HELPING YOUR PET OVERCOME FEAR BASED AGGRESSION

1
HELPING YOUR PET OVERCOME FEAR BASED AGGRESSION
2

• Aggression can be a result of fear in dogs and is
  often mistaken for dominance aggression the two
  are not the same. Whatever the cause of fear in
  your pet dog, youll want to help your best
  friend overcome it, for your sake and theirs, and
  fortunately, while it often requires a lot of
  patience, you can help your pet to overcome
  fear-based aggression and be a happy,
  well-rounded dog.
• Heres what not to do when trying to help your
  dog overcome their fear
• One popular, but ultimately misguided train of
  thought, is to bring the dog to the object or
  place that induces fear in them and make them
  stay there until theyre no longer afraid.

3

• Often referred to as flooding, it can cause
  even more distress to your dog, not to mention
  ruining any trust that dog and owner may
  previously have had.
• Heres what you should do
• DCC, or desensitization and counter-conditioning
  involve exposing your dog to what makes them
  fearful, in small doses, one at a time. Reward
  your dog when they can stay calm in the face of
  their fear and continue until each fear has been
  conquered.

4

• Getting started with DCC
• The situation that you most often deal with when
  your dog becomes fearful, is the situation you
  should start with. Try to break the situation
  down into steps and observe what exactly it is
  that causes your dogs fear and when it starts.
  Begin by identifying the stimuli and having it at
  a reasonable distance from your dog they will be
  aware of it, but its not close enough to
  frighten them. Keep them relaxed, distract them
  and reward them when they keep their focus on you
  instead of the fearful object, place or person.
  When youre ready to bring the stimuli closer to
  your dog, do it slowly and in stages and never
  rush the procedure.

5

• Helpful tips for beginners
• While youre trying to undergo DCC with your dog,
  try to avoid any situations that may lead to your
  dogs fear-based aggression. Dont reach over the
  top of your dog while training, dont corner them
  and avoid eye contact wherever possible. If a
  fearful dog is sleeping, disturbing them can lead
  to an aggressive response, so try to wake them
  from a distance and with a non-frightening sound.
• If your dog is behaving in a fearful manner, try
  not to comfort them as this simply reinforces
  their fear. Praise them, but only when they are
  calm, and if they are not becoming calm, remove
  them from the situation and then reward them.

6

• However, dont punish your dog when they are not
  becoming calm as this will make the whole process
  very confusing for them, and could cause them to
  lose trust in you.
• Never, leave a fear-based aggressive dog alone
  with children of any age (but the younger they
  are, the more unpredictable they tend to be) and
  wherever possible, dont allow strangers to go
  near them.
• Try to remember that it can be extremely
  challenging to desensitize and counter-condition
  a fear-based aggressive dog, but that with
  patience, it is always possible.

7

• K9 Second Line has been in business since 2011
  and we provide the best possible care to each of
  our clients. We are one of the best dog walkers
  Metairie and New Orleans area. We individualize
  services to tailor to you and your pet's exact
  needs. If you are looking for dog walker New
  Orleans and around, check out our services at
  https//k9secondline.com