Whether you are the owner of a shy or fearful dog, or work with dogs professionally, understanding how to interact with shy and fearful dogs is crucial. Even much of what appears to be "aggressive" behavior in dogs is often fear-based.
This comprehensive guide includes everything from understanding canine body language (as well as human body language and how it affects shy/fearful dogs) to how to work with specific fear issues. It contains information on nutrition, exercise, mental stimulation, and other "foundation" necessities. Protocols for addressing specific fear issues include visitors, one particular family member, other dogs, thunderstorms, noise phobias, visiting the vet, riding in the car, separation anxiety, and more.
The Cautious Canine is an excellent booklet that lays out a basic classical conditioning program, helpful if your dog is fearful or fear-aggressive toward other dogs on walks, etc.
To effectively help dogs with fear issues, it is necessary to understand canine body language, including subtle stress signals. It is also important to understand how our own body language affects canine behavior. Below are some great books on the subject.
The Other End of the Leash is one of the most engaging books on canine behavior ever written. McConnell's lovely writing style, combined with the many stories and asides included throughout the book, help the reader to digest a vast amount of information without difficulty. A must-read for *any* dog owner.
Turid Rugaas has brought "calming signals," or what wolf ethologists call "cutoff signals" to mainstream dog culture. She explains the subtle signals that indicate that a dog is stressed, and in what situations they might occur.
We all know the importance of being a good leader for our dogs; for fearful dogs, the security that results from having a strong, fair leader is even more important. With conflicting suggestions on how to establish leadership seemingly popping up everywhere in the media lately, it is more important than ever to understand how to be a leader without using force. Consider the wise alpha in a wolf pack; he does not strong-arm the other wolves. A good leader earns respect.
"Train Your Dog: The Positive, Gentle Method" is a 90-minute DVD that covers training basics and a lot more. It includes useful exercises that teach your dog not to run out the front door, to take food gently, "leave it" when asked, and more. All of the training is gentle as advertised, and a variety of breeds are used.
"The Power of Positive Dog Training" and "The Dog Whisperer" (that's Paul Owen, the author of the original book by that title) both espouse positive, gentle training methods and help the reader by explaining instructions step by step. The kind, gradual approach shown on the DVD and in these books is especially helpful for training fearful dogs.
