As I wrote before, every dog is different. For one, a visit to the veterinarian’s office will be a stressful experience*; for another, driving a car, and for another, walking past an unknown dog/human/moving tram.
Knowing that you can’t eliminate the elements that stress your dog, the best thing you can do is get him used to them. If you manage to “tame” these terrifying monsters (dogs, humans, trams, bicycles, etc.), you will eliminate the source of stress. Although such work takes quite a long time, it is worth investing time, effort, and money. I strongly encourage you to consult a behaviourist who will tell you how to act**.
However, before you deal with these demons for good, there are a few things to keep in mind:
– avoid stressful stimuli;
– if they can’t be avoided, try to give the scary elements as wide a berth as possible (you also prefer to stay as far away from what you’re afraid of, right?);
– as much as possible, make sure that the leash is loose;
– Some dogs are helped by the touch of the owner and/or the calming tone of their voice;
– offer your dog something to carry in his mouth (if he doesn’t want to, don’t persuade him to do it);
– After passing a scary object, offer to play with the tug for a while, scatter a handful of small treats on the lawn and let the dog eat them, or sit somewhere with your friend and talk to him in a calming tone, stroking the sides of his body with slow movements. You can give him something to chew on for this time (throwing and biting calms down).
Test these methods to see what helps your dog 😊
*The ebook “To the Vet” explains how to deal with this problem effectively. You can download it free of charge by clicking HERE.
It was written with puppies in mind, but if your dog is an adult, you do exactly the same—only more slowly, giving your dog more time to get used to each subsequent element of the exercise.
**If you need help, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me:
Email: info@baronsacademy.com
Tel. / WhatsApp: +48 509-989-639 lub +44 (0)7591 6373 50
No comments