Of course working with a trainer is #1, but dogs work best with positive association. How can you make the steps rewarding? When a dog is fearful, unfortunately things have to go slow. Rushing a fearful dog will only cause more fear. It has to be the dog’s own will to make those decisions. Just as you’d never throw a fearful dog into a pool to teach it that the water is fine, you don’t want to rush the dog into a situation they find scary. Sometimes positive reinforcement with a trainer isn’t enough, and you need an animal behaviorist. But making the steps more inviting – perhaps they’re too steep? Too slippery? You have to figure out what about those steps are scary, and try to modify them as opposed to the dog.
Hey there. I’m living with a wonderful chi/rat terrier mix. We are in the middle of a behavior mod plan for getting her outdoors, but it’s very slow going. Any advice for moving things along? I feel like she’s not fully experiencing the wonders of being a doggy by staying inside all the time. Right now she’s terrified to even go down the stairs.
- Gold :by Martyna Ożóg
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