Phobias and Anxiety in Dogs

This adorable beagle is Boomer.  I was blessed to have him live
with me for about 15 years. He had a severe phobia of children.

Dogs sometimes experience psychological  issues.

The term "Dog Psychology" should not infer that we analyze a dog based upon his reaction to pictures of ink blots. It does not work like that, However, dogs do occasionally suffer from psychological issues.

In this blog post, I attempt to address the psychological issues associated with anxiety and phobias in dogs. Anxiety in dogs factors into a lot of behavioral issues. In order to help the dog experiencing these issues, it is important that we understand a little about dog psychology.

I work with a lot of dogs that have aggression and anxiety issues. Most of the time, these issues can be traced to some sort of trauma in earlier life. However, this is not always the case. 

Genetics

So called, "inherited" fear is sometimes seen in entire litters of puppies. This type of fear is very difficult to address with training. The fear is persistent and tends to be generalized. In other words, the pups are generally fearful and reactive. This particular abnormality is generally observable in puppy-hood . It tends to begin around two to ten months of age and never completely goes away.

Some breeds are generally highly reactive and tend to have this inherited fear. Some examples of affected breeds are German Shepherds and Pointers. However, even in the affected breeds, this does not affect every individual dog in the breed.

Early life experiences

Sometimes experiences in puppy-hood imprint on the dog and have a long lasting effect. Nervous mothers or litter mates can influence lasting anxiety on a pup. Poor nutrition in puppy-hood  can have a negative effect on early mental development. Dogs that are isolated as pups tend to be reactive and very anxious as adults. Pups need stimuli at an early age. Their emotional development is negatively impacted when they are isolated from other dogs and/or  people.

Previous Trauma

Phobias, or irrational fears, in dogs can, in many cases, be traced to some early trauma. This happens because the dog associates a seemingly benign stimulus with a traumatic event. 

For example, a dog that is abused by a child may associate the pain of the abuse with all children. This dog may become extremely fearful of children. I suspect this is what happened in the earlier life of a beagle named Boomer that I adopted many years ago. Boomer was highly fearful of and aggressive toward young children. I did not live with any children so, it was safe for me to adopt him and work with him to address the issue. He was my loyal companion from the time he was nine months old until he died as a very happy senior dog at fifteen years of age. He was really a great beagle and I was somewhat successful in my attempts to help him with the phobia in regard to children. He got much better. It took many years, but he was eventually capable of being around children without growling, snapping, whimpering or getting physically ill. However, he never really became comfortable around children. He always showed subtle signs of stress when children were present. The point is that there was hope for Boomer. In the proper environment, he thrived. He would never have been suited for a home with young children but he was a great companion for me! It is important that we not set the dog up for failure. It would have been unrealistic to have expected Boomer to ever be a good dog for a child. That is something for which he was simply not emotionally nor psychologically capable.

Yes, Boomer's fear was irrational. Not all children would hurt him. In fact many of them distributed tasty treats to him over the years, which he loved. But, he was always, at least slightly, stressed around children. Whether or not the fear is rational makes it no more or less real. Boomer's fear was very real for him. It was important that I understand that and not force him to do more than he could do.

This is Cody relaxing with me.

Dogs also frequently develop a phobia of the veterinarian. This is understandable. The dog is quite likely linking a trauma that the vet was treating with the veterinarian. For instance, shots hurt. I hate needles. Our little Cody also hates needles. He once cried loudly when the vet simply removed the cap from the end of the needle. He associated the sound with the pain. Cody now loves the vet because the nice people at the vets office are always giving him tasty treats. He knows where the treat jar is kept in the exam room and he keeps sharp focus on it the whole time he is in the room. He now associates the vets office with really good, fun, and tasty stuff! 

Effect of the owner's fear/anxiety/phobia

As I frequently mention, dogs take their cues from us. They can sense when we are stressed and this can impact them greatly. This is why it is important that we control our emotions when working with our dogs. If we get overly excited, they in turn, become stressed.

For instance, when working with a dog that is scared of thunder, it is important that during a thunderstorm that you not react to the thunder. If you make a big deal out of the thunder, the dog's fear will be reinforced. You need to remain calm to help your dog remain calm. It really makes sense if you think about it. If the dog sees you reacting he thinks something like, "the person is upset too thunder must be really bad". The best thing to do is to act like you did not hear the thunder. Don't say, "poor baby" or something like that to the dog.  Just let the dog see that the thunder has no effect on you. I do not mean to suggest that this is the magic bullet to correct fear of thunder. However, it will help. There are other techniques that you can use as well. I will be happy to discuss this with you in a training session.

I hope this has been of some help for you.

If you have issues with an anxious dog or a dog that has some sort of phobia, please contact me. I am happy to help you!

-Till Next Time

This is our former foster, Dr. Phil McBeagle after his welcome to the
pack bath. When Dr. Phil first joined our pack he had a phobia of
doorways. We were able to help him get over that fear. He is now
happy in his forever home with an entire pack of beagles.

William

William Moore

Professional Dog Trainer

Co-Owner

Moore Services for Your Money

William Moore Canine Training

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

mooreservicesforyourmoney@gmail.com

678-702-4791

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Welcome Foster Boy Charlie the Beagle!

The Lovely and Awesome Shane with our newest arrival,
Charlie the Little Beagle.

The Lovely and Awesome Shane, Cuddles the Corgi Mix, Copper the Whopper Beagle, Cody the Little Beagle, Trigger the Dapple Dachshund, Foster Boy Dr. Phil McBeagle, Foster Boy Sammy the Beagle, and I  are pleased to welcome our newest foster member, Charlie the Little Beagle to our pack!

I drove the Awesome Mobile (Shane's Car) to Animal Medical Clinic in Peachtree City, Georgia to pick up this little guy today. He has been in our pack for about four hours. 

The Awesome Mobile parked outside the shack
during a recent snow storm.

Charlie is a senior guy (I am unsure of his exact age). He looks a lot like Cody the Little Beagle. Cody says Charlie is very handsome :) . 

Charlie is recovering from pneumonia. We will have him on antibiotics for a little longer. He seems to feel pretty good and has a great appetite! He has a growth in one of his ears that needs to be taken care of after he recovers completely from the pneumonia.

After he has fully recovered, he will be available for adoption! If you are interested in adding a handsome senior beagle boy to your pack, please contact me for more information on little Charlie!

 Dr. Phil McBeagle in the Dog Training office with
a few of his pack mates in the background ( Cody ,
Copper, and Trigger)

Dr. Phil McBeagle is still available for adoption. His anxiety is much better! He is acting like a typical beagle now :) . He is fully housebroken. His training is coming along very nicely! Copper and I have been working with him. He knows sit, down, stay and leave it. He is beginning to learn the wait command (handy for proper behavior at doorways). He is also getting much better at loose leash walking! Dr. Phil is a very sweet and loyal beagle. He is going to be a very good addition to some lucky person's pack! If you are interested in Dr. Phil, please contact me!

Sammy relaxing in Cody's Basket Bed

Sammy is also making great progress! He is still on antibiotics. He is eating very well! We expect him to start gaining back his weight very soon! His anxiety is getting better. He is slowly learning that not all people will hurt him. Copper has sort of become his mentor. Copper follows him around and takes care of him. It is really neat to watch! Trigger is his playmate. They love to run and play together! As soon as he finishes the antibiotics and gets a little more weight on him, we will take him to the veterinarian to be neutered, micro chipped, heart worm tested and get his rabies vaccine. At that point he will be available for immediate adoption. We expect that to take two or three weeks. If you are interested in adding Sammy to your pack, please contact me!

Charley being visited by Sammy. Charley will be spending most
of his time in the crate until he is fully recovered.

Folks, if you are looking for a new addition to your pack, please, please, please consider adoption! There are so many of these little guys and girls who desperately want and need a forever home! We have three beautiful beagles here at the shack that really need love and attention. We love our foster guys/girls but our ultimate goal is to find them a forever home so that we can save the lives of more dogs. This is truly a life or death issue for these dogs. Were it not for volunteers at rescue groups, many of these guys/girls would be killed in shelters. Unfortunately, that is not at all an exaggeration. I wish it were not true..... but it is true.

If you have a little guy or girl with anxiety issues, as is unfortunately very common in rescue/adopted dogs, Copper and I are happy to assist you! Also if you need help getting your little guy or girl to be a polite dog, please contact me! I always tell you: "Polite Dogs = Happy People". Let me help you get happy today!

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Merry Christmas and a few things to remember about your canine friends at Christmas.

The Lovely Shane, Cuddles the Corgi Mix, Copper the Whopper Beagle, Cody the Little Beagle, Trigger the Dapple Dachshund, Foster Girl Gracy, Foster Boy Dr. Phil McBeagle, and I wish to extend Christmas Greetings to you and your families! Thank You for your support over the year. We really appreciate your business and the opportunity to communicate with you through this blog!

Non - Dog Training related Christmas message to my Christian friends and readers:

While there are differing theological views regarding the origin of this holiday, some with which I agree and some with which I do not, I think it wise to set that aside and remember why we, as Christians, claim to observe this holiday. While we may disagree on the Scriptural support for the observance of this day, it is clear the reason for this holiday, Christ, is the center of our faith. It is not clear, at least from my reading of the Bible, if the early church observed Christ's birth, or any other birth for that matter. It is however, clear that without Christ, we are lost.

So, my fellow Christians, I encourage you to ponder this:

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. ( And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was Governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem;(because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was , while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for him in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the Glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel of the Lord said unto them, Fear not: for behold I bring you tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David is a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:1-11 (KJV)

I am not a theologian...... but.... it does seem that if we chose to observe Christmas, the above passage is worthy of consideration. Our Savior, Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection is the reason for our faith. So perhaps we should spend a little time thinking of this particular passage of scripture and its impact on our lives. The parties, time with family, gifts, etc. are not bad but, the real reason we claim to celebrate on this holiday is the birth of our Savior!

I realize that has little to do with dog training. Christmas is however, widely viewed as a Christian Holiday so, I felt compelled to put it in perspective.

Dog Training Related Christmas Message:

I have mentioned many times before that dogs are very much routine oriented. They do much better and seem to be happier when they have an established routine. For this reason, Christmas, or any other holiday (vacation, etc.) can be difficult for our canine friends.

The break in routine, can in many cases overwhelm and stress even a normally polite little guy or girl. Please remember this if you plan to have new people as guests in your home for a party or other event. The new people and perhaps loud music, etc. can be very stressful for our little buddies. 

If we consider strategies ahead of time, we can make this much easier on our canine friends. You may want to consider making them a comfortable and safe place in a room as far as possible from the festivities.

 Make it fun for them! Maybe give them something special to occupy time. A frozen peanut butter filled Kong style toy many times is a good thing to use! Check on the little guys from time to time. Maybe keep the Television on for them in the room. Also, make sure they have had plenty of exercise the day of the party or event. If they are tired, they will be more likely to relax.

If you plan it right, Christmas can be a fun time for your little buddies too!

Remember, what your dog really wants is to spend time with you! He wants your love. So, even though dogs love treats and toys, my opinion is that they love your attention even more! So, if you really want to give your dog a gift he will love for Christmas, do something special to spend more quality time with him. Maybe a special ride to the park or a day going shopping with Mommy and Daddy (as I have told you before, there are many stores that welcome dogs).

Well I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas! 

As always, please contact me if you need help with training your dog to be a polite little guy or girl. I always tell you, "Polite Dogs = Happy People". Let me help you get happy today!

Thank you for your support.

Till Next Time

-William

William Moore Canine Training

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

678-702-4791