Calming a Fearful Dog. TTouch.
Everyone, please meet my beautiful dog Skye. My previously fearful dog is well on her way to becoming a confident little pumpkin. Earlier this week, she turned four. I’d like to share a few recent events that would likely not have been possible — certainly not at the same level of calm that we were able to enjoy — had we not found Tellington TTouch training for companion animals.
Skye is curious about the ND state fair parade line-up. She looks on from a safe distance.
You see, at about 6 months of age, Skye started to become concerned about certain things. Unknown dogs were at the top of the list. Fearful behavior and lots of barking. We’re not going to talk about that today, though. We’re going to talk about how things are shifting for her and her life now.
Just over a month ago, Skye and I went for a mid-day walk around the perimeter of an unoccupied-at-the-time dog park in our town. She had a great time sniffing and exploring the area at a time of day when I expected we would encounter very few dogs. Such fun!
When we got home from the walk, I noticed that Skye was favoring her left front leg. I recalled that earlier that day I’d heard her walking with an uneven gait rhythm, but it hadn’t fully registered at the time. I felt her paw, explored in between the pads, and touched her leg all the way up to the shoulder. She did not show a pain reaction, and I didn’t feel anything unusual. I decided to wait a couple of days to see if it resolved on its own.
Off to the Vet!
Skye, just a few minutes after being in the vet clinic lobby with two great Danes, an Australian cattle dog, and a small mixed breed dog.
It did not resolve, so off we went to the vet. As we waited our turn, we shared the lobby with an Australian cattle dog. I put as much distance and visual barrier as possible between us and the other dog, and Skye stayed pretty calm. Then came the great Danes. Two dogs, two handlers. Bit of a challenge for a formerly fearful dog. I could feel Skye’s respiration increase. She was nervous. Who could blame her? They were huge! But I stayed calm. I stroked her ears and did some TTouch circles on her back. Skye coped really well. Her only real give-away was the faster than usual respiration.
Fortunately, we were soon called into an exam room. This photo is my beautiful girl just a few minutes later. See how she calmed down? I was so proud of her. She allowed the veterinarian to examine her without any apparent concern. He did basically the same things I had — felt her foot, leg, and shoulder. Nothing. So they took an x-ray and determined that she had a calcium deposit on her left bicep tendon. We came up with a short-term management strategy (anti-inflammatory medication and keeping her activity level minimized) and we were off. Easy peasy.
Imagine having a dog who is so fearful of the outside world that she escalates a stress response when obtaining needed medical care. That could have easily been us. But it’s not. I haven’t trained Skye specifically to relax at the vet. I’m working with her to become a more confident dog.
Skye explores a ball pit game!
Skye checks out the ball pit. I think she’s looking for treats!
Given our activity restriction, it seemed like a good time to introduce some new games. I built the dogs a ball pit — mostly out of re-purposed items we already had. Skye is a really good solution-finder, and she follows scent like nobody’s business. The boys (Jade and Kiefer) weren’t so sure this game was a good idea, but Skye went for it right away. She had a blast finding the treats I’d scattered among the balls while Jade looked on. I’ll add more balls for greater challenge.
Two things to think about here. First, each dog is different. Jade and Kiefer have other things that come easily for them. Second, whenever you are able to offer your dog a safe new opportunity, it gives them a chance to engage the thinking part of their brain. Their ability to choose a behavior rather than automatically react is enhanced, and this begins to carry over into other situations as their confidence increases.
Skye goes to the state fair parade!
We live just a block or so off the line-up route for the North Dakota state fair parade. I usually like to take one or more of the dogs over to explore the new sights and sounds. Last year, a horse riding club had its line-up point just beyond our yard. Boy was that fun! Jade and Kiefer did really well with experiencing horses for the first time, but it just didn’t seem wise to take Skye. If I suspect that something is going to be too big a step for her, then whenever possible, we choose another option. I’m trying to help my formerly fearful dog feel safe in the world.
This year, the horses were nowhere to be seen. I took Jade — social butterfly of the family — first. Then Kiefer. Both boys seemed to enjoy the experience. Would Skye like to go, too? It would be her first time. I finally settled on a plan. I’d put her harness and lead on and take her out to the yard. If she seemed curious and wanted to explore the parade activity, then I would allow her to guide me over. Otherwise, she could just sniff around in the outside-the-fence yard area.
Skye goes social!
Well, she did do a bit of sniffing in the yard. We moved a little closer to the activity, stopping to get our bearings every so often. I didn’t want her nose to get her into a situation that would scare her when she looked up. I wanted her to be fully aware of her surroundings and make sure she felt safe as we approached. It seemed possible. Skye tends to be concerned about fast-moving things. Parades are slow. The major factors I needed to watch for were other animals or entries that had fast-moving parts.
Next thing we knew, Skye was on the front lines of the ND state fair parade. Whoa! We only stayed a short time. I wanted to make sure we left *before* anything overwhelming happened. We did. I think it’s fair to say my previously fearful dog had another good experience!
Skye on her 4th birthday walk
Skye and Jade had their 4th birthday last week. To celebrate, we went on special walks. I took Skye first. We drove over to a walking path adjacent to our local dog park. It’s fairly close at the entry point — 30-40 feet? There were a few dogs present. We arrived around 5 pm, just as dogs and their people were starting to get into the swing of their evenings.
Skye rockin’ her 4th birthday walk — right past the dog park.
As we got out of the car, Skye became so engaged in sniffing that she wasn’t remotely interested in the dog park. We got past the “close” zone quickly and had an interesting but uneventful next segment. As we returned back along the same route, approaching the car, we were again within fairly close range of the dog park.
By this time, some more dogs had arrived. They were running and playing. Skye noticed. She barked a single bark. Nothing major, but still, she was not comfortable.
So… we adapted. We changed our walking pattern. Put a little more distance and the occasional pine tree in between us and the dogs. It worked. She immediately settled down. There was one more single bark after we reunited with the walking path, but by that point we were nearly to the car. She had exposure to the dogs, let me know when she was a little concerned, and I helped her diffuse the concern. No major outbursts. Nothing bad happened. All in all, another good experience.
Going forward: Calming a Fearful Dog
So this is our basic strategy as we take Skye from fearful dog to confident pumpkin:
- Increase Skye’s experience of the world as a safe place.
- Increase her confidence and adaptability through new thinking experiences in a controlled environment.
- Gradually expand the boundaries of what feels safe.
- No rush. No deadline.
- Honor the uniqueness of who she is as a dog.
All in all, Skye is a calm dog most of the time. She hangs out at home with me and two other dogs. We all get along. She checks in with me several times during the day. Right now as I’m typing, Skye and her brother Jade are both resting on the floor next to me. Kiefer is across the room in his favorite dog bed. We have a fenced yard where we can all get outside to commune with nature. And we make sure to include outings from time to time (weather permitting) to keep things interesting! Skye does have her moments, of course, but don’t we all? Happily, she recovers quickly.
Do you have a fearful dog? Does your dog become stressed or concerned in certain situations?
I help people enhance their dogs’ confidence, adaptability, and resilience through private TTouch sessions. If you live in north central North Dakota and would like to learn more about how this might benefit your dog and your family, check out our page at ChillDogTTouch.com. Or email me at info@ wellnessimages .com to set up a phone call where we can talk about your situation.
If you live elsewhere and would like to locate a practitioner in your area, you’ll find a practitioner directory here: TTouch.ca.
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