The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” rings true on so many levels.
Want to live a longer happier life? Eat well, get sleep and exercise. Want a great kid? Spend quality time with them early and often. Want a great dog? Love your dog, expose and socialize properly.
It makes sense doesn’t it?
However, too often humans want the quick fix. We would rather take a pill than exercise and eat right. It is easier to throw money at our kids than to spend quality time with them. It is less trouble to use a shock collar than to engage in boundary training and recall exercises with our dogs.
In other words, we owners find ourselves neglecting the obvious leading us to be reactive as opposed to engaging in proactive work. At the last minute we look for solutions to problems we know exist without attempting to address the issues sooner. We attempt to use quick fixes to deal with situations and then pretend problems do not exist until next time a similar situation emerges.
We put the dog in the basement under sedation with loud music playing on December 31 because we know fireworks are going to raise the roof that night. We allow the use muzzles at the groomers to get the dogs nails clipped. We chase after our dogs as they disappear down the road…We do all of this knowing these problems exist but not working on them before the situation becomes urgent or in between situations where the issues arise. It is sad. We are really doing a disservice to our dogs. You think you can manage the situation as it is not “SO BAD” but often consequences arise resulting from your lack of early intervention which change the situation from manageable to dire.
*note there is nothing wrong with doing this but realise if you have to do this, your dog has a serious problem. Work to address the problem in controlled situations so that in uncontrolled situations, the problem does not become an emergency.
Let me set the scene…
You have a small terrier named Fifi. Fifi is nervous around people. When people come into the home she reacts negatively to their arrival. She barks, shivers and shakes. When people approach, she runs away. She is nervous of loud noises. Vacuum cleaners freak her out. When pots drop on the floor she runs under the couch. You say…”well she is anxious, that is how she is” You manage and give a decent life to Fifi.
December 31st rolls around. You know the night is going to be hard on Fifi. You allow her to go outside early to avoid the fireworks. She goes out to do her pee, a well meaning next door neighbour decides to set off one of the pile of fireworks to tease the kids of the upcoming festivities. You watch in horror as Fifi runs directly at the fence squeezes through the small opening and disappears down the road.
Ouch!!!!
The problem has just gone from manageable to outright dire. You are now dealing with a dog that is running scared, who’s night is going to get immeasurably harder as more fireworks go off, who is already afraid of people, who is now in a situation totally beyond your control and is in complete and utter panic. The chances of finding this dog are quite small and the difficulties of getting her back increase exponentially. Panic causes beings to do abnormal things and to act in completely irrational ways. If a dog is in an absolute fearful state, she may not even respond to her owner, she may even run away from the people she loves…her fear is that intense. Compound the fear with traffic, predators, climate…the dog’s safety is severely jeopardized because the owner was complacent.
So how does one deal with fear?
Early recognition and intervention is key.
Research shows that early proper and extensve socialization is so important to a happy and healthy dog. The critical socialization period is short. Owners need to take advantage of it. For more on this, see Puppy Love for Everyone
The second step is to realise you have an issue, and recognise the issue needs to be addressed. Quick fixes and tips are not going to cut it. Things like thundershirts, sprays, calming treats are all short term solutions. They can be a part of a longer term plan but they are only a small part of the solution and should never be used as the sole intervention. Often times these stop gap measures help mask the problem while you engage in a more permanent solution. The more serious the fear, the more intervention is required. When people state their dog has “severe anxiety” and ask for “tips on how to deal”, it is like saying “I loose all bowel control every time I see a mouse, give me tips to deal with it”.
The ony tip that is going to help is “seek professional advice”.
When fear, stress and anxiety is severe, you need professional help, possibly from multiple sources. You need to engage in a program which involves extensive classical conditioning, counter conditioning and desensitization practices while possibly consulting with a quality veterinarian who can direct you on the use of appropriate medications. Using this two pronged systematic approach, you will see much better results. Note, not all professionals are equal. Anybody can use buzz words without having a thorough understanding of these concepts and knowledge on their practical applications. Often times, following this advice can result in the problems get worse.
Long term permanent solutions take time and effort from the owner. Unfortunately this also costs money. But it is time and money well spent when the above scenario happens, you call out to Fifi and she comes back to you…crisis averted.
I wrote an article on the psychology of fear a while ago. It is a valuable read and a companion to this article. Take a read through.
I also designed this flow chart. It is kind of tongue in cheek but is actually fairly accurate at the same time.
At the end of the day, fear is no fun for your dog. She really does not like it and it is your responsibility as an owner to help your dog work through her fears. Take that responsibility seriously.
