Dog Service Network, LLC » Socialization

Fearful and Timid Dogs

Dog Service Network — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:09:03 +0000

Stan Rawlinson (Doglistener) is a Dog Behaviourist and Obedience Trainer who has owned and worked dogs for over 25 years, starting with Gundogs then moving on to the behavioural and obedience side of Companion Dogs. He now has a successful practice covering London, Surrey and Middlesex you can visit his Web Site at www.doglistener.co.uk or E-mail him on enquiries@doglistener.co.uk founder member of PAACT Professional Association of Applied Canine Trainers www.paact.co.uk

Socialization is so vitally important that it almost outweighs all other considerations. The fear of infections has led breeders and owners alike to make the tragic mistake of keeping their puppies isolated until they have completed their vaccinations. By taking this stance they risk ending up with a fearful, timid dog that may become aggressive in later life, (FACT) “95% of all reported dog bites are fear related”.

Owners should strike a commonsense balance. Puppies, especially from birth through to 16 weeks must be exposed to a variety of experiences including people, places, and meeting other vaccinated dogs (this is perfectly safe). There are many activities and places to take dogs, without endangering their health or their lives. It is vital that you take the time to expose your new pup to as many of these situations as possible. This is especially true for one’s second or third dog; it is too easy to keep the new pup in the company of the older dogs, depriving him of the opportunity to develop self-confidence of his own, without relying totally on the older dog/s and their protection.

There is a vaccination that has been available for two years, where the full course can be administered by ten weeks rather than the normal twelve, therefore allowing two extra vital weeks of socialization. The vaccine is made by Intervet and is called Nobivac D.H.P.P.I/L. I would discuss this with your Vet, if they don’t supply it ask why?

Having said all that, genetics as well as socialization ie. Nature x Nurture have a major impact on your dog’s ability to cope successfully with life. Some are so solid genetically that whatever life throws at them they just bounce back. I have a little rescue Jack Russell/Dachshund cross whose early experiences were so horrific that he should have every hang up in the book, the abuse and injuries suffered by this poor dog included his leg being fractured and snapped out of the hip socket, and all his ribs systematically broken.

Over a period of time and with the ministrations of a fabulous veterinary nurse I was asked to look at his temperament with a view to rehoming. After meeting him and hearing his awful story I decided to treat and rehome him with me. He has now made a full recovery, his confidence has soared, once again he loves and trusts people, his tail a constant blur is testament to his ability to cope with everything life has thrown at him. So despite a traumatic start “the abuse started at four months old” he has overcome this and is now one of the nicest and most loving dogs I have ever owned.

Unfortunately other dogs are not so genetically sound. Even with an ideal environment, early socialisation and the perfect owner. This will not be enough to help these hereditary unstable dogs. Their genetic temperament can and will determine how much improvement in personality and social skills the dog can achieve. It is about time that some breeders came to the realisation that that temperament not looks or conformity should be the main reason for breeding.
Not money or accolades!

Don’t expect a 100% cure there is no miracle word or magic wand, and don’t underestimate the amount of work involved. Yes you can create a less fearful and anxiety ridden dog but only to the level that the dog can sustain. The type of owner or trainer that believes that the fearful dog should be thrust headlong into every situation, and that it will desensitize and cure them are I am afraid sadly disillusioned.

The old trick of throwing a child into a swimming pool in the hope it would quickly learn to swim, is now hopefully outdated and outmoded, it achieved nothing except possibly leaving the victim with a lifelong fear of water. Crashing headlong into circumstances the dog cannot cope with will normally produce similar results.

You should also give careful consideration as the whether you want, or indeed have the time the stamina and the patience to treat and work with a dog that has irrational fears and phobias. If you do not possess the above traits, it may be better for both of you to separate and the dog be rehomed with someone that is hopefully experienced with this type of dog, and who has the necessary temperament to deal with a dog that can at the best of times exasperate and at the worst infuriate.

Distance Learning

To gain and improve a dog’s confidence and reduce the level of anxiety and timidity you need to use a consistent, gentle, positive, and measured approach. If you try to speed up the process beyond the capability of the dog, then you will go backwards and your dog’s new found confidence will plummet. Firstly you must work out the distance where your dog feels fearful of a given situation, let’s say it is another dog, then you need to approach the dog with yours on a lead, do not tighten the lead as this will convey your own anxiety to your dog. Watch your dog’s body language as soon as you see any submissive, aggressive or fearful reaction then stop and back up until the dog is relaxed again.

Once you have found the distance that allows the dog to relax then either treat or play with your dog using a favored toy. What we are looking for is a positive association whereby the dog sees the feared object which could be anything from a vacuum cleaner to a bus. As a matter of interest dogs will not take food when they are fearful or stressed. This is instinctual as the flight mode kicks in, your dog does not want a full stomach when it may need to run away. This can also be used as an indicator of the dog’s state of mind even if there are no outward signs of distress.

Move in stages a little closer to whatever is causing the aggression or fear keep talking and reassuring the dog, you should be aiming to stay at a distance that allows the dog to feel reasonably relaxed. Gradually, over what could be many sessions you should reach the point where the dog will be comfortable, even though he is near to the object that caused the initial fear/reaction. Irrespective of whether it is another dog, place, or object gradual desensitization should work for all.

Play or Training Therapy

There is an exception to this, if the dog has been recently frightened say by fireworks, you can actually act very blasé and go immediately outside and play with toys such as balls or Frisbees even a training session where you can praise for actions other than the fear this can be done whilst the noise is going on. You may therefore overcome a potential problem immediately.
Why this works is the same principal as for instance flying, the plane suddenly hits a lot of turbulence, watch everyone’s first reactions, they look to the Stewards/Stewardesses to see if they are showing anxiety. If they are calm and acting perfectly normally then our anxiety and fear also dissipates. It is worth trying this tactic when your dog has any negative experience, even though it does not appear too affected, just in case of a potential phobia later on.

Focused Attention

One way of getting your dog to overcome certain fear situations is to gain the dog’s attention with treats, toys or your voice as you walk past whatever is causing the problem.

This has a similar effect as using distance because the dog is thinking about something else instead. Therefore the intensity of the fear is reduced.

You will need treats or toys for this method I recommend either cheese, liver, or puffed jerky, do not use treats to lure dogs keep them out of sight till required. Sit next to the dog and call its name, it is even better if you can get a partner or friend to help on the other side, sit the dog between you and your partner or friend and say the dog’s name. If he doesn’t look at you, give his ear a gentle tug to gain his attention so that he turns his head towards you, As soon as this happens praise and treat enthusiastically or play or use a toy, get your partner/friend to do the same and keep repeating back and forth for a few minutes, do this regularly and for the rest of the dogs life, and he/she should always respond enthusiastically whenever his name is mentioned. Never use the dogs name in a negative situation, ie do not scold or punish using his/her name. Once you have got the dog to acknowledge his name then start these exercises:

To start focused attention say the dogs name and move immediately away from the dog when he moves towards and with you PRAISE and TREAT/PLAY immediately you can use a clicker for the praise or a target word, I use the word “good” in these circumstances. Remember to not show the treat until you are ready to give it or it will become part of the command.

When you give the treat try and align it between both yours and the dog’s eyes this will make sure you are making good eye contact after a while you will see the dog making eye contact regularly you can treat this action at this time so as to embed it. Do these sequences at least 4 times in a row, ie name/move/praise/treat. The repetition is what teaches the dog to maintain that attention until you give the release command. The release command can be OK or whatever you choose to use. Practice this everywhere you go including training classes.

What you are looking for by performing these exercises is to tune out outside influences including the ones that are causing a fear or aggressive response. Once you can comfortably perform this exercise use it to move gradually ever closer to the problem you are trying to overcome. Over time you can momentarily release the dogs attention, increase this as you would using the distance technique, if you get a fear response then you have moved too far too fast. And you must go back to where the dog last felt comfortable.

Punishment is not an Option

It is of no use whatsoever punishing the dog for its fearful actions, this only causes more stress and therefore more fearful behaviour, therefore in the case of interdog aggression even more defensive behaviour, remember the dog had really only three choices when confronted with a fearful situation these are commonly listed as the three Fs. Freeze, Flight or Fight. If the first two are found not to work the third one kicks in.

Let’s take the vacuum cleaner as an example. If you had watched your pup from the first time it was confronted by this “demon of the dark abyss” he would more than likely have crouched down as low as possible his body rigid, if the noise and the monster continued the puppy would have run away, probably under a table or a chair and if it came closer it would have growled and snarled probably making darting and biting motions especially when you playfully pushed the Hoover closer to see the pups reaction. Anything ring a bell?

Some pups will be SO traumatized by the noise and the movement of the cleaner that they go into total freeze mode, our initial instinct would be to pick up and cuddle and comfort the frightened puppy. Perfectly natural human behaviour, something is frightened then nurture it. Unfortunately to a dogs mind this indicates that it is being praised for the fear, confirming his need to be fearful. If this happens when to pup is between 8 to 11.5 week old, which is the first of several fear periods throughout the dog’s life, then that fear could be so deep rooted as to be almost impossible to eradicate completely.

Obedience Classes?

Some dogs that are fearful or timid may benefit from a training class especially one that uses positive methods. I, the case of a rescue dog or any adult dog that you have rehomed, I would wait at least six weeks before embarking on this method. Some very fearful dogs may be too nervous for class work until you’ve done some remedial work first. A private trainer or behaviorist should be able to help structure a positive approach to build up confidence in your dog, and also help determine when the dog is capable of class work.

Do not make your dog jump into the deep end at classes or you can go undo all the good work so far. Initially keep the dog on the outer edge of the class and at a distance from anything the dog fears. If you’ve developed focused attention before starting class, then this will be extremely useful for helping the dog relax in these situations. Some dogs may need several visits starting with very short periods at a time before actually participating in the classes. Unfortunately some dogs may never be able to function well enough for this type of remedial work.

If the dog has any tendency to snap at dogs or people or to bark inappropriately, a head Halter or Halti can be an excellent safeguard that helps to eliminate this habit without introducing new problems. Have a trainer or behaviour specialist help you fit the halter/halti. Use your focused attention exercise to keep the dog’s mind off the Halter/Halti. Be sure to remove the head halter at all times except when you are actively working the dog. Don’t use a long line with a head halter, because you could put a dangerous amount of force against the neck.

What Other Treatments Could Help?

Change of Diet: A good quality food helps in many cases, most cheap food has cereal as filler, this can lead to a lack of serotonin, and low serotonin has been linked to aggression and anxiety. Feeding a good quality dog food has other benefits, it need not be more expensive as you do not require as much to get the same calorific intake, so it works out good value for money, but more importantly you are giving your dog a scientifically developed formula that is best for him or her. The nervous dog who eats a food overly-high in protein or sugar can experience even higher levels of anxiety. Therefore consider switching to a food with slightly lower protein levels.

To check on the level of protein of your dog’s food, look on the back or side of the dog food bag or can, where the percentage of protein will be listed. Levels usually vary from 14% (for aged dogs) all the way up to 25% (for puppies and working dogs). I am not a fan of canned food I find a quality dry all in one food is a much better option ,especially with the fearful phobic dog

If a nervous, hyper dog eats food with protein levels at around 22%, for example, consider trying a food with 18-20% protein. Doing so may help calm him down. If done in conjunction with regular exercise and desensitisation program.

These are a number of homeopathic and mainstream drugs that can be used in situations of stress, fear, aggression, barking, and noise aversion etc; these are a few of the ones available:

Dr Bach’s Flower Remedies: They are made from wild flowers. These gentle remedies are used to help relieve emotional and stress related disturbances in people and animals. The most common one used is Dr Bach’s Rescue Remedy
Available Chemist, health food shop or internet
Skullcap and Valerian: A traditional herbal remedy for the symptomatic relief of anxiety, nervousness, excitability and travel sickness, and an adjunct in the treatment of epilepsy in dogs and cats. Normally supplied in a sugar coated tablet, it helps to calm and relax dogs and cats suffering from, apprehension, phobias or hyperactivity.
Available Chemist, health food shop or internet
D.A.P Diffusers: In mammals all lactating females release substances which are called appeasing pheromones, the function is to reassure and calm their offspring, In the bitch these are produced 3-5 days post whelping by the sebaceous glands of the belly near the milk glands.They are believed to enhance attachment between mother and pups and to reassure and comfort. As the pup explores its new environment it will come across new stimuli which set off emotional reactions and stresses.
The pup reacts by looking for mum with her reassuring odour which stabilizes its emotional state. Research has shown that these reassuring properties last well into adulthood. They appear to modulate both emotional state and social interaction throughout the dog’s life. The DAP Diffuser standing for Dog Appeasing Pheromone Diffuser is a chemical mimic of the mothers natural pheromone and is supplied in spray and plug in varieties. I prefer the plug in as it has a culminative effect constantly seeding the area with calming smells.
Available

Vet or Internet or Me
Anxiety: Promotes a sense of calm in animals exhibiting fretting, fear, anxiety or any unwanted behaviour caused by: thunderstorms, fireworks, travel, being left alone, vet and grooming visits. 100% natural organic non-sedating liquid. Safe for cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, birds, rabbits, and ferrets.Dosage: Once in the morning, evening and bedtime, into mouth or in water. Under 20 lbs.: 5 drops, 20-100 lbs.:10 drops, over 100 lbs.:15 drops. Reduce dosage with improvement, repeat with flare up.
Prozac: Mainstream controlled drug and only available from your Veterinarian. Originally developed for humans, the controversial antidepressant is now being prescribed by veterinarians for dogs suffering from a variety of emotional disorders.This is sometimes used in cases of depression, aggression panic attacks and serious phobic responses. The drug is believed to work in the same way as it does in humans by altering the uptake of the brain chemical serotonin. Scientists hope the drug will cut the number of dog attacks and lead to fewer animals being destroyed, normally used with a tapering program of drug treatment.
Available Vet only

With all the above it is always prudent to discuss any medication homeopathic or otherwise with your Vet before embarking on any treatment program

© Copyright: Stan Rawlinson (Doglistener) one of the leading Dog Behaviourists and Obedience Trainers in the UK. Who has owned and worked dogs for over 30 years, starting with Gundogs then moving on to the behavioural and obedience side of Pet Dogs. He now has a successful practice covering London, Surrey and Middlesex. Visit his Web Site for more information and details of his work. www.doglistener.co.uk

Critical Periods In Your Puppy’s Psychological Growth

Dog Service Network — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:42:53 +0000

0 to 7 Weeks
Neonatal, Transition, Awareness, and Canine Socialisation. Puppy is with mother and littermates up to at least seven weeks. During this period, your puppy learns about social interaction, play, and inhibiting aggression from its mother and littermates. Puppies must stay with their mother and littermates through this critical period. As the puppies learn the most important lesson in their lives–they learn to accept discipline. It is at this time that they also learn not to toilet in the nest.

7 to 14 Weeks
Human Socialisation Period. The best time to take a puppy home is 7 weeks onwards then you have nine whole weeks to work with the dog over this incredibly important period. The puppy now has the brain waves of an adult dog, but his attention span is short. This period is when the most rapid learning occurs. Learning at this age is permanent so this is a perfect time to start training, but make it fun. This is also the time to introduce the puppy to things that will play an important part in his life. Different people, places, animals, hoovers, washing machines and unusual sounds, in a positive, non-threatening way.

8 to 10 Weeks
Fear Imprint Period. Whilst the Pup is going through human socialisation is will also go through an important fear/hazard avoidance period. Avoid frightening the puppy during this period. Any traumatic, frightening or painful experience will have a more lasting effect on the puppy than if it occurred at any other time in its life. This period if you do not handle it correctly could give your dog a lasting fear of say traffic or other frightening noises or events. Never ever praise or sympathise with your pup when it is showing fear. This only serves to confirm the fear.

11 to 16 Weeks
Seniority Classification Period. Puppy starts to cut teeth and apron strings! At the end of this period and begins testing its position in the family unit. You must discourage all biting; the dog should have started to learn and understand bite inhibition by this time! It is important that you are a strong and consistent and fair leader The period between 0 and 16 weeks is the most important period in your dog’s life. He will learn more during that short space of time than at any other time in his lifetime. Other windows of opportunity for learning will open during your dog’s life. Other windows of opportunity for learning will open for your dog. However, what you see at 16 weeks without extensive training and behavioural modification is about what you are going to get as an adult. Therefore, work hard on giving your pet the best start in life.

4 to 8 Months
Play Instinct Period. Flight Instinct Period. Puppy may wander and ignore you. It is very important that you keep the puppy on a leash at this time! The way that you handle your pup at this time determines if he will come to you when called. At about 4-1/2 months, your puppy loses his milk teeth and gets his adult teeth. That’s when he begins serious chewing! A dog’s teeth don’t set in his jaw until between 6 /10 months. During this time, the puppy has a physical need to exercise his mouth by chewing. Training must continue through this period or all your good work may revert back to stage one. Occasionally the puppy will start to urinate in the house again if this happens, just go back to basic toilet training.
6 to 14 Months
Second Fear Imprint Period or Fear of New Situations Period. Dog again shows fear of new situations and even familiar situations. Dog may be reluctant to approach someone or something new. It is important that you are patient and act very matter of fact in these situations. Never force the dog to face the situation. DO NOT pet the frightened puppy or talk in soothing tones. The puppy will interpret such responses as praise for being frightened. Training will help improve the dog’s confidence. This fear period is normally more marked in male dogs.

1 to 4 Years
Maturity Period. You may encounter some increased aggression and renewed testing for position and authority, however if you have spent lots of time with your dog and trained consistently and regularly, then this should not present itself as a problem – in fact you may hardly notice this change, it is just something to keep in mind. Continue to train your dog during this period. It is possible that your dog may have another fear period between 12 – 16 months of age.

Regardless of your reason for acquiring a puppy, you will have to win it over. You, not your dog, will have to create a safe and secure environment with ongoing training, if your pup is to develop into a well-mannered family member instead of a thug or a burden.

Dogs are canids taxonomically part of the Wolf, Coyote and Jackal group , they are not human beings and do not think or act like humans. They are instinctively pack animals. In every pack their can be a number of leaders, these tend to make most of the decisions. Usually the pack will have at least one breeding pair. All the other members of the pack form a hierarchy in which everyone has a place. However your dog is not a wolf, and though we have tended to think Alpha is important, new thinking and scientific studies have somewhat disproved this thinking.

That is not to say you should not show leadership in a fair and equable way. In your home you and your family become your dog’s family, as do any other dogs you may have. It is therefore your responsibility to establish yourself in a position of authority and trust. If you fail to do this, your dog may question your requests and authority. Many people assume that they are automatically the lead figure just because they are humans, are you really the leader. Does your dog know this and does he/she respect your wishes and commands?

Being the leader does not mean you have to be big and aggressive. Nor does it mean that there has to be a battle of strength or wills, after which you emerge the victor. Anyone can be the leader. It is an attitude an air of authority. It is the basis for mutual respect, and provides the building blocks of communication between you and your dog. It never means punishment or overt aggression. Think fair, equable, and consistent and you will not go far wrong.

Stan Rawlinson © 1999
(Doglistener}
stan@doglistener.co.uk
www.doglistener.co.uk
07976 153161
0208 979 2019

A Time For Reflection

Dog Service Network — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:33:47 +0000

The horrific attack by two Rottweiler’s on five-month-old Cadey-Lee Deacon, who subsequently died of her injuries. Has led to an outcry to ban this breed and licence all dogs and dog owners.

This terrible tragedy strikes a chord in all right minded people. We ask ourselves how could it happen, and why did it happen. The press as expected moved into top gear reporting further attacks by Rottweiler’s and other breeds, including what was described as an Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

For those in the know, many of the so-called Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier’s are in fact American Pit Bull Terriers, banned in Britain under the 1991 dangerous dogs act. That ill thought out legislation came about as a knee jerk reaction by the Government, to the national press and the general publics reaction to reports of dog attacks in the early 1990s..

Other dogs banned under the same bill are the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino, and the Fila Brasileiro. All these dogs were ordered to be muzzled in public, castrated or spayed and kept on a lead at all times. Effectively removing the breed from the UK when they all died off..

So how have we still got American Pit Bulls in the UK? Very simple really, they were not banned in Southern Ireland. There are no border controls regarding the movement of dogs between Eire and the UK mainland, therefore they are coming in and being sold through the back door.

It is important to note that, in the UK, dangerous dogs are classified by “type”, not by “breed label”. This means that whether a dog is considered dangerous, and therefore prohibited, will depend on a judgment about its physical characteristics, and whether they match the description of a prohibited ‘type’.

A little known fact was that the 1991 Act was amended by the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997. The 1997 Act removed the mandatory destruction order provisions of the 1991 Act by giving the courts discretion on sentencing, and re-opened the Index of Exempted Dogs for those prohibited dogs which the courts consider would not pose a risk to the public. Only courts can direct that a dog can be placed on the list of exempted dogs.

So what went terribly wrong in the Cadey-Lee Deacon tragedy? I believe this was caused by a number of factors.

First of all these dogs were used and kept as guard dogs, they were left to patrol a flat roof area which formed part of public house called “The Rocket” in New Parks, a somewhat notorious estate in Leicester. These dogs were known to be aggressive and distrustful of strangers and were kept Away from people.

Cadey-Lee’s parents were looking after the pub, whilst the Landlord was away on a holiday break, it was the Landlord and his partner that owned the dogs, therefore the dogs would be more nervous and excitable, given that the owners were not present, and others, perhaps not so well known were on the premises.

The parents did not leave the dogs with Cadey-Lee, apparently, someone left a fire door open and they got access to the child through that. I doubt if these dogs attacked this baby to protect the premises. It is more likely that initially they were attracted by curiosity. The baby may have been whimpering or crying and that may have stimulated the dogs.

There prey or predatory instinct may have then taken over, the sounds stimulating the part of the brain that deals with hunting and chase. They may have considered Cadey-Lee an injured animal or even toy or plaything. It was a tragedy waiting to happen.

So what could have been done to alter this awful train of events. First of all the Rottweiler is a natural guarding breed. Without early socialisation with both humans and dogs they can end up suspicious and in rare cases aggressive.

Puppy socialisation and ongoing obedience training is a must for all dogs not just Rottweiler’s. But especially when we own guarding breeds. The majority of Rottweiler’s that I treat are pussycats, wanting to play sometimes over boisterous but rarely aggressive. That is not to say I have not had to deal with aggression in these dogs. I have had to treat aggressive tendencies in almost every breed you could think of.

The critical periods up to 24 weeks and particularly the 7 to 14 week period, sets the behaviour pattern for the dog for life. Introducing pups to children, other dogs, traffic, household appliances, adults and babies, in a kind unthreatening way, in controlled circumstances is an absolute must. I cannot stress this enough, ignore this socialisation opportunity at your peril.

The majority of the cases I treat regarding aggression are related to poor socialisation at an early age. Nearly all of these cases are fear related, rather than a dominance issue. It has been suggested that 80% of all behavioural problems are caused because of the lack of handling, training, and early socialisation, during the early weeks and months of a puppies life.

Since this terrible tragedy, I have been inundated with calls from people with children or families with a dog that are expecting a baby. I understand their concerns and with all I have said preparation, socialisation, and anticipation is a must.

All dogs whatever breed or size have the potential to be dangerous and in some cases fatal. Lets look at those three areas in turn:

Preparation

If a new baby is due you must start at least three months before the birth to desensitise and prepare your dog for this new member of the family, if this is the first child or you have not had a baby since the arrival of the dog then early preparation is the key. I will not go into this in depth as this was covered in DM recently. You may wish to order this back copy.

If your dog does not know how to sit, stay, lie down, or come when called, then it must be taught to do so. If your dog already knows these commands but is unreliable, practice these obedience exercises until it is reliable.

Three months before the birth, you must do activities that mimic “baby activities”. For example, buy a baby size doll, cradle it, rock it, and walk back and forth. Occasionally rewarding the dog with treats, petting or praise for remaining in a sitting position whilst this occurs The doll should also be wrapped in baby blankets and shown to the dog, which must learn to control itself and to refrain from moving. Because dogs respond with interest to strange sounds, it is a good idea to accustom your dog to the recorded sounds of a baby crying, whimpering, or making other normal “baby” sounds. Ideally, if the opportunity is available, expose your dog – in a controlled manner to ensure the infant’s safety – to real babies of friends or neighbours.

When mother and child come home, it is best if the mother greets the dog without the baby present. Another family member should hold the baby or, better still, put in another room while the mother and dog greet each other. This way, you can avoid reprimanding an excited dog that merely wants to greet the owner and that may jump at the baby in an attempt to get near the mother.

When changing or fussing the new baby then one parent should attend to the baby and the other to the dog. The dog should be in a sit/stay or down/stay and on a lead. Err on the side of caution when determining when your dog is ready to approach your baby close enough to actually s Err on the side of caution when determining when your dog is ready to approach your baby close enough to actually sniff and check the child out.

Socialisation

I have covered this in a number of my articles, which can be viewed, on my website and to some degree above, but to reiterate. Puppy socialisation classes are a necessity. Irrespective if you have other dogs or you are an experienced dog owner, you may well be experienced but your new puppy is not. Puppies learn meeting and greeting far better with pups of a similar age. Take the dog to the park, get children and adults to gently pet and treat your pup in a gentle non-threatening manner.

Avoid frightening or startling you new puppy, especially during the first fear period, which is from 8 to 10.5 weeks of age. This critical period is a real danger point and is instrumental in many fear related behavioural problems in later life; see critical periods on my website.

Anticipation

We know we should never ever leave a child alone with even the kindest and calmest dog, especially if that child is under five. We have more chance of negotiating with a terrorist than we have of convincing a child under five to leave a dog alone, not to poke that pencil through the dog’s eardrum, or a finger in their eye. Yet it still happens.

I believe no child under 12 years old should be left alone with a dog, irrespective of how placid or what breed. We know if our dogs are showing unwarranted or dangerous behaviour, yet sometimes we leave it until it becomes a learned behaviour, before we have it treated. It is then far more difficult to correct. Get it treated as it occurs, not when it becomes life threatening.

The tragedy of Cadey-Lee Deacon will be with us for some considerable time. It could have been avoided by some early common sense Preparation, Socialisation, and Anticipation. That is not to point a finger at Cadey-Lee’s family they have enough on their minds without that, but perhaps we can learn some lessons from this.

All dogs can be aggressive, all dogs can cause serious injuries, what we should never do is blame the breed. Punish the deed not the breed, these two Rottweiler have paid the ultimate price and were rightfully euthanised. It was the circumstances that lead up to this dreadful event that we should question, not whether a breed should be destroyed because of it..

Stan Rawlinson
Tuesday, 03 October 2006

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Fearful and Timid Dogs

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