrates extreme shyness and becomes frightened, you are only reinforcing the behavior. I realize that it’s hard to imagine ignoring your shy puppy when she needs you, but if you would like to change her behavior and help the dog become a bold and social animal, you are going to have to quit letting her know that it is “okay” to be afraid.

Helping Your Shy Puppy Change

If your dog is showing signs of fear and timidness early on, then you will have to be patient when desiring to help her adjust. You must coax the dog along to realizing that you will not be her protector anymore. Behaviors that she is used to doing when getting scared will need to be stopped, such as barking while hiding behind your legs when startled, darting away whenever seeing a normal part of the outside, like a person walking or a bush swaying by the wind, etc.

Here are some tips that you can use to help your shy puppy become less so:

1. Explain to your family and friends to ignore your puppy’s fear-induced barking or crying whenever they approach.  Up to this point your dog has acted out of fear whenever someone approaches and when these people naturally stop the approach, your dog has learned that this behavior works in her favor. However, from now on your dog will start to understand that fear-induced barking will not work anymore so long as your friends and family respect your training wishes.

2. Whenever you are expecting guests to arrive at the house, be sure to keep your puppy secured by a lead. Take her with you as you approach the guests if you can allow the dog to be with you all times. The difference from now on is that when she starts crying, barking, or hiding behind your legs, you will now act in a confident matter and without petting or soothing her. T

his will help your shy puppy become more brave while teaching her that her old behavior will not work anymore.

Possessive aggression is centered around a dog’s food, toys, treats, or any article that the dog may have stolen from you and this aggression should not be handled primarily with compulsion (negative reinforcement). It should be handled with positive conditioning.

The Scenario: A dog starts to growl when his owner approaches him while chewing his pig’s ear. You can correct this behavior when you are prepared to teach the dog to act in a less defensive manner around his pig’s ear. The technique requires you to first offer the dog his pig’s ear, then walk away. Get out one of your dog’s favorite treats, making it the best it can be, so it is much more appealing than the pig’s ear. Throw or drop the food directly in front of the dog and walk away. If the dog growls, however, as you approach him, walk away and leave no food. If the dog growled, you went too close to him and you should throw the treat from a distance, so as not to elicit any aggression from the dog.

You may decrease the space between you and the dog gradually. This process usually takes several weeks of slowly building the dog’s trust so that he understands you are approaching him to give, and not to take away from him. Generally, these sessions should be very short, but frequent. The treat is fabulous, but each repetition should only give the dog a small amount of food so as to keep him interested in learning how to earn greater rewards. Five or six repetitions per session with about four training sessions daily will generally do.

It is wise not to leave anything for the dog to “own” while you are training him. That includes toys, chews, beds, empty food bowls, and pigs’ ears. Provide the treats when you are practicing your approach conditioning. We will move along to the point where we drop the treats between his legs or have him directly take the food from your hand. We will proceed to the point where you can take his pig’s ear, give him a treat, and then return his pig’s ear to him to chew.

In this way you can functionally teach your dog to look forward to your approach when he has an object, and if necessary allow you to take the object with no anxiety or aggression from him. This will work only if you follow the procedure and do it slowly. After you have achieved success, continue this process intermittently forever. Also, note that a dog that knows how to drop something out of his mouth on command tends toward less possessive aggression.

It is critical that all members of your family participate in this program in order for the dog to generalize his correct behavior. Always be aware that this possessive aggression may arise again if an unforeseen incident provokes defensive actions on the part of your dog. Your dog’s aggression is an action that occurs in hopes that the target of his aggression will exhibit avoidance behaviors and walk or run away, therefore allowing him to fulfill his defensive drive.

Puppies should be exposed to, and allowed to play with, other healthy, vaccinated puppies and dogs (as long as everyone plays nicely). Puppy playdates are a great way to let your pup socialize and learn to properly interact with its fellow canine buddies. When puppies don’t interact with other puppies, they never learn social cues from other dogs, which can lead to fear or dog-aggression as the pup grows into adulthood.

However, make sure you take your puppy out for positive experiences at the right time and in the right places. Having the right vaccinations is vital to your pup’s health. Although specifics vary, depending on your vet and region of the country, most vets recommend a core set of vaccinations be given two to four weeks apart. A common schedule is canine parvovirus, adenovirus-2, parainfluenza and canine distemper at 8, 12 and 16 weeks.

Several days after puppies have completed their initial vaccinations, they can socialize with other well-cared-for puppies, and go to small public gatherings. However, it would be wise to wait until after 12 to 16 weeks of age and the completion of the final vaccinations before taking puppies to a larger public place, such as a dog park or dog show.

Puppy socialization class is a wonderful way to have your pup interact with lots of other puppies. You can make friends at these classes and set up home playdates with other new pups or dogs.

It’s best to introduce the dogs while on-leash or on opposite sides of a fence or barrier before allowing them to interact, especially if you don’t know the other dog well. Many adult dogs are good with young dogs, and can teach them proper doggie manners, but its important to watch out for aggressive adults. When in doubt, just don’t let your pup play.

Although new and different experiences are important to a puppy’s development, it’s also important not to overwhelm the little guy or gal. Let your pup stand back, observe and move at its own pace. Owners of more than one young puppy at a time know that every pup’s personality is different, and while one may find a specific new experience exciting, the other may start out with a nervous perception, and may need extra time to adjust.

The most important thing to keep in mind when setting up puppy playdates is that the experiences are best kept positive when all dogs are matched by age, size and personality type. The key aspect of a playdate is that you have plenty of supervision and make certain you allow for rest or nap time.