The 5 M’s of Working with Fearful Dogs – Part 2

Management

Once your eXtraOrdinary Dog has had a thorough physical exam to rule out underlying illnesses that could cause or contribute to fear-based behaviors,  management is the next step in the quest to provide the best quality of life possible.

Set Your Dog Up to Succeed

Every time your dog practices any behavior, it allows the behavior to become stronger, and the longer a behavior is practiced, the harder it is to change (just as with human habits). Management is “the first line of defense” to address behavior, and serves the important purpose of reducing or eliminating her exposure to triggers (anything that causes a fear-based reaction). If the environment is managed so the dog can’t practice the behavior, the behavior itself, as well as the correlating stress and arousal, also decreases. Management also allows for a greater degree of safety, both for the dog and humans.

Is Management Enough? It Depends…

Managing a behavior is NOT the same as modifying the behavior. Although the behavior may be prevented because physical deterrents are in place, we have not addressed why the behavior occurs in the first place, nor have we changed the emotion behind the behavior. Depending on the severity and safety factors around the behavior, hiring a trainer or behavior consultant immediately after the physiological workup may be the safest option. They, in turn, can assist with both management and behavior modification.

Successfully Manage the Environment by Answering These Questions:

What exactly is the behavior you are trying to address?

Be specific about the behavior so you can be precise in setting up management protocols.

Instead of saying, “I want my dog to stop barking”, objectively observe when and where she barks, and narrow your focus down to, “I want my dog to stop barking out the front window at the delivery person.” It becomes much easier to devise a management plan around front windows and delivery people, rather than general barking. If you have a dog who barks from the front window at delivery people, barks at squirrels on the deck, and barks at the doorbell, all three scenarios should be managed separately.

What is the antecedent (or what happens before the behavior)?

Be clear about what precedes the behavior.

To continue the first example, is it the sound of the delivery truck down the block; the sight of the truck parked at the curb; the delivery person carrying a package up the walkway; or the sound of the doorbell?

Each of these antecedents should be addressed individually. If the sound of the truck precipitates the barking, play music or white or brown noise or use a fan. Block access to the window with window cling film, closed drapes, or block access to the room by closing doors or putting up gates if the sight of the truck or the movement of the delivery person causes barking. And if the doorbell causes the barking, tape a sign over the doorbell asking the person to text you that they have arrived, or leave written instructions for an alternate location to leave a package. 

Combine multiple management strategies as necessary to eliminate the need for the behavior.

What physical changes can you make to the environment in order to eliminate the behavior?

Conduct a thorough assessment of your home to determine the best way to manage the environment. If your dog can see the street from the downstairs and upstairs front windows and the front door, access to each of those locations needs to be restricted.

In addition to a calmer dog, the nice thing about management is that it removes human intervention from the picture. Once you have strategies in place, you do not have to physically or verbally guide your dog away from the window, because the window isn’t accessible.

It’s All About Buy In

This cannot be emphasized enough: ALL members of the household must be consistent with establishing and maintaining a management protocol.

Have a family meeting and explain in simple terms what behavior you are managing, why it’s important to decrease or eliminate the behavior, what physical household changes will take place and how each family member can help your eXtraOrdinary Dog be successful. Without buy-in and management in place 100% of the time, you may be unwittingly an accessory to strengthening the unwanted behavior. The scientific term is known as intermittent reinforcement: the sporadic reward of behavior (sometimes the dog gains access to the window to bark at delivery people) increases the likelihood of the behavior happening again.

Belt and Suspenders

Behaviors that could pose a risk to the dog’s safety or a human’s safety need at least two layers of management to prevent failure. If a dog lunges through the front door, then the door needs to be locked so no one can walk in and an x-pen (wire dog fence that has multiple configurations) should be used as a barrier and “airlock”. Two layers of management greatly reduce the possibility of accidents happening, but caregivers are ultimately responsible for implementing the strategies every single time.

Management Made Easy

Following are just a few strategies for common scenarios to help get you started on your own management protocol:

Counter Surfing

• Clear counters
• Set up gates at doorways
• Use x-pen to section off counters from the rest of the kitchen

Barking at Windows or Doors

• Use gates or x-pens or closed doors to restrict access
• Close drapes
• Move furniture away from the window to prevent perching and scanning
• Instill window cling film over windows/door panes

Doorbell or Other Exterior Sounds

• Mask sound with music, white or brown noise, air purifiers or fans
• Install a remote doorbell that sends an alert to your phone
• Tape a note on top of the doorbell with alternative instructions (e.g. text or call)
• Ask friends and family members to call or text 10 minutes before arrival

Visitors in the House

• Help your dog choose a safe room to be comfortable in so she can settle before guests arrive
• Use gates if your dog enjoys watching guests but not interacting

Muzzles

Every dog should be muzzle trained; if there is an emergency or a dog is injured or sick, even the most mild-mannered canine can bite in fear or in pain. Muzzles may be considered management tools to prevent biting, but they should never be used to put a dog in a situation where they feel the need to bite. Muzzles take away the dog’s ability to defend herself and do not change her emotional response to the situation.

How to Select a Trainer for Your Fearful Dog

A good trainer or behavior consultant can help you and your eXtraOrdinary Dog come up with management strategies to fit your lifestyle and help you develop and implement a modification plan based on your dog’s individual needs.

A trainer or consultant who specializes in behavior generally uses multiple approaches:

• First asks for detailed written responses to questions concerning medical history, family size and history, prior training and behavior history, and other pertinent information that you wish to share.

• Will concentrates on making sure that your dog first feels safe enough to learn new things, as well as general safety for humans and dog.

• Sets up management strategies.

• Identifies what reinforcers are truly rewarding to your dog (Types of food? Play? Praise? Touch?)

• Devises a modification plan to shift the fear to a more positive emotion using classical conditioning techniques, such as counterconditioning and desensitization and operant conditioning to teach behaviors that help create distance from triggers

• Suggests appropriate enrichment opportunities for mental and physical stimulation and confidence building

• May recommend consulting with a Veterinary Behaviorist or other specialists for further assessment.

It is critical to look for a trainer or consultant who employs only force-free, reward-based methods. The trainer should also have extensive experience with fearful dogs and multiple references for you to contact.

Under no circumstances should painful or aversive techniques or equipment be used. Terms like balanced, alpha, leader, accountability, pack, stim (electrical charge used in e-collars), and firm guidance (to name a few) have no place in helping your fearful dog feel safer in the world.

Often, a fearful dog may be more successful learning in her own environment, especially if she is fearful in the house or neighborhood, and the larger world of training centers or parks is overwhelming. Remote consultations may be a great option if strangers in the house are terrifying to her.

Since dog training is (currently) unregulated, you need to really research options to find the best fit for your needs; obedience training is not the same as behavior consulting. Accreditations from recognized training organizations may help you narrow down your search, but still, ask each individual about their training philosophy and their experience. Phrases such as feeling safe, relationship-based, deepening a connection, building confidence, positive reinforcement, force-free, science-based and classical conditioning are all good signs that the trainer or consultant has your dog’s interest at heart.

https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/

https://apdt.com/

https://karenpryoracademy.com/

https://m.iaabc.org/

A behaviorist is a very specific term that refers to either a Veterinary Behaviorist, a veterinarian with an advanced degree in behavior, or a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist,  who has degrees in behavior at the post-graduate or doctoral level. Only Veterinarians and Veterinary Behaviorists can legally prescribe behavior medication.

Following are two certifying bodies to start your search:

http://corecaab.org/qualifications/

https://www.dacvb.org/page/AnimalOwners

Looking  Ahead

Management may prevent behaviors from happening, but to truly change behavior, we need to change the emotion behind the behavior. Coming up in the third part of the series, we will discuss behavior modification, why it matters and how to implement it.