Whether you're the new owner of a nervous shelter dog or the well-meaning neighbor of a fearful canine next door, you'd likely love to be one of that pup's new buddies.
As more and more individuals prefer to adopt dogs from shelters instead of purchasing from breeders, more people are sharing their lives with terrified dogs. Amazingly, more shelter dogs are given a second chance! However, many individuals are completely unprepared to teach a scared pup to trust them.
Unfortunately for new owners, love is not the only thing these dogs require. Most fearful dogs will open up faster when given room. In addition, canines are not like humans, so they usually do not experience comfort from hugs, nose-to-nose smooches, or baby talk.
Helping teach the pooch in question that they can rely on you is crucial for the dog's emotional security as well as for your physical protection. A perpetually scared dog is not a content dog! Potentially worse, the extensive majority of dog bites are due to a well-meaning individual intruding on the space of a fearful dog. There's a pervasive and incorrect assumption that canines can tell when you mean well, but they can't. Just because you have kind intentions does not indicate that the dog will automatically trust you! Experts on mobile dog grooming in Clermont, FL, examine some activities that will support building trust between you and a canine.
One of the most significant mistakes many individuals make is moving too fast. So before you stand up, raise your arms, or make other potentially alarming movements, try to sigh or gain the canine's attention subtly. This will allow the dog to anticipate your moves and not feel so frightened when you do stand up or grab something in the freezer. Again, the objective is not to startle your dog – make sure they understand when you're going to move or do something.
In many human civilizations, it's courteous to meet someone's eyes. But for most other creatures, eye contact is considered a threat, especially when it's sustained. Staring at a dog, especially head-on, is very frightening for them. Approach the canine in an arc rather than head-on – if you approach the hound.
Some skittish dogs will feel more relaxed coming near you if you kneel with your flank or back to them instead of approaching them head-on.
This indirect approach is much more polite in dog culture. However, approaching head-on, like down a hallway or sidewalk, is highly threatening and direct. So, of course, never turn your back on a potentially harmful aggressive pooch. Instead, evaluate the situation and determine what is best.
Some dogs react agreeably to baby-talk. But many nervous dogs are less open-minded to our conversational primate ways. So feel free to try it out with your scared pup – do some soft baby talking and then watch. If the baby talk appears to perk up their ears, okay. Suppose she taps her trail, excellent! Keep doing it. But if the baby talk doesn't bear a measurable favorable effect, stop it. The odds are it's not soothing and may even be damaging. So rather than speaking, just stay quiet and utilize your body language to indicate you're not a threat. If the canine approaches you, great! If not, that's alright too.
These are just a few ways to get a nervous dog to trust you. Contact us today if you need mobile pet grooming in Clermont, FL.