Don't Look Under The Bed
Uncategorized
Oct 26, 2019
In my house, unusual things are more likely to happen than in the average household.
About a month ago, my son Jon, who is 6’1" and the size of a linebacker, walked into my kitchen wearing a cattle skull mask.
He was prepping for a school project.
My dogs didn’t even look at him.
Around the same time, my daughter Lizzie brought Jon an Oriental Bamboo Cone hat from Chinatown.
He loved it and wore it around the house for a while.
My dogs didn’t care.
My younger sons will often play in their old Halloween costumes.
They will jump out from behind corners, yell, and run away.
My dogs ignore them.
Strange looking costumes, hats of all shapes and sizes, and frightening masks appear on people of all ages throughout the year in our house.
Halloween is just a happy excuse to go out in public wearing our fun gear.
Our dogs are not surprised or startled by any of these because it’s something they are used to.
Halloween is a lot of fun, but it can be frightening for dogs—especially dogs who haven’t been exposed to costumes and masks.
Most dogs are afraid of things they have not had regular exposure to.
That means even if your dog has seen Halloween costumes once or twice, he may still be scared of them.
Working a dog through fear is a delicate process.
Most people make the mistake of petting their dogs and telling them it’s ok when their dog is afraid.
Unfortunately, owners are only reinforcing their dog’s fear when they do that.
In essence, the owner is telling their dog that being fearful is appropriate.
The dog is learning; it will get attention and praise when he is nervous.
Halloween is certainly not the only time that we see dogs that are afraid.
Dogs that are fearful show us their fear through a lot of different behaviors.
Sometimes we see the fear in anxious behaviors, but fear often leads to aggressive behaviors too.
Does your dog have any fear issues we can help you with?
Let us show you how.
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The first step is to schedule your Free, No-Obligation evaluation.
Click here to schedule your evaluation online now.
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You pick a day and time that works best for you.
A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options.
We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results.
You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered.
There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything.
Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.htmlHappy Training!
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