Have you heard that you shouldn’t comfort or reassure a frightened dog in case you reinforce the message that they’re right to be scared?
This is quite a common misconception, and it’s rooted in outdated beliefs. There’s nothing wrong with comforting your dog, and perhaps then giving them one of the best dog toys to play with, if they need further distraction. If you’d reassure your child or partner in a similar situation, why wouldn’t you reassure your pup, too?
Certified dog trainer Melissa Goodman of Mission Pawsitive has explained everything we should know about comforting and reassuring our dogs when they’re scared in a new Instagram post, and it’s really opened our eyes.
“You cannot reinforce an emotion,” Goodman begins. In the video, the black dog appears nervous, flicking her tongue and moving closer to her mother.
”Notice how after she’s comforted, she is then able to shake it off, which is a way for dogs to relieve stress. She then gets brave enough to investigate.”
Goodman recommends letting your dog check something out if they need to, particularly when they’re nervous. She rewards the dog for her choice to investigate and orient back to her, which is an example of positive reinforcement.
“If you panic too, then sure, that can certainly add more stress to the situation, but calmly providing comfort and reassurance does not,” Goodman sums up in the caption. “So if your dog asks you to comfort or reassure them, give it to them! That means they trust you to make them feel safe. That is the kind of relationship I want to have with my dog.”
She continues, “You can see how a few seconds of comfort gave this fearful dog the ability to relieve the rest of that stress on her own.”
Some dogs, when feeling nervous or scared, might prefer to run and hide. In some situations, that can be fine – for example, if you’re at home and they’re feeling nervous because you have guests over. But if you’re out in public with your dog, this isn’t likely to be appropriate, so if your dog approaches you for some reassurance, it’s important to give it to them. How do you know if you have a scared dog? This article should help.
While any dog can get scared or anxious from time to time, some will display more signs that they’re scared than others. You might want to take a look at these ways to support a scared or anxious pet, as well as these everyday fears and phobias in dogs – or learn more about anxiety in dogs
