July 6th, 2011
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Between three and six months old, puppies can develop fear aggression around other dogs, cats, strangers, grandma…oh, there are so many triggers. And we are inclined to excuse it so readily. The nip is so small; isn’t it cute to see how they run and hide behind their favorite human? No, it is not! This willful adolescent behavior is unacceptable in any environment and indulging it can lead toward adult problems that land that formerly cute puppy in the shelter. A stern “NO” and removal of the puppy from the group to a quiet spot where he will be ignored for a while are the kindest reactions.
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This is especially true for large and giant breed dogs. If you have a puppy that will mature into a 100 +++ lb. dog you had better be sure that the dog knows what’s expected of them and does it everytime.
To get your dog this way is not hard but it does take time, patience and consistancy with their training.
Especially NO HARSH training, this only teaches a dog to be submissive and to execute your commands because of fear not just to please his master.
“Fear” is just what it is – fear. Punishing a frightened dog will not build confidence or teach it to be comfortable around the things that scare it. Correcting an already upset pup is sure to make fear worse, not better. A time-out for rough play is one thing, to scold a puppy for being afraid of something is ill-advised.
The growling pup who runs to its owner for help is over-threshold, it needs space from the scary thing and time to acclimate with the help of a confident and secure support system that it can trust – its owner – not a correction.
I know you have to keep your tips short, but I think the useful part of this tip (not to ignore undesirable behavior in puppies) was unfortunately undone by the second part.
A stern “NO” to a fearful puppy is not only not helpful, it can make the problem worse (adding more fear and emotion to an already charged situation). I think a better tip would be to quietly move the puppy away from whatever the situation is until she is definitely “below threshold” (no longer exhibiting signs of fear or reactivity), and then rewarding that (praise, food, click/treat, whatever), then take a tiny step toward whatever the stimulus is (dog, person, cat, truck, whatever), and if she remains calm, reward again, and keep doing this, so you are setting her up to succeed and to gain confidence in herself, and in you as a protective, benevolent leader.
The pup needs to learn that he has nothing to fear from whatever the trigger is, AND nothing to fear from you in the presence of the trigger.
Patricia McConnell has good information on fear in dogs in her “Fear” chapter in For the Love of a Dog.
I really hope you will post a follow-up to this tip indicating that there are better ways to respond to fear/reactivity in puppies. Thank you for listening.
I totally agree with the previous two comments….correcting a puppy–particularly during a fear period is dangerous. Years ago before I knew better I tried corrections with my dog when she starting growling at other dogs at 4 months old. It created a LIFELONG fear of other dogs, that I have spent years and years trying to overcome. If instead of trying to suppress her behavior, I had helped her feel more comfortable and taught her that other dogs always meant great stuff for her, it would have made a WORLD of difference.
Just one more voice of agreement… fear-based behaviors are not “willful”, and should be addressed compassionately with desensitization and counter conditioning, not scolding and avoiding the “Scary Thing”.
Sharon mentioned one [excellent] Patricia McConnell book; I’d recommend two other and smaller ones, “The Cautious Canine” and “Feisty Fido”. Either will help address a young dog’s fearful reactions (“Cautious” focuses more on shy dogs, “Feisty” on dogs who react to fear with “aggressive” displays).
I certainly hope the canine version of ‘timeout’ that you describe has better results in discouraging unacceptable behavior then that same ‘timeout’ theory does with the human species….unfortunately we cannot send the young human species to the pound when this method is less than successful…hmmm? something to ponder here…you think?
I am a little confused. If it is fear based aggression the worst thing you can do for the pup is scold them…even though you think you are scolding the agression you are also making the pup fear the trigger even more. The best way to deal with this is to desensitize the pup to what is making them scared. This will solve the root problem.This can be done by finding a “safe” distance away from the trigger that the pup does not respond to, and creating a positive association with either that person, dog ect. then slowly working the pup up to closer distances and eventually the pup should be able to interact with their trigger once they realize they pose no danger. But the idea of saying a stern “no” and removing the dog from any other type of aggression would be the best option.
I think the “correction” is meant for the aggressive behavior, not the stimulus causing it. Personally, I would try a lure/redirection approach instead of positive punishment – especially during a puppy’s “fear period.” Things will always frighten your dog; it’s essential to teach them how to react properly (I have one dog who was taught/encouraged to bark once, come to me, and wait for instructions; another was left to his natural reaction – jump, bite, run. Guess which one is easier to work with?). The essential part of this tip is spot-on; don’t ignore aggression of any variety in your puppy; an innocuous nip from a puppy will potentially evolve into a bone-snapping, flesh-rending bite a year or two down the line.