You may have noticed that your dog will on occasion refuse to take treats. When I am working with dogs and I notice their behavior changes, signs of stress coming on. I will stop and take a look around to see if there is anything that might be causing this.
Sometimes it is a man with a beard or a lady with a hat. It could be person with a cane. Small things like that can affect a dog. Looking through a dog's eyes is important in order to help them.
As I work with dog's who are fearful because of an incident that happened, my goal is to help get them through this. Keeping them under threshold and knowing to use small steps to help them.
These small steps are important and I have seen success.
There have been several dogs that were fearful of brooms. As I begin to find out how much movement is possible before they react. This takes patience and time. Every dog is different and timing is important. One slow movement and give a treat. Catching the behavior and staying under threshold.
There are moments when I just had the dog look at the object and not move it. The dog was being rewarded for just being a good dog and looking at it. In the dogs eye's that is a very scary object.
If you are having problems with your dog being reactive and need help. Look for professional help, because the stress and fear are very real.
Mecca Curtice, CCDT, CTDI
Behavior Specialist
Sheboygan, WI.
© 2020 Mecca's All Breed Dog Training, LLC.
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