How do I deal with an introverted dog?
Dogs learn from positive association. The best way to help a shy or fearful dog gain confidence is Read More
How do you desensitize a shy dog?
Mathew O'Connell
2025-07-12 12:22:37
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: 27
Help shy and fearful dogs feel safer by building trust and teaching skills to manage their fear. Keep a Log to know what triggers your dog’s fears and keep a log to help avoid those triggers. Establish a Safe Haven, your dog can retreat to a bedroom, closet, or covered kennel to feel safer. Make sure this area is away from the normal traffic pattern in the home and has warm, soft bedding. Avoid Using Punishment, your dog is scared and may be responding to a threat the only way they know how. Notice what might be causing your dog to feel uncomfortable and encourage your dog to move away from the threat by calling them to you and rewarding them. Food Dispensing and Puzzle Toys are a great way to build your dog’s self-confidence, helping them to problem solve while encouraging them to explore their environment. Build Trust, building trust is an important part of our relationship with dogs, we need to respect their needs and normal canine social behaviors. Respect Your Dog’s Choices, dogs need some control over a situation and the opportunity to say no or fear can rapidly turn into worry. Stop the Walks, if your dog is hesitant to go on walks, doesn’t want to leave the yard or go for a car ride, don’t force them. Try playing games in the yard, go for sniff walks in quiet and safe locations, or do nose work exercises instead.
Jamel VonRueden
2025-07-11 18:59:14
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: 25
Desensitization is a behavior modification technique in which you purposely and gradually expose your pet to a stimulus that has triggered a fear response. The stimulus is always controlled, starting at a very low level, so that your pet does not experience fear or display signs of stress. Over several sessions, you gradually increase the intensity of the stimulus, as long as there is no sign of fear. Manage the distance from the trigger, beginning far away and gradually getting closer. If the trigger is a noise, adjust the volume, going from low to high. If the trigger is a moving object, such as a bicycle, change the speed at which it moves, working from slow to fast. Break the trigger up into components: Some triggers are composed of multiple parts, such as sound, motion, sight, and smell. For example, if your pet is afraid of the vacuum cleaner, begin with the vacuum turned off and stationary. Counterconditioning is a behavior modification technique in which you pair something that causes a negative emotional response with something known to create a positive emotional response in your pet. Tasty food treats are commonly used to create a positive emotional state. Desensitization and counterconditioning are often used together when treating fearful pets.
Read also
Why is my dog so shy at the dog park?
A dog’s reluctance to join in the fun at the dog park might stem from a number of reasons, including Read More
Zackery Okuneva
2025-06-28 08:39:21
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: 26
Dogs learn from positive association. The best way to help a shy or fearful dog gain confidence is to expose them to what frightens them at a low intensity. Pair this exposure with something positive, like a tasty treat. This is called counter conditioning and desensitization, and when done successfully, it helps them feel more comfortable around the source of their fear. Allow your dog time to get used to people. Instruct others to ignore your dog, and let your dog decide whether they want to approach someone. Avoid direct eye contact, at first. Approach dogs at their level. Throw out treats, decreasing the distance for a safe interaction. Build up trust with your dog before bringing them to public settings like the dog park, a friend’s house, or a dog-friendly restaurant or brewery. Go slow and give them time to gain confidence and trust.