A few nights ago, she was intrigued by furiously barking
dogs in our neighborhood. She ventured
outside the property line but retreated in fear not long afterwards. Fortunately, I had a toy in my pocket. As soon as we returned to our yard, I whipped
out the toy and engaged her in a game of fetch. (“Fetch” is a loose term. She prefers to taunt me with the toy rather
than politely relinquish it.)
I realize some trainers may say I reinforced the “happy
place” quality of our yard. My goal was
to prevent her from “shutting down.”
When Gracie becomes truly afraid, she will not listen to anyone. She retreats into her own little world,
shaking and panting. I could tell from
her posture that we were moments away from that happening. I decided it would be better to redirect her
attention to the toy and use exercise to burn off the anxiety.
It worked. Her attention
was fixed on the toy. She forgot about
her romp outside the property line and had a wonderful time chasing after the
toy.
Fearful dogs are a challenge. I encourage you to read books about positive
training methods so you can help your dog.
As I said, my method may not have been 100 percent approved by a
trainer. It worked for my dog – and that’s
what you must do. Find something that
works for your dog. Just make sure it is
positive training – no choke collars,
no painful corrections.
Good luck!
Rescue Mommy
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