![]() Desensitization is the systematic exposure of a dog (or person) to something that used to scare them, but no longer does through the process of desensitization.Ĭounterconditioning pairs that trigger with something awesome (like a tasty treat). These two training protocols come together. Term 7: Desensitization and Counterconditioning This can be strongly affected by trigger stacking, which often will make a threshold more sensitive. This is the distance or intensity where your dog tips over into being “not ok.” This is generally expressed as a distance (for example, 10 yards from another dog is fine, but at 4 yards your dog loses it), but it can also be volume for a sound. Generally, trigger stacking is when your dog has simply “had it up to here” with a bunch of different scary or stressful experiences. Trigger stacking is the phenomenon where your dog sees other dogs being walked by a man in a hat during a thunderstorm, and absolutely goes bonkers. ![]() Triggers are objects, people, or situations that “set a dog off.” Think of it as the tripwire that makes your dog behave aggressively or fearfully.Ĭommon examples include men in hats, thunderstorms, or other dogs. ![]() Don’t worry about those big words, we’ll get there! Term 5: Triggers Just take your pup out and about and let them experience the world!įearful puppies might need a bit more coaxing, comforting, and treat-giving to make socialization go smoothly.įor adult dogs, you’ll generally need to do more of a desensitization and counterconditioning protocol. You should remove the puppy if he’s ever scared, but general socialization for young puppies doesn’t require treats. We’ll define socialization here as the exposure of puppies or adult dogs to novel situations to help them feel safe and comfortable with different sights, sounds, situations, people, dogs, and much more.įor normal young puppies, this can generally be done via gentle exposure. This is why it’s so much harder to socialize an adult dog – their brains aren’t literally hardwired for it the way puppy brains are! Term 4: Socialization They may also appear to be frantic to say hi, or generally just “on edge.” Just as in humans, anxiety can manifest differently in different dogs. Term 2: Fearful and Anxiousĭogs that are fearful may be scared of a single object (like men in hats), or many things (seemingly everything).ĭogs that are scared of a wide variety of things, from blowing wind to shiny wrappers, are more aptly categorized as “anxious.”ĭogs can also be anxious without being outright fearful. We’ll focus mainly on fear-based aggression here, since that’s the most common type of dog aggression caused by under socialization. Increasingly, you’ll also hear people use the term “reactive” in conjunction with these types of behavior, referring to dogs who react in an unusual or extreme manner to various stimuli or startling situations. We’ll use the words aggression and aggressive here as blanket terms that cover behaviors like barking, growling, lunging, snapping, or biting. ![]() The “aggressive” label may have a place when trying to explain quickly to someone a behavioral problem with your dog, but when working with a trainer and really digging into your dog’s issues, it’s better to be as specific as possible. Labeling your dog by calling her aggressive only helps the humans feel like there’s a name to it. It’s important to remember that labeling your dog as aggressive doesn’t do anything to help the problem. When I’m talking about a specific dog, I almost never say “aggressive.” Instead, I say, “Fluffy growls at children when they try to pet her.” Being specific about our definitions helps us remain clear about what we’re discussing. Let’s think of aggression as a behavior in a certain context, rather than a character trait. Aggression, Socialization, and Other Big Wordsīefore diving deep into the topic of socializing an aggressive dog, let’s get our terms straight. Let’s explore how to socialize an aggressive dog and why socialization is important (for puppies and adults alike). While it’s far easier to socialize a young puppy than an adult dog, don’t worry, there’s still hope! Not all is not lost with an aggressive adult dog. But sometimes, for whatever reason, you miss out on that critical socialization period and your dog ends up with frustrating behavior issues or even becomes aggressive. Socializing a puppy is one of the best ways to create a happy, well-rounded, and sociable dog.
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