When you imagine a fearful dog, what do you picture?

WRITTEN BY: C.C. BOURGEOIS, CPDT-KA, CSAT, PMCT Wonder Dog University and CHRISTINE BAKER, CPDT-KA, UW-AAB, SBA, FDM, LSHC-S

I can tell you what I don’t picture - an adolescent, intact male labrador retriever reported to be dragging his owner across the street to chase squirrels. Yet, when I walked in my client’s front door for our first visit that was exactly what I found. Not exactly the exuberant, over-the-top whirlwind on a pogo stick aiming to lick me to death I was expecting. Wally* (*name changed to protect the perfect pup from paparazzi) was barking at me with a deep boom, not growling or charging but very clearly not inviting me in for a play date either. Despite this impressive show, he had his tail plastered to his belly and was reticent to come close to me, preferring to slink around close to his owner with brief little excursions forward to investigate. Wally was telling all of us that he was not comfortable with this turn of events AT. ALL.

Despite this, Wally was eager to take the treats I was tossing to him (he is a lab, after all), happy to chase them in the opposite direction every time I told him to “Find It!” Before long, he was coming up to the chair I was sitting in, eating dropped kibble out of the snuffle mat and choosing to stick around. Pretty quickly, he was laying down, settling on a hip and touching my hand with his nose, having concluded this was a pretty good option for gaining more of my Charlee Bear Dog Treats.

As Wally was warming up to the situation, I learned a bit more about him and the puzzle pieces started falling into place. Wally came from a breeder who lived on a farm, and for the first year of his life had not so much as worn a collar. Free to live an outdoor doggie’s dream, chasing squirrels and playing with other dogs, none of the training or socialization imparted to him during those formative first four months included a busy suburban environment, where one is expected to tolerate an influx of strangers and leashed walks on a sidewalk, ignoring all passersby he’d like to greet and scent trails he’d like to follow.

Early socialization and training that does not match up with the environment in which dogs are expected to live inadequately prepares them for life with their humans, and often results in fearful, even defensive behaviors as the dog matures. Add to that the loss of everything they know and traveling to live with a new family, and we can understand why stressful behaviors emerge. But what can we do about it?

Luckily, there were some simple tactics we could use to modify Wally’s fearful behavior, as well as teach him the skills he needed to be successful (saving his poor owner’s arm in the process). There is a simple but powerful tenet in the field of animal behavior - if you can change emotions you can change behavior (thank you, Dr. Amy Cook), and so that is what we first set out to do.

Through counter-conditioning (think Pavlov and his dogs) and systematic desensitization (think gradual acclimation), we can create a conditioned emotional response. We can rewire the dog’s brain to feel happier (or at least less distressed) during experiences that are necessary for everyone’s health and welfare. This is all the more pressing if the dog will be facing such situations during day-to-day life. It is the heart and soul of the now-burgeoning field of cooperative care training, where we teach the dog what to do during all sorts of situations that would otherwise be unpleasant while helping them to feel comfortable and confident in the process. Voluntary consent, or “start-button” training, is yet another tool, teaching the dog to opt-in and using choice and empowerment to achieve willing, untroubled participation.

Management, smart environmental choices to set the dog up for success, and positive reinforcement training (adding a desirable consequence for the dog to strengthen or increase the frequency of the resulting behavior) quickly build a dog’s repertoire and produce a dog who is consistently offering behaviors we want to see - and they want to do!

So where is Wally now, and how on earth did he get there? Wally is a precious gem, a true diamond in the rough. He is perfect in my eyes and would be any trainer’s dream partner. I imagine he is every family’s dream pet as well. He responded better than I could have imagined, and made me a better trainer in the process.

One of the best things a trainer can do is remain flexible, and focus on giving the dog and the family what they need. Wally learned to use his crate. Wally learned to wear his collar. Wally even learned to walk on a leash instead of running away, cowering, and pancaking after it was pulled out. Wally’s owners learned the power of play (and wet food) and were able to remove the prong collar that wasn’t even touching Wally’s freight train behavior, yet maintaining his fear of leash walks. After much time spent attempting to have Wally happily wear a front-clip harness, Wally and his owners were not yet at a functional comfortable level and had simply had enough, so we ditched it entirely. Wally learned how to walk nicely on a flat collar instead, to the point of moving off the trail and waiting calmly when dogs passed, and maintaining a sit with eye contact as two rambunctious puppies sniffed his tail.

Wally has been an enthusiastic student, and the methods used to teach him could be used by anyone, whether it’s grandma, dad, or the kids. Once Wally was properly conditioned to his walking gear, it became a simple game of “catch the dog doing something right.” I used either a clicker or the word “Yes!” to mark the desirable behaviors before rewarding them, and Wally took to the clear communication like wildfire. We began with only two main goals - capturing eye contact and being by my side. Starting with offered behaviors builds the strongest response, but we quickly were able to add verbal cues and positive interrupters (unique sounds) to ask for them when needed.

Soon, Wally understood what we were doing, and so we took practice on the road. We incorporated a few games to work on Wally’s intense frustration and drive, and we employed real-life rewards like the opportunity to sniff, chase, and eliminate for his growing patience, focus, and engagement. If you haven’t yet learned the Premack Principle (a.k.a., Granny’s Law), you and your dog are soon to be in a whole new world! Everything takes on a different light when you view distractions as potential reinforcers, and your dog begins to see triggers as cues.

I can summarize how far Wally has come with a brief, recent anecdote. I took my dogs camping and didn’t realize until I arrived for Wally’s walk (my first visit back) that my long lines were still packed at home with the rest of the gear. Many things were not yet back where they belonged, and the only leash I had with me was a gifted four-to-five footer I use as a drag-line because I like to step on the rubber handle. Not ideal, considering your average leash is six-feet and I often walk dogs on a 15-foot lead to practice Recalls and distance Stays safely in public.

Any guesses as to how Wally handled this turn of events?

The tiny radius to move in, reduced freedom, and bulky, unfamiliar leash could have induced either frustration or fear and been completely understandable, expected even. Wally, however, acted as if nothing had changed at all. He had one of his best performances yet and appeared as happy as a clam to be walking together. I even tried it out again the next day (on purpose this time), as surely it was a fluke or by some miracle, I had gotten lucky. Nope! Wally repeated the same results just as brilliantly the second time, dialed in, confident, and thoroughly enjoying himself. Despite the inter-species language barrier, I hope that my gratitude came across loud and clear. As a trainer, a human, and most importantly Wally’s trusted friend, I could not have been more proud. ■

C.C. Bourgeois is a nationally certified, professional dog trainer, CSAT Staff Member with Malena DeMartini and a Victoria Stilwell Trainers Academy Faculty Advisor. , the owner of Wonder Dog University (WDU), based in Charleston, South Carolina. She wants WDU to be your trusted dog behavior and training resource. Through her many years of animal behavior study and hands-on work with thousands of dogs, she and her team have created a place where you can find reliable information and Pro Resources smart dog people can trust. She wants you to know you have a team behind you, making training understandable and practical. Focused on understanding your dog’s perspective and your needs, she and her team strive to deliver training that both you and your dogs can grasp and use instantly.