# fear period -- how to handle and how long does it last?



## Fyfer (Jan 23, 2010)

My pup, who is nearly 6 months, is definitely in a fear period. He's acting afraid of strangers, though if I make a fuss over them ('Good person, nice person... ooohh look at the nice person' while patting their arm) he'll get over the fear in a few minutes.

He's growling and barking at pretty well any stranger who gets within about 20 feet, hackles up half the time. It's not at all a fierce or vicious barking, but clearly (to my ears) a bark of fear and trying frighten off the scary thing.

He previously has been an extremely sociable dog, eager to greet anyone. Right now he's not showing fear of anything except people, sudden noises, and things that catch him by surprise (like that very scary laundry line that started blowing around in the wind). But other things I'd think he might be afraid of, like trains and buses, don't bother him one little bit. 

Question 1) How long does the fear period last?

Question 2) How can I best support my pup during this phase?


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## CarolineH (Aug 4, 2009)

Hi there. This 'awkward' time can last several weeks or several months, dependent on the temperament of the individual dog and also to a greater degree on how the owner handles it. How to handle it? Well this is what I have always done, with my rescue dogs who all had 'issues' when they came to me and also with my dogs whom I have had from puppies.  When fear strikes your dog go totally calm. Make your movements slower and more deliberate and do a lot of yawning. (Dogs so understand yawning as a *calming signal* ) Use a low and calm tone of voice and be 'quiet' and confident. Sit or stand near to what is worrying your dog and reward him for even momentary calmer behaviour. *Clicker training* is an excellent way of reinforcing this as the click becomes the '*conditioned reinforcer*' that the dog starts to 'work' for.  Ignore all of the fear behaviour so that you do not reinforce or encourage it in any way, shape or form. Owners often seek to reassure their dogs during these times but by doing so they actually reward the fear and thus encourage it! Likewise, if an owner tells a dog off for fearful displays, the dog then associates a telling off with the thing it was afraid of and becomes even more fearful!


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Fyfer said:


> My pup... nearly 6-MO, is definitely in a fear period. He... act(s) afraid of strangers... *if I... fuss over them* ('Good person, nice person... ooohh look at the nice person' while patting their arm) *he'll get over the fear in a few minutes.*
> He... growl(s) and bark(s) at (almost) any stranger... *within about 20 feet*, hackles up half the time.... clearly (to my ears) a bark of fear... trying (to) frighten off the scary thing.
> 
> He previously has been an extremely sociable dog, eager to greet anyone. Right now he's not showing fear of anything except people, sudden noises, and (startling events)... [snip]...
> ...


hey, fyfe! :--)

unfortunately, no-one can predict how long this will last - it sounds to me like much-more than a mere fear-period; most dogs are into 
+ out of their adolescent fear-period in a week to 10-days, and i think this has already been longer than that? (yes?)

to pet the person... 
You have to get within touching distance - and if he is leashed, he has to come along, perforce.  thats not so good, as his personal safety-margin (threshold) seems to be over-15-feet, which is only achievable with a long-line.

if he gets barky at 20-ft i;d be keeping him further away, and doing non-contingent Counter-conditioning - 
super-good special-treats + a special toy come out ONLY in the (distant) presence of a stranger - any stranger. 
*Open-bar / Closed-bar* is a super-simple, easy way to teach both a happy tolerance of the former-trigger, AND a default behavior - instead of staring fearfully + barking, he sees a stranger, and Looks... at You for his treat / tug-toy / praise, tag-game, etc.

if he will play Tug, i would install a manic desire to play with ONE special toy - only for interaction, never for trophying or chewing, never casually available, only With U... - and use the play with the Tug-Toy to bleed off his anxiety about the strangers.

DAP, **rescue-remedy drops** and botanical-lavender are all safe, have no interactions + no dosage limits. i;d use all 3. 
a T-Touch body-wrap with a 2-inch wide Ace-bandage is another good help for spooky behavior - the all-over-body even pressure seem to produce feedback that reduces stress. 
a very-SNUG t-shirt can also help similarly, but it needs to be really snug - flattening the coat to the body, mashing it right down.

a habituated Gentle-Leader is another excellent tool - 
YouTube - Jean Donaldson gets conditioned emotional response while fitting Gentle Leader 
i have posted elsewhere on the Forum about habituating a GL - during meals only; during meals + walks; during meals, walks, AND happy events; finally... the leash comes off the other collar, and is clipped on the GL. 
it takes at least 5 days, and often 7 to 10, as the *dog* determines when they are ready for the next step. 
then when he sees a stranger, U can use the headcollar to turn his gaze gently OFF the person, and do a U-turn, or cross the street, or add distance, or go up a driveway, or ______ .

i cannot help but wonder if something weird did not happen, making him think strangers = scary.  poor pup - hope he gets past it soon! 
--- terry


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## haeveymolly (Mar 7, 2009)

What breed is your dog, molly our 3rd springer is 18months and is still scared of thing, silly things plastic bags thibgs that sre of no threat at all the other day i walked into the house with some new pillows and she ran upstairs and wouldnt come down for a few mins, she is getting better i just ignore it have done from the start and she is as i say getting much better dont think she will ever be as bold as the others she has just got that nervous streak i know it is something with springers, the breeder a friend of mine kept molly's twin sister and she is worse than molly hasnt got over the fear of children running, shouting where as molly has its just silly little things with molly.


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## Fyfer (Jan 23, 2010)

He's a border collie (3/4) x terrier (1/4) cross ... It may sound strange but sometimes I get the sense it's not just fear but that he's testing out if he can be a big, scary dog. It's like he goes in and out of testing & real fear -- for a moment barking but not being really afraid himself, and then a few seconds later his hackles are up and it looks like he IS afraid. When I took him to puppy class, he was absolutely the most dominant dog in the bunch, and I wonder if he's on some level checking out how people react to him.

Whenever possible I do get close to the object. Three people have had this crazy lady ask if I can pat them on the arm while murmuring "gooooood person!" Nunuk typically keeps his distance but has never gone to the end of his lead. He'll go 3-10 feet out (on a 15' lead), intermittedly growl softly, and watch. With 2 people he became 100% fine with them (the 3rd was a brief encounter).

My manner is by nature calm and a typical reaction when he first starts is for me to try to distract and, if that doesn't work, to slowly say something like 'shhhhhh, shhhhhh, niiiiiice people'. I never pet or pat him unless he's starting to calm down.

If he looks at me, I also do the blinking eyes calming signal, which he understands really well. I will now add to that yawning, and tastier treats for distraction.

I don't know whether to take him to parks and such where there will be strangers or not. I'm also realizing it's not every stranger... we've walked along a city street with people passing, and he's been fine with that.


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## dodigna (Feb 19, 2009)

Fyfer said:


> When I took him to puppy class, he was absolutely the most dominant dog in the bunch,


How is he now when he meets dogs? I wouldn't confuse dominance with nerves, many unsure dogs may take a stance to mask their insecurity. Also with people a nervous dog may be totally terrified of one person in one context and absolutely fine and loving with the same person in a different context. Bad associations cause learnt fears and it takes time and patience with plenty of positive experiences for them to get over them. Walking on a high street might be something he enjoys with all the different smells, etc to distract him so it is a positive experience and in his brain keeps functioning to take all the good things in instead of reacting to the bad ones. 
When Ray gets fearful of something I pretend not to notice and a few secs later I produce a ball and start a game of fetch which we normally don't do. If that fails I try to provide something else. I just try anything to snap him out of it.


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## haeveymolly (Mar 7, 2009)

Fyfer said:


> He's a border collie (3/4) x terrier (1/4) cross ... It may sound strange but sometimes I get the sense it's not just fear but that he's testing out if he can be a big, scary dog. It's like he goes in and out of testing & real fear -- for a moment barking but not being really afraid himself, and then a few seconds later his hackles are up and it looks like he IS afraid. When I took him to puppy class, he was absolutely the most dominant dog in the bunch, and I wonder if he's on some level checking out how people react to him.
> 
> Whenever possible I do get close to the object. Three people have had this crazy lady ask if I can pat them on the arm while murmuring "gooooood person!" Nunuk typically keeps his distance but has never gone to the end of his lead. He'll go 3-10 feet out (on a 15' lead), intermittedly growl softly, and watch. With 2 people he became 100% fine with them (the 3rd was a brief encounter).
> 
> ...


That reminds me of our first springer if we was on a walk and we came across anyone we didnt know, or someone that saw him and just sood still he would bark but all the time taking a step away then move closer, bark then step back as he was my first i took him to training classes and i mentioned this to her and she said the barking was a defence mechanism he was actually wary of the person, but actually wanting it to come across as "look at me ime ime a threat dont come too close" when actually it was in defence as he was actually scared.


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## sequeena (Apr 30, 2009)

Luna is in this stage at the minute bless her


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Fyfer said:


> He's (3/4) BC x (1/4) terrier...
> [snip]...
> Whenever possible I do get close... 3 people have had this crazy lady ask if I can pat them on the arm while murmuring "gooooood person!" Nunuk typically keeps his distance but has never gone to the end of his lead. He'll go 3-10 feet out (on a 15' lead), intermittently growl softly, and watch. With 2 people he became 100% fine... the 3rd was a brief encounter.


hey, fyfer! :--) 
BCs often have an anxious streak, and this sounds like a BC-quirk - if he is not retreating as far as he COULD, while U are getting up-close, that is good. (if he was going ==> all the way, then standing facing-away, or worse yet, facing the Fear-Object + cowering with his gaze riveted, that would be very bad.)



> *If he looks at me, I also do the blinking eyes calming signal, which he understands really well.* I will now add to that yawning, and tastier treats* for distraction.
> 
> I don't know whether to take him to parks and such where there will be strangers* or not. I'm also realizing *it's not every stranger... we've walked along a city street with people passing, and he's been fine* with that.


 the eye-blink is Excellent! * > click! < * and his understanding that this is no threat is terrific - that really helps.

i would take him to parks, benches downtown, etc, and just let him watch the world go by... not doing much, read a magazine or take along knitting or something. let him hunker under the bench, and he will come out as he relaxes.

he may be super-sensitive to eye-to-eye gazes - BCs are exceptionally attentive to gaze, even amongst herding-breeds; 
Are the folks he gets so barky about *looking* at him?

DAP, Rescue-Remedy liquid on a treat, and tasty-treats as *classical association* (strangers appear, k9-caviar rains down as fast as he swallows; strangers gone? SNAP, treats cease) are all helpful. i sure hope he cracks it soon - dogs who see hazards in the ordinary are so anxious, poor things. 
all digits crossed, 
--- terry


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## HighlandQuine (Mar 23, 2009)

Bailey seems to be in his second (or third?) fear stage, but the weirdest things freak him out.

He's definitely nervous around other dogs when he's on the lead but that seems different from him being actually scared. He's always been scared of road signs (wtf?!) I know, it's very strange but if there's roadworks or something going on and they've put like the triangle sign down to indicate the road is being dug up (don't know the technical terms for such a sign!) he is scared of it! He'll sometimes bark or growl or sometimes he'll run either in front or to the back of my legs to hide from the scary thing on the ground.

Classic example, last week there was an old rubbish bin lying on part of a path we sometimes walk along, it hadn't been there before. On seeing it he totally jumped to the other side of the bin and walked by it pulling away, almost skulking along the ground, no noise from him but clearly he was scared. After we got by it he looked back at it and then to me so I told him it was fine and we should go have a look, so i walked to it first, touched it and made encouraging noiuses to him, he came over, had look and sniff and was then quite happy to move on.

He's also scared of the sound of motorbikes and gloves on people's hands, clearly it's not a real hand if it's got a glove on it!


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## Fyfer (Jan 23, 2010)

Ah -- I've been reading and thinking and am getting some clarity.

Yes, Terry, it IS sometimes eye-gazes he is reacting to. Absolutely.

Another thing he reacted to this weekend was somebody walking in a straight line right towards us, which I now understand dogs see as threatening. That's also what happened with the little neighbour boy last week -- he walked straight up to the car, looking right at the dog.

The mysteries are starting to be revealed.... 


One other thing -- is it a good idea or not to have the person he's frightened of give him a treat? 
I HAVE done this, and he has ended up very happy and relaxed with those people within 5 minutes, even licking one. But that first treat, with both of them, he took with a low bow/cower and eyes riveted.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

hey, fyfer! :--) GooD! 
knowing that eye-gaze + Direct Frontal approaches upset him, making him defensive, is excellent info. 


Fyfer said:


> ...is it a good idea or not to have the person he's frightened of give him a treat?
> I HAVE done this... he has ended up very happy and relaxed with those people within 5 minutes, even licking one. *But that first treat with both (people)*, he took with a low bow/cower and eyes riveted.


i would not do this - 
as U have already seen, the dog may over-ride their own fears, and get much closer than they feel comfy - 
then the dog, having eaten the treat, Looks Up and realizes... _OMG its her!_ / _OMG its him!_ / _ Y U little fink, its that rotten kid that teases me..._ 
and instead of being a bonding moment, the dog - being RIGHT there and startled - may snap at them, 
but even worse, is startled to find themselves so close to their *scary person*, and the fright is another setback.

*TREAT + RE-Treat * is a much safer variation - the scary person does not hold the treat as a lure, nor drop it at their own feet; instead, the scary-person ==> throws the treat... beyond the dog - who must then retreat a distance to seek out + eat the goody. 
thus the dog gets TWO rewards - 
* more social distance = dog feels more-comfy 
* the lovely tasty goodie... :001_tt1: yum! 
with this set-up there is no risk the dog will be suddenly shocked to realize that they are within arms-reach of their Nemesis :yikes: 
and a lot less chance of pinched fingers or snaps from an uncertain dog trying to snatch a treat from (dogs POV) 
the jaws of Death... 

all my best, 
--- terry


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## Fyfer (Jan 23, 2010)

AWESOME.

This makes total sense and I will use it.

!!!


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