Many of you have been watching my foster dog’s journey. You know that when he first arrived he was in shutdown mode. He wanted nothing to do with me and would have preferred to crawl in a hole and die.
His trust in humans had been ruined. He did not feel that humans were his protectors, providers and he most certainly did not think they were trustworthy.
So how in the world can a dog that needs to be adopted, be adopted by the very thing he fears?
Do we keep him away from strangers all the time? NOPE.
Do we throw him in the lion’s den and just hope he figures it out? Also NOPE.
We definitely need to expose him to his fears but it must be done slowly-or better yet-it must be at HIS pace.
It’s important for me to notice where he starts to become slightly uncomfortable and stop there. Going further would only increase his anxiety and fear and no learning could take place in that state of mind. Plus, he now will continue to attach that emotion to that scenario-not really the result I would like.
Well, what if we taught him obedience first and just make him go through it?
Obedience is great and definitely necessarily but FEAR TRUMPS OBEDIENCE.
It doesn’t matter how many times we have worked on a sit stay, or how great his loose leash walking is-if a dog is scared, they are not going to be able to make good decisions-just like humans. He won’t hear me, he won’t be able to listen to me, he would be in flight mode-even if attached to a leash.
So if you are ever in a situation where your dog is genuinely nervous, scared or anxious, don’t be upset or surprised if they don’t follow through on commands. Assess the situation; notice your dog’s energy level and always remember-FEAR TRUMPS OBEDIENCE.
The quality of these dog treats is second to none. I feel so good knowing I’m feeding my dog 100% grass fed beef! He deserves only the best and Patriot Pup delivers!
