How to help your fearful dog

Engage- Disengage is an amazing game to help your fearful, anxious frustrated dog or puppy.

F....F....F....F

You may not have heard of the 4 F's1- Fight " the lunging barking dog.2- Flight " the dog that hides, avoids or runs away.3-Freeze " the dog that cowers, lays flat, shuts down.4- Fool " the dog that gets goofy, mouthy, jumping up.

These are intense stress responses, usually towards other dogs, people or something in the environment that triggers this response in your dog.

This is a behaviour that your dog has chosen when he is placed into a situation where he feels anxious or fearful.

How can we help our dogs learn to cope with these things that trigger that response?

1 MANAGEMENT-

By knowing what triggers your dog and avoiding (if you can) putting your dog into a situation he has not yet learned to cope with. The more your dog practices/ rehearses this behaviour the harder it will be to teach him that those triggers are a positive thing. Learn the methods to use when you have to get out of dodge fast.

2 ENGAGE- DISENGAGE GAME.
This training is really helpful for dogs that chose FOOL or FIGHT.

It teaches your dog gradually to see the trigger as something he no longer fears or is frustrated about. It decreases the dogs stress around the trigger, and teaches him to self interrupt that unwanted behaviour.

These dogs find it really difficult to disengage from whatever their trigger is. This is why distance is a friend for dogs like this.

With thanks to "Choose positive dog training"