It is interesting to consider where fear originates and why something
might cause a fearful reaction in one dog and roll off the back of another.
Some of the physical clues that your dog is having a fearful reaction are:
barking, heart palpitations, panting, trembling or shaking, tail-up and
straight, fur raised along the spine, cowering and growling. In dogs and
all mammals there is variances in the make-up of our nervous systems and
that is where a fearful reaction begins. In other words one animals are
just more sensitive than others; high-strung verses laid back. The differences
can be attributed not only to genetics variances but also to their and
environment. It can be difficult to predict which experiences or environmental
factors will create adrenaline pumping, heart racing, and life altering
fear response. Consider the three-week-old puppy that inadvertently was
separated from his littermates while the mother was having a potty break.
The pup was howling and making a fuss throughout the separation from his
mom and littermates. When the caretaker of the litter picked him up and
put him back with the others she didn’t give it another thought. Once the
puppy was returned to the litter his heart slows down and all his bodily
functions return to normal. This one-time sense of panic, the feeling of
fear when left alone could translate later in life to separation anxiety
issues for some dogs.
In the brain there is a little almond-shaped nuclei called the amygdala.
The amygdala is the controller and interpreter of information that comes
into the brain from the senses. It plays a central role in emotional learning,
and the displays of aggression and fearfulness. It is key to the flight-fight-freeze
reactions that dogs and people display when confronted with fear. Once
the amygdala has been imprinted with a situation that has a fearful outcome
that image will remain imprinted forever. That imprint of fear can be modified
but the initial fearful reaction will be the default. It is easy then to
appreciate why separation issues or fear of people troubles take dedication
to get a positive result.
Puppies between the ages of eight and ten weeks go through a fear imprint
period that has a profound effect on how the rest of their life will play
out. Imagine a litter Labrador-mix puppies you can see how easy it is for
things to turn into a fearful event. The main caretaker of this litter
of puppies is a single mother of two teenaged daughters. The puppies have
been socialized with the woman and her daughters but they had little experience
with men. When the puppies were eight weeks old and ready to go to their
new homes a man came by to look for a new companion and spend some time
interacting with the puppies. He had a loud voice, handled the puppies
solidly, was wearing a ball cap and had a beard. The man picked a robust
male pup but sitting in the back was a sensitive male pup that did not
approach the man, sat frozen in the back with his heart pounding, paws
sweating. Although the pup would recover from the feeling of fear once
the loud man left the fearful memory had found a home in the amygdala.
Genetic difference and environmental factors both played a roll in the
outcome for these two puppies. Then a woman came to look at the pups, the
sensitive male approached, he is familiar with women, gets picked and heads
to his new home and doesn’t see another man for weeks. When this sensitive
pup next sees the man, his amygdala springs into action and he freezes.
The man has a beard and a hat and keeps on approaching the pup with his
arms outstretched. The pup’s heart is racing and he can’t back up any farther
(flight and freeze are no longer options) his only choice is fight so he
growls and bears his teeth. The man keeps approaching so the pup snaps
at the man. The man is frustrated, dogs always like him, but he finally
walks away. All this time the woman is talking to her pup telling him it
is okay not to be afraid, she finally removes the pup from the room so
she can continue her visit and the pup settles down in the other room.
From these examples you can see how easily a fearful imprint with lifelong
impacts can happen. How should we as advisors for our canine companions
help them over come their fears? It is not easy but with thoughtful consideration
improvement can be achieved. Just to put this idea of overcoming fears
into perspective, I consider how I feel about rats…eeech! I see a flurry
out of the corner of my eye and my first thought is, “Rat!” In my 53 years
I have only really had fleeting encounters or brief viewings of rats but
my heart races and hands sweat every time I even think there might be a
rat. Just as it is for the dogs mentioned earlier who will have to address
their fear of separation and men, because dogs must be left at home from
time to time and there are men everywhere, I need to address my fear of
rats. My goal is to become an animal behaviorist and I will need to touch
rats and interact with them regularly. My heart is racing and my palms
are sweating as I write this. My saving grace will be that I will only
be interacting with white rats not the gray kind you see out and about.
Would I give up my dream because of my fear of rats? No, but how long before
my heart doesn’t pound. I don’t know that answer to that yet.
Changing fearful experiences into anticipated ones is a long road. The
amygdala has a long memory but it is possible through reducing stress,
diversion of attention and creating a positive outcome that unreasonable
fear can be alleviated. For the two puppies in this article the sensitive
pup with the fear of men would most likely have and easier time overcoming
his fear through counter conditioning. Starting to link the sight of men
with a food reward. This situation would be easy to control and there would
be plenty of time at home when no men are around for the puppy to be stress
free.
The puppy that is anxious about being left alone would take a lot more
effort and consideration because essentially every time you go to the bathroom
and close the door or go outside to get the newspaper you “abandon” your
pup and fear sets in. The stressful feeling a fear is there in an instant
and remains quite steady during separation. Upon your return there is another
burst of heart racing excitement. It is easy to see why this fearful reaction
would be harder to extinguished because it happens more often; day in and
day out.
The bottom line for changing behavior is slow and steady wins the race.
Slow is fast in all counter conditioning plans, it is best not to rush
the process. When you feel like your dog is “acting fearful” remember it
is no act. The nervous system and brain are sending messages to your dog’s
body that cannot be ignored. Staying as calm as possible during training
and keeping the situation as stress free as possible for you and your dog
will help you reach your goal of diminished fears.
