Topics: Fear Periods and Sudden onset fear of familiar people, places and things
These are two Separate issues but basically handled the same way
Disclaimer: I am NOT a professional dog trainer nor do I claim to be. I have however researched my techniques and I have tried and tested the techniques that I will share with you in this blog. These are the techniques that I successfully use. Also there are many techniques in dog training and I am in no way saying that my way of training is the right way or the only way. I have successfully trained many dogs and pups and I am simply trying to help by sharing what I have experienced while training.
Sometimes a pup/dog begins to show fear of things they are usually fine with and it can be mystifying.
Pups do go through two fear periods. One occurs between the ages of 6 and 7 weeks. This is one of the reasons pups should never leave their mom and siblings before the age of 8 weeks.
The second fear period happens around the age of 9 to 10 months. This can be quite noticeable in some pups and other pups get through it with no issues at all. Usually, there is no explanation for the fears that the pup experiences. I have seen pups become afraid of sticks, hoses, plastic bags, anything that moves, etc. I had a pup that had a complete meltdown over a hose that he had played with 100 times during a fear period 
There can also be times when there is a sudden onset of fear of things they have always been fine with. In this case there is usually some explanation, however, the explanation may not always be clear. I am going to tell you a story of a fear that Willow expressed of the blue on a trip we took to Loews later in this post.
If you notice an unusual reaction of fear from your pup
1. Do not coddle your pup. Coddling will only set the fear for good. Reassuring and touching are fine. Tell your dog everything is okay but please do not hold, baby talk, and take the pup from the situation. Remain calm and in control.
2. Do not take your pup completely from the situation unless your pup or people around your pup are in danger. Removing the pup can cause the fear to set for life.
3. Do not FORCE the pup to face the situation. Forcing a pup/dog to face or do something they show fear toward can cause the fear to set for good and or cause aggression. Instead, I am going to explain how to gently guide your pup to move forward toward the object of fear.
Desensitization
The way to address a fear issue is to desensitize your pup to the object in question. Desensitizing your pup is praising and rewarding the pup for making movement forward toward the object of fear until the pup is no longer afraid of the object. This movement can be as little as looking toward the object and gradually increasing the forward movement.
I usually start this process by changing the pup's mindset. This is to take the dog's mind from fear to one of now we are having fun. I will give an example below in a story from Willow after I explain the steps I take.
Then I bring the pup back to the object of the fear. (Person, place or thing)
The amount of time it takes to desensitize a pup will greatly depend on a couple of things.
1. Your approach of handling the fear once you realized it was fear.
2. Your approach and method of desensitizing the pup.
3. How far the fear got before you realized it was an issue.
4. Every pup is different. Some pups will get better in a matter of minutes and some may take days, weeks or months.
5. Patience, Praise, Treats, AND more Patience, Praise and Treats.
If your pup is not making progress please remain calm and patient. If you begin to feel frustrated and have the urge to yell or punish it is best to walk away and try again when you are calm.
For praise, I use a marker word followed by a "Good girl/boy" and then a treat.
As soon as the pup makes any movement forward, I immediately say YESSSSS (My marker word) followed immediately by good girl/boy and give a treat. In the very beginning, a forward movement is looking at the object.
I will explain marker words in more detail in another post. Until then if you have questions about marker words please feel free to leave a comment below, e-mail me or message me on our Facebook page. You can find those links below.
The steps I take when desensitizing a pup.
1. When I notice a fear I immediately begin desensitizing if the pup or people around the pup are not in any danger.
2. My first step is to change the pup's mindset from fear to fun. I will walk the pup away from the object and initiate some sort of play. Once the dog's mindset has changed I thin move the pup toward the object of fear.
3. Bring the pup close to the object of fear until you begin to feel slight resistance or notice a change in body posture. (ears pulled back, head lowers)
4. Stop and watch the pup closely. If the pup looks toward the object praise and treat.
(Use a high-value treat. Meaning something they can't resist like chicken or pieces of hotdog If you don't have a high-value treat do the best you can with what you have)
5. Apply slight pressure on the leash toward the object. This is a slight pressure forward. Please do not force the pup forward. With any movement forward, even if it is just to lean forward, release pressure and then praise and treat. The goal here is to eventually have a foot move forward and then a step forward. Slow and easy is the key.
I will have another post about training give to leash pressure. Again if you have questions please reach out.
6. Repeat this step until the pup is able to move close enough to the object that he can sniff it.
7. Touch the object and encourage but do not force the pup to sniff the object while applying slight leash pressure. I do this by holding a treat near the object of fear. Again any movement forward, release pressure, praise, and reward.
8. Keep doing this until the pup initiates moving forward on his/her own.
9. Once the pup decides that the object is no longer a threat you will see a definite change in body language.
What I have witnessed is the pup will lean forward and begin sniffing. Its body becomes very relaxed and his/her ears go back to normal stance. The pup will move close to the object and then become very happy and excited and will begin wagging its tail.
This is successful desensitization. Now celebrate with your pup!!! Make this a big deal.... "what a good boy/girl...such a good boy/girl"
Even after the success I always try to check again later to see if the pup is still okay with this object of fear. As of yet, I have not seen a pup show fear after that initial breakthrough but I always like to make sure.
What if you are not seeing progress?
If you have tried several times to move the pup forward and the pup is not showing any progress at all.
1. Try backing the pup further away from the object of fear and try from that point.
2. If you still don't see any progress it may be best to try again later. I never give up though.
3. If the pup at any time exhibits signs of stress and or aggression it is probably best to take a break. Pushing a pup showing signs of stress or aggression can cause more damage than the fear itself.
4. Always try again and remember some dogs can take a lot longer than others. Patience is your greatest tool. Also, remember that dogs feed off your emotions. You must be calm and confident if you expect your dog to release its fear.
And now Willow's story that prompted me to write this post
On this particular day, we were having a great time meeting people. I picked up a couple of bags of wood screws and we headed to the front to see her favorite people. She was very excited as she knew where we were headed.
We were moving along fast and her tail was wagging as we turned into the checkout and I placed the bags of screws on the counter. AND BOOM, Willow's ears went back, her head lowered, and she began shaking. This is completely out of character for Willow.
I leaned down and placed my arm along her spine and applied a little pressure. I moved my hand in a C motion. This has a calming effect. I said "you're okay girl"
The cashier had already rung up the screws but I asked her if she minded taking them off and I would be back for them. I knew I needed to move Willow out of the situation and change her mindset. I did not leave the store with her! I am a firm believer that if at all possible you should work a dog through their fear immediately as long as the dog or people are not in danger.
I turned Willow back into the main part of the store and walked her to a clear area. At that point, we picked up our speed to almost a trot. Why did I do this? Because I needed her mindset to change from I am afraid to I am having fun. If we had continued at a walking pace she would have kept looking back toward the checkout.
We trotted through the aisles and her demeanor completely changed. The floors in Lowes are very slick and I used this to my advantage 😉 We got to the large main aisle and I began sliding to a stop while saying "let's go" then turning quick in the other direction. She would turn and get very excited and start chasing me the other way. Then I began giving her the "Bounce Command" (a Willow exclusive) We were sliding and bouncing and she was having fun again.
While I was working with her I was processing what took place at the registers and thought maybe it was that the ladies were wearing face shields. We went back around to the checkout and I immediately put her in a down so she couldn't see them. The lady came out to the end of the checkout and tried to pet her but again the fear arose. My first thought was yes it is the face shields.
The lady loves her and was determined so she came around to where Willow was and BOOM Willow started loving on her and stuck her nose up under the face shield to give kisses. Okay, now I am completely dumbfounded. Then the other cashier stepped to the end of her lane and tried to love on Willow and the fear came back. WHAT!!!
Another employee walked through the front door and Willow started loving all over him. She climbed right into his lap. I was floored. What in the world is happening right now? She still would not have anything to do with the second cashier. Then that cashier, determined the other two were not getting all of the love, stepped out of her place and came to Willow and YES Willow started loving all over her.
By this time I was sitting on the floor observing what was taking place and I happened to look up. Around each register area was a large window of plexiglass. The only thing I can think of is from Willow's vantage point the reflection was messing with her. Maybe it obscured their faces??? I may never know but I do know that if I had left when it first happened it would have been a fear issue from that point on.
Next week when we go back I will take her to the checkout from a different direction so she is coming straight into the area away from the reflection. This will allow her to see them from another view. Then I will bring her through the normal way and see if she reacts. If she does I will work with her until she realizes it is safe and all is well.
Update: Willow has had no more issues at Lowes and loves her ladies as much as ever.
Taking the time to work your pup through times like this creates a well-balanced and confident dog.
Enjoy your pups and remember if you have any questions or concerns always feel free to contact me. 😊
~~Willow's Mom~~