Imaginary Walls

You may have heard me say this in the past: Fish swim, bird fly, and dogs walk. It is the most important activity you can share with your pet. It is part of dogs’ genes to walk, migrate, and explore. Wild packs do this daily in search of food and water. If you have a dog that refuses to take a walk, he or she is unstable and that is a serious problem.

I would first advise you to seek the advice of a trusted vet to make sure there are no physical or neurological problems. Once those are ruled out, a professional trainer can help teach you the proper pack leadership skills you will need to incorporate during the walk to help ease any anxiety your dog may be experiencing.

Genoa’s Nightmare

Exposing a dog to an object or situation it fears may seem cruel to some. And it can worsen the situation if you don’t know what you’re doing since there is the risk of intensifying the trauma. But, done correctly, what some psychologists refer to as “flooding” can ease the dog of its fear. What you have to do is replace the fearful association with a positive experience. This can happen by using food, soothing massages, or incorporating play time around the fearful object.

I myself experience this every time I get on a plane. I have a terrible fear of flying. But I must fly about every two weeks and even though I may never be 100% comfortable flying, the more I get on that plane, the less I fear it. For me, squeezing my wife’s hand distracts me from all of my bad thoughts and associations, if only for a short time.

I believe it is far more cruel to let an animal suffer from fear that is often human-induced than have him experience a few moments of discomfort in order to improve its confidence. Remember, the beauty of dogs is that they move on so much faster than we do.

Molly the Farm Dog

Contrary to misstatements by some critics, I do not advocate the permanent use of electric or prong collars or similar devices. I do, however, believe in using the right tool for the right situation, though solely for training purposes, with the idea that, with proper instruction and consistency, the tools will eventually no longer be needed.

No two dogs are alike. And their life experiences differ with each case. I felt that the use of the e-collar was best for Molly, in order to save her life. In her two short years, she had already lost an eye, some teeth, and survived a run-in with a tractor tire. The next one could be her last.

What she needed was a deterrence — an understanding that the tractor tires were off-limits. The collar provided that physical connection. We made sure that the setting of the e-collar was not high enough to cause Molly any pain. As you will see, she passed with flying colors and her owners were able to remove the e-collar after two months.

In my opinion, an e-collar can be a life-saving tool, like a defibrillator to an EMT. But neither tool is meant to be a permanent solution. The tried and true principals of solid pack leadership were what ultimately corrected Molly.