I received notice of a new book entitled, Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful or Reactive Dog by Zazie Todd yesterday, so I ordered it. I started reading it last night. As Cat-dog has extreme dog fear and anxiousness, I thought it would be a good read to see if I am doing everything I can for her. As I think it will be of help to others with similar situations, I figured I'd run an ongoing commentary/review of the book as I read. So far, I am 48 pages in. There has been a lot of good information already. First and foremost is an explanation on the difference between fear and anxiety. To paraphrase: Fear is something felt in response to a specific stimulus or event that is potentially dangerous while anxiety is more generalized emotional response that is not tied to something specific. So, in regards to Cat-dog, she has FEAR when she sees another dog approaching her; she has ANXIETY when we walk down the street with no dogs around. In the first situation, the dog is there and she fears it will attack her. In the second, she is anxious because she worries that a dog could appear suddenly - it's the "what if". The author goes on to mention several studies that show fear and anxiety are very common in dogs (72.5% per one study) and then explains several studies (including the classic study of the infant Little Albert and Pavlov's experiment). She then dispels certain myths that are still given today as "advice" by offering these truths: It's OK to comfort a fearful dog; Ditch the idea of dominance; Dogs should be able to make choices and have control over their lives, as far as possible; Don't force your dog to face their fears; Dogs don't need to be provoked to see how bad a problem is; You don't need to use harsh methods just because the dog has behavior issues; Dogs do like treats; It's the dog's perception that counts; Dogs don't just growout of fears; and Even though a dog is fearful, training should be fun for them. A discussion of classical conditioning follows, providing a brief overview of the Pavlov study and the jargon attached to it. At this point she talks about the hardships we humans deal with when we have a fearful dog. We face the loss of an expected life and we need to grieve that loss aswe face the compromises and difficulties we face for the life we are given. I think this is a very important bit that gets lost to many trainers. If a trainer tells you that you can absolutely have that life you dreamed of (sitting at the cafe with your dog quietly and happily laying at your feet, spending your days at the beach with your dog off leash as other dogs and their people run around, etc), RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! No one knows how long it will take to counter condition fears and anxieties in a dog (or person) or if it will ever be completely resolved. So mourn that life and then take it day by day to move forward and find a life you AND your dog can enjoy. She quotes a colleague, Bonnie Hartley of Ocean Park Dog Training in Surrey, BC, who stated about an extremely fearful foster dog: "when you look at a fearful dog, and you look back over time, she was better at a year than she was when she came to us. She was better at 2 than 1, and honestly it keeps going like that. She's better at 9 than she was at 8, and she's better at 8 than she was at 7. It just keeps going on and on, and she keeps growing and changing and becoming more confident. I think that's really exciting." I will leave us at this point for now because I think this is important for anyone dealing with a fearful or anxious dog to realize: it will keep getting better. It may not seem to as you are going through it, but make a note on the calendar and every year look back at where you and your dog were last year. You WILL see the improvements. Tell all your friends. Celebrate. Post it online. Every step forward is huge. And be sure to tell your dog how proud you are of them. They moved forward and they are amazing!
