Ask the Dogfather: Frightening lightning

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Photo courtesy of Lau Marjorie

Dear Dogfather Tom,

I have heard we are not supposed to reward behavior in our dogs which we do not like. I am confused, however, about what to do during a thunderstorm or fireworks barrage, when my dog is quivering in fear.

I usually try to put her in a quiet place, and stroke her and tell her, “It is OK, you are safe.” I have been told this is rewarding her timid behavior. Is that what I am doing? Should I tell her to “buck up and stop making such a big deal out of nothing”?  And if so, how?  This leads me to the larger question of how we address emotions dogs are clearly experiencing, yet reinforce the behavior we want from them?

Thanks,

L

Dear Ms. L,

This is a great question, because there’s a lot of controversy about it. What to do when a dog shows fear? What’s my methodology for helping a dog that’s showing fear of noises, or people, or stairs, or other dogs, or statues, or grates in the road, or balloons, or thunder, or whatever? I’ve dealt with fear of all of the above, and I get asked these questions all the time. As a matter of fact, when I go on vacation and people ask me what I do for a living, I get more questions than a doctor, and it takes up a great deal of time. When somebody asks me about a particular dog problem, in order for me to give a really helpful answer, I first have to ask many questions about the dog and environment, because my answer will depend on many variables. That’s why I call myself a “depends” trainer. Last winter I was at a Club Med, and when I was asked what I did for a living, I said I was a fecal anthropologist, studying the feces of ancient civilizations to discern their cultural mores. My wife choked on her lunch, but it was the end of questions!

My methodology in working with a 2-year-old seriously shy Doberman will be very different than that for a 2-year-old Doberman who bit three people.

One of my key training mantras is helping people “avoid the rewarding of unwanted behavior.” You’re on the phone, and your dog is barking at you, jealous of the phone time. What do most people do? They toss the dog treats to distract him, so they can continue their phone conversation, and that works! However, from the dog’s perspective, he’s got you trained: “You either give me treats, or I’m barking and you ain’t talking!” It’s called extortion, or from my perspective, the inadvertent rewarding of unwanted behavior.

Dealing with fear is more complicated. You’re walking down the street with your dog, a truck backfires, and the dog hits the end of the leash, shaking in fear. Most people will overly comfort their dogs, petting, kissing, saying “It’s OK.” Some will pick the dog up and carry it past the offending noise; some will turn around and not go past the scary sound. Do these things repeatedly with a fearful dog, and you’ll end up with a basket case, rewarding the fear response.

That dog shaking in fear at the double-parked truck backfiring, I’d probably smile, give her a pet and say with an animated voice, “Hey, good girl, Paula, that was a fun noise; we’re good to go!” Then, with gentle firmness, we’d continue past the truck.

More times than I can count, I’ve forced dogs to face their fear successfully. The “Paula, good girl” supplied the comfort needed, passing the truck without getting bitten is the confidence builder. The most confident dog is afraid of nothing, and how do you get a dog afraid of nothing? You expose him to everything, and nothing bites him.

Lots of dogs, including Paula, are fearful during thunderstorms, and it’s not just the noise. It’s also the barometric pressure changes and the resulting static electricity. The dog who gets a static shock when his nose touches the couch or your finger doesn’t understand, and can easily get anxious.

First line of defense, as the thunder is rolling, try playing very vigorously with the first sign of anxiety. If the dog is having a great time during the thunder, you’re on the road to desensitizing the dog to the noise. The much more proactive thing to do is get a thunder CD, have the dog lie down in a favorite spot, and play the CD loud enough so that he hears it but not so loud that he can’t handle it. Give him special treats as he tolerates the sound of the thunder. Then, with success building on success, patiently ratchet up the volume of the thunder.

If the fear response is severe, and redirection doesn’t work, see about getting a “storm defender coat.” It’s effective in eliminating the static-electricity shocks. Also, get the thunder shirt, or the “anxiety wrap,” which you can cinch tight. I’ve seen lots of dogs being helped by all of the above. As for telling the dog, “You’re safe, it’s OK,” that’s fine as long as you don’t overdo it. What you want to show her is that life goes on AS USUAL, even during a thunderstorm.

Not an easy one; good luck,

The Dogfather

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Dear Dogfather,

Some time ago I wrote you about my lab-mix dog who seemed very fearful of contrails. You responded in the newspaper that perhaps she was hurt or scared at the same time she saw a contrail.  OK — but do you have any other ideas, as I find her behavior fascinating.

She starts crying even when she is in the house and cannot see the sky. No need to respond unless you have some new thoughts.
Thank you.

Cynthia Aguilar

Dear Cynthia,

At this point your question elicits a lot more questions before venturing an answer. I think contrails are seen, not heard. So the crying in the house has nothing to do with contrails. What is her crying like? Does it seem like she’s in pain, is it an intense whining, is she pacing; is it like she’s annoyed, or impatient for something? What about her eyes: Does she look frightened, animated? What about her tail? Up, down, moving slow, fast, vibrating? How long do the episodes last? How do they end? What do you do, and how does she respond? When does it happen? Night, mornings? What’s going on in the house when they happen, and how often do they happen? Once in a while, daily? A dog trainer is a detective. What to do? Depends. These are just the questions about her crying. I’d have a whole lot more questions about the rest of her life and environment.

I can shoot from the hip and say get a DAP collar and perhaps it will reduce her anxiety. (DAP, by the way stands for “dog appeasing pheromone.” It gives off the scent of pheromones of a bitch in heat, and there is anecdotal evidence it is relaxing to dogs.)

These are the type of puzzles that I love to solve. Answer these questions, or better yet let me see her being herself, and I’ll probably see the pattern, with a possible solution.

I’ve heard a thousand times, “My dog does this or that, FOR NO REASON AT ALL!” There’s always a reason.

Good luck,

The Dogfather