Luc Dubois Dog Teacher/Éducateur Canin

There is this old idea that you mustn’t pet your dog if he runs to you when afraid, such as during a thunderstorm or when meeting an unfamiliar person, because ...you will end up reinforcing the fear. This old idea is INCORRECT. Petting and consoling your dog during a thunderstorm, for example, will not increase the emotion of fear. The function of fear is to help keep a dog safe from danger by avoiding it in some manner. Research on thunder-phobic dogs suggests that petting does not decrease the level of stress in the dog receiving it. So if petting doesn’t decrease the level of stress the dog is feeling about the thunder, it can’t increase it either. Perhaps your dog doesn’t want to be touched at that time, but even so, petting won’t reinforce the fear and stress. This is also true for dogs who are fearful of unfamiliar people. Tossing yummy treats towards them will not reinforce the fear that is driving the barking behavior. If the dog is afraid of the stranger, they are barking to make the stranger to make the ‘danger’ go away; they are fearful of the stranger. Tossing treats will not create more barking at the unfamiliar personin fact, it could reduce the barking behavior because you are associating that unfamiliar person with yummy treats. This is a technique many dog trainers use when working with fearful dogs. Fear (an emotion) cannot be reinforced; only behavior can be reinforced. Thank you to 4Paws University for this great infographic! ***(EDIT: The nuance of behavior work is missing in this post. Behavior work is a complex topic and difficult to address fully in a social media post. That’s why we focused on just one component: the emotion of fear. When working with a fearful dog, or any dog when addressing behavioral issues, it is important to consider the dog’s threshold so that the dog is an an ideal learning state. Be sure to work with a professional who understands this so to provide the best support possible for your dog. Thank you to an amazing, engaging Facebook community who looks to us to as a resource and to operate with the utmost integrity!)***

Moderator #memesaturday I couldn't agree more! ... Credit: Bravo Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting

If you asked me to name the single most important thing you can do for your dog, it would be this. Keep your dog feeling safe. This is not to be confused with y...our dog being safe, or whether or not you think your dog is safe. This is about keeping your dog *feeling* safe. Which means identifying what your dog finds stressful or scary by learning how to observe and read their body language to recognize when, where, and under what circumstances they feel uncomfortable, and doing whatever you can to avoid those situations. This can mean that your dog never visits another dog park. This can mean that even though it’s a beautiful Sunday and you’d love to have brunch on a patio of your favorite restaurant with your dog, your dog stays home. This can mean that you politely (or not) decline requests to pet your dog. This can mean that when children come over your house, your dog is in another room with a yummy Kong. This can mean that you walk your dog during quiet times of the day. This can mean that you drive your dog to walk them in a different area. Whatever it means for you and your dog, keep your dog feeling safe. You are your dog’s best and only advocate. You are what stands between them and the rest of the world, a world where dogs are set up to fail every day with often heartbreaking consequences. This doesn’t mean that we don’t also actively and *humanely* work to help our dogs feel more comfortable and confident in this world, but it does mean that until they do, WE HAVE TO KEEP THEM FEELING SAFE. Our dogs are relying on us, it’s our job to have their backs.