This week was chock full of interesting clients and their dogs. The one theme that came out was how much we don’t understand our dog’s emotions.
Trying to figure out what is going on with a dog takes time. You have to be quiet and observe their behavior both alone and interacting with people and other dogs. Dogs, bless their hearts, are often conflicted as much as people in the “push me pull” sort of way when it comes to relationships. This is especially true if as a young pup if they didn’t have a lot of positive experiences, suffered from the lack of experience or had unfortunate experiences with people and dogs.
A consultation this week involved a dog who lived among several people in a community and most everyone was afraid of the dog. That’s because the dog was equally, if not more, afraid of them. Fearful dogs are so heartbreaking, but the chances of them succeeding depends on how they handle that fear and how the people around them choose to respond to a fearful dog.
Most aggression stems from fear. They want the scary things to go away and if the scary thing ignores warnings of fear, then confrontations happen.
I enjoy working with fearful dogs because people often immediately get what it is like to be constantly afraid of the world around them. Are you the pushy person at the crowded cocktail party or are you the wallflower who likes to watch and observe before finding a person you connect with? Imagine a world of pushy people and that is what many dogs face.
These dogs need, time, patience, slow exposure to scary things, respect and space. You have a harder time learning when you are afraid or hurt. Often times, once the dog feels protected and advocated for, confrontations ease and learning can take place.
