Work That Body! Seven Ways to Whittle Away Fear
\n<\/b>Information excerpted from Nicole Wilde’s book Help For Your Fearful Dog.<\/i><\/p>\n
The following tips on human\u2019s body language are applicable when interacting with any dog, but are especially important when dealing with a fearful dog. Adopt mannerisms and teach others who interact with your dog to do so as well. 3. No staring, please<\/strong>! A direct stare is a threat in the animal kingdom (and on New York Subways!). It is perfectly fine to look at your dog; just soften your expression and don\u2019t hard stare directly into her eyes. Do not allow children to put their faces near your dog\u2019s face or to stare into her eyes.<\/p>\n 4. Don\u2019t hover<\/strong>. Leaning over a dog can cause the dog to become afraid and possibly defensive. The one time I was bitten while working in a Los Angeles city animal shelter happened when I went to return an adorable, fluffy white dog to her pen. While placing her on the ground, I inadvertently reached over an equally adorable little pen mate – who jumped up and bit me in the face.<\/p>\n 5. Pet appropriately.<\/strong> Approaching dogs by patting them on the head is ill-advised. Envision the interaction from the dog\u2019s point of view; a palm approaching from above can be alarming. I do a demonstration with kids to teach them how to pet dogs properly. The child plays the role of the dog; I tell the child that I will pet him in two different ways, and he is to tell me which is nicer. First, I reach my hand slowly towards the child\u2019s cheek and stroke it, smiling and softly saying, \u201cGood dog!\u201d Next, I bring my hand brusquely palm-down over the child\u2019s head and repeatedly, while loudly saying, \u201cgood dog, good dog!\u201d Kids almost invariably like the first method better. If dogs could answer for themselves, nine out of ten dogs would vote for the first method as well! It\u2019s not that dogs should never be petted on top of the head, but that head-patting (or petting over the dog\u2019s shoulders, back, or rump) should not be used as an initial approach. It is wiser to make a fist, hold it under the dog\u2019s nose to allow her to sniff, then pet the dog on the chest, moving gradually to the sides of the face and other body parts, assuming the dog is comfortable. Likewise, a hand moving in quickly to grab for a dog\u2019s collar is more potentially fear-inducing than a hand moving slowly to a dog\u2019s chest, scratching it, then moving up to take hold of the collar.<\/p>\n
\n1. Let the dog come to you.<\/strong> If your dog is frightened, she must be allowed to decide whether or not to approach. Don\u2019t restrain your dog and force her to accept contact from others. Remember the \u201cfight or flight\u201d response; if you take away the opportunity for flight, your dog\u2019s choices are limited.
\n2. Turn to the side<\/strong>. Facing a dog directly is more confrontational than keeping your body turned partially or completely to the side; even turning your head to the side will make a frightened dog feel less anxious.<\/p>\n