The warning signs. Part 2.
Missed Part 1? You can find it here.
What does Fear look like?
As you’ve probably guessed, Fear can manifest in many different forms, some not resembling fear at all, which is why many dog owners have such a hard time identifying it.
Dogs are often labelled as “aggressive” or “anxious”, when in truth they’re actually fearful, responding to a threat the only way they know how.
Nobody wants their dog to be the one that’s lunging or barking at runners on the street, yet I see too many owners pulling on their dog’s leash, or yelling at their dog to stop, when what their dog really needs during moments like this is for their fear to be acknowledge, and for their owner to help them feel safe again.
How differently would owners respond in situations like this, if they realized their dog was actually fearful of runners?
How many dogs’ lives would improve if their fear was acknowledge, and steps were taken to help them overcome it?
Lets introduce the F words:
When your dog is fearful their behaviour, and subsequent body language cues, can generally be identified as belonging to one of these four categories.
Fidget - “If I pretend to be doing something else, maybe this scary thing will leave me alone”
Flight - “I need to get out of here”
Freeze - “Shit! What are my options again?”
Fight - “I’m going to make this scary thing go away”
The big/obvious Fight and Flight cues are generally easy to spot. One involves a lot of teeth, and the other often has it’s tail tucked tight between their legs, but there are a number of other really important body language cues that you should also be aware of.
Fidget:
aka “If I pretend to be doing something else, maybe this scary thing will leave me alone.”
You’re guilty of this. You’re standing in an elevator, minding your own business, when suddenly someone walks in and stands right next to you. What do you do?
Do you look at the floor and fiddle with your hair?
Pull out your phone and check social media?
Take a long swig of coffee and pray it’s not too hot?
Your dog does the same thing when they want to avoid attention. They’ll sniff the floor pretending they’re checkout something awesome, (when there’s really nothing there), or they’ll stop to have a good scratch/lick their genitals.
If it works and the scary thing moves on, that’s great, but if doesn’t work and the scary thing gets closer your dog will escalate to one of the other F’s.
Flight:
aka “I need to get out of here.”
A dog that’s trying to escape a situation (without a fight) will exhibit the typical body language cues that most people would recognize with fear. Tail tucked tight between their legs, ears back, body hunched, paw lifted, weigh shifted back. The dog is doing their best to appear as unthreatening as possible, while priming themselves for a quick getaway if an easy escape route should appear.
Dog’s in Flight Mode will also exhibit Calming Signals, such as lip-licking, yawning, heavy blinking, or a big shake-off as if they’re wet and trying to get dry (similar to you shaking out your arms and shoulders after a stressful encounter).
Calming signals act as a way to self-calm when under stress, but they also have the added benefit of communicating to others that you’re not a threat, and that you would like them to “calm-down” in return.
Separation Anxiety and Noise Phobia (fear of thunderstorms or fireworks), are two very common conditions triggered by fear, with Flight (or escape) being the dog’s prime goal. Though these conditions are treatable, veterinary prescribed medication is often necessary, in conjunction with a training plan. If this is something your dog is experiencing please reach out to me and I will get you the resources you and your dog need. If left untreated these conditions will only get worse.
Freeze:
aka “Shit! What are my options again?”
All body language cues are important when it comes to communication, but Freeze is especially so. Why? Because if you ignore it someone is likely to get bitten.
“My dog bite someone unprovoked, and without warning!”
…Yeah, that’s probably not true…you just missed all the warning signs.
What should you look for next time? A happy dog is loose and wiggly, a dog that’s frozen is (as the label suggests) stiff, with minimal movement.
If your dog is fearful of something at a distance they will be alert to the threat (ears forward, eyes have a hard stare, mouth closed), ready to move quickly…either to flee or fight.
Dog’s who are fearful of their personal space being invaded, or a prized item about to be stolen, the Freeze is a very clear warning - if you don’t back off I will defend myself.
Freeze in this circumstance is really common with dogs who are being petted by strangers, hugged by kids, or are resource guarding (the fear of loosing something). Look for ears pinned back, body leaning away, head turned slightly but with their eyes still on the threat so the white is visible (aka Whale Eye). This Freeze may also involve a growl and the showing of teeth in warning, but often a dog will go straight to the bite, especially if they’ve been punished for growling in the past.
If you haven’t read Part 1 go check it out - it’s all The Freeze.
Fight:
aka “I’m going to make this scary thing go away.”
The showing of teeth, growling, lunging - these are all pretty clear signs that a dog wants nothing to do with you. But there are a couple of body language cues/ human assumptions that regularly get mistaken for something else…which can complicate things. Let’s have a look at a couple of these:
A wagging tail is a happy tail. FALSE. The only true happy “wagging tail” is one where the dog’s whole butt is wiggling with it, or a tail that’s going around in circles aka the helicopter tail.
The wagging tail that you need to be careful of is the one that’s held high over the dog’s back, with just the tip waving like a red flag. This is a dog that’s alert, and not a friendly greeting.
Note on tails: different breeds carry their tails at different heights. A whippet will regularly have its tail between its legs, and a husky will often carry its tail curled over their back. It’s important to know your dog/breed, and never rely on just the tail for information.
My dog loves children. FALSE. Your dog may enjoy the company of YOUR children, but given the choice they would much rather NOT say hello to every child who asks to pet them. Watch your dog’s body language next time. Are they loose and wiggly, or stiff and tolerant?
Just because a dog “tolerates” attention, doesn’t mean they enjoy it. Pair that with a child who’s grabby and noisy, and you’ve just set your dog up to fail when you should have been protecting them. Sounds harsh? Sorry.
But my dog is an Alpha. WRONG. This myth was busted years ago, yet like any good fable it refuses to die. The Alpha Dog Theory was based on the assumption that domesticated dogs form hierarchies similar to that of wild wolves. One wolf is the Alpha, the rest are subordinates.
This would be great and all if wolf packs actually formed “hierarchies”, but they don’t.
A wolf pack is actually a family unit, made up of Mom, Dad, last year’s siblings, and this years pups. What researches thought were an “Alpha pair” were just parents…doing what parents do.
If someone you know is using the excuse that their dog is an Alpha, what they really mean is that they were too lazy to train their dog. Their dog is lacking manners and/or social skills, which is a perfect recipe for a dog fight.
Reducing the Fear
Okay, so now you know that your dog isn’t trying to be a dick, but that they’re actually terrified of _ _ _ _ _ _ . What can you do to help them get over this fear?
Get good at reading your dog’s body language, especially signs of stress, fear and anxiety. Turid Rugaas’s book is a great resource.
Keep your dog under threshold. What does this mean? Don’t put your dog in a stressful situation where they’re need to use one of the four F’s.
If you see any warning signs, get your dog to a safer place. This could involve putting some distance between them and the thing that they’re fearful of, or in the case of separation anxiety, returning to your dog at the first sign of distress.
Work on desensitization & counter conditioning. Keeping the scary thing far enough away that your dog is not threatened by it (your dog remains under threshold).
Pair the small scary thing with something your dog loves, like chicken breast. Reward your dog each time they notice the scary thing (thats far away) without reacting, and gradually work on reducing the distance. This can be a slow process, so let your dog set the pace.
Find a good dog trainer who is experienced with the challenges you and your dog are facing. Desensitization & Counter Conditioning isn’t easy, you’ll have greater success with professional help.