Freezing , overwhelm and the connection to reactivity

Reactivity-there is a part of the story that is often missed

Often the story includes a dog that is fearful of being outside -the environment that we think of as normal can be a challenge for many dogs

There are dogs of all ages that find outdoor environments extremely challenging-whether you have a puppy or an older dog

We have learnt to filter out sounds and have acclimatised to much of the noise and this signals this allows our attention to be elsewhere -if we weren't able to filter out much of the background noise our brains would never be able to cope -and this can be seen with people that have autism or PTSD- they often become overwhelmed in areas that are too noisy, too busy and especially if the noise and bustle is unrelenting. Many public places like museums offer areas to escape which provide calm places of sanctuary where they can sit for a while and allow the body and brain to find some calm

This can be a reason why some dogs become reactive....... and never forget that fear is REAL

I often help people that tell me their rescue dogs are freezing. Freezing is abject fear of the environment -there is no easy way to dress this up and make it simple for the dogs who fear busy roads where lorries rumble, clank and race past at excessive speed

Negative associations can not be fixed by insisting the dog "gets over it" and if forced to move dogs often become more ferarful. Making them participate in environments that induce extreme anxiety doesn't "stop" the fear

This is a common scenario in greyhounds or dogs that have never had to engage with loud busy pavements with cars and lorries rushing past them

The solution is not food or force. This does not cure fear.

Often in these situations we need to go back to the beginning.

We have to forget what we would like to do and look at how we can help the dog.

Often this means stopping walks and letting the dog relax. We take holidays for the same reason-if we take ourselves out of our everyday life and remove ourselves to a situation where no one forces or compels us to do things we would rather not it allows us to cope better when we return

This is about safety

Don't forget as far as our dogs are concerned we hold all the cards-they can only try and communicate to us how they feel and try to tell us how difficult life can be for them

A very old quote from when I was initially studying canine behaviour from a colleague

"Humans are misnamed we should not be known as human beings, but human doings"

Lets connect with our dogs and step back and help them them to live in our worlds by slowing down

If you need help with your dog-reach out 07910 720961