Weekly Wag - Building confidence in dogs

Laura Famiglietti, DVM

Nervousness in dogs can manifest in different ways: some dogs bark at whatever is frightening them, some freeze until the scary thing goes away, and others give more subtle signs of discomfort.

Knowing when your dog is stressed, you can try and help them build their confidence.

One way to help a dog feel more confident is to use repeated controlled exposure to the thing they are scared off, so that it becomes more familiar and less scary to them; this is called desensitisation.

For example, if your dog is anxious about meeting new dogs, ask a friend with a well-socialised dog to help, with both dogs on a leash, take a walk parallel to each other. Then as your dog gets more comfortable, you can gradually move them closer to each other.

As time passes by you will notice that your dog starts tolerating the presence of the other and with a bit of patience they might even start to socialise.

Another technique is counter-conditioning: this involves the animal experiencing a very tolerable exposure to a stimulus, followed by a treat. Once the animal is comfortable with that and expecting the treat, you can progress to the next step. 

For example, if your dog always pulls their feet away when you try to touch them. By giving them a treat you can change this negative reaction to having their feet touched, up to the point where they tolerate the stimulus because they know they are going to be rewarded.

Training your dog using positive reinforcement teaches them that making decisions and engaging with you and the environment earns them good things, like treats and praise.

After all, the more positive experiences your dog has, the more eager they will be for new fun adventures.

My dog gets anxious in public spaces, what can I do to help?

It is common for dogs to have fears when in public spaces, especially when they are young or not socialised enough. Outside their house they are exposed to unfamiliar sounds and smells and they  meet people and pets for the first time, and this can be overwhelming.

A good method to help your dog when stressed is giving them something different to focus on rather than the thing that they are scared of.

An example, use some basic obedience skills like sit, stay & lie down. As simple as it seems these commands help take your dog's mind off of scary situations and put that focus back onto you.

That gives your dog something else to concentrate on, rather than just being afraid. The more they see that nothing bad happens around that scary thing, the more confident they will be around it.

Do not forget that when facing something new or scary dogs have a certain stress threshold and you will notice that the closer you get to the scary object the more uneasy your dog becomes.

For this reason, when working with a fearful dog it is important to remember not to cross that threshold too fast: let your dog get used to that new scary stimulus in the distance, and then slowly make your way towards it.

Another important thing to remember in the process is to show your dog support, to reassure them and not to punish them, if they are stuck and do not want to keep walking.

Having a clear understanding of what triggers your pets fear or anxiety can also help avoid them.