Kim Pike's Positive Paws

We have absolutely NOTHING to lose if we take advantage of opportunities to influence how an animal "feels" about something. We may even be able to contribute t...o the animal's generalization of that positive association with other objects or events that are similar to the original, whether it was scary, only cause for caution, or completely novel and neutral. We are not depriving our dogs of anything when we do this. We are not depriving them of the opportunity to choose or failing to empower them when we do this. We have the big brain, we know what behaviors are expected or required, we know the frequency that certain events are likely to occur in our dog's life. What we don't know for sure is "how bad" something really is for a dog displaying wariness or concern, and we don't know what decision they'll make regarding how to respond to it. Assuming it will "be ok" and then having it not be, is a greater risk than taking advantage of classical conditioning and making it a good thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD0WqfyYF5E

As always, Debbie's insight in to the life of a fearful dog is thoughtful and profound. https://fearfuldogs.wordpress.com//training-fearful-dogs-/

10 Tips for counterconditioning success