[nagdu] {Disarmed} . Fireworks and Thunder, question?

[Steven Johnson]

Thanks so much for this.  My guide and I were just in a tornado back on May
22, and she has displayed some anxiety now after this weather event.  I
initially tired to comfort her, but then ceased this as I knew better.  We
are working through it.  I will post this on our WAGDU site...again, thanks
much!

Steve & Misha

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Arthur Nolden
Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2011 3:32 PM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject: [nagdu] {Disarmed} . Fireworks and Thunder, question?



http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/you-cant-reinforce-fear-dogs-and-thunde
rstorms.

You Can't Reinforce Fear; Dogs and Thunderstorms It thundered last week
during a rain storm, and it reminded me how much trouble a storm can be in
the life of a dog (and for those of us who love them.) Since thunder season
is approaching, this seems like a good time to talk about one of the
oft-repeated, and ever-so-inaccurate pieces of advice handed out to dog
owners: "You mustn't pet your dog if he runs to you because he is afraid of
thunder."

That's just wrong. Totally and completely and utterly wrong, but it has
gathered gravitas, as things often do, because it has been repeated over and
over again.

There are several reasons why that advice is wrong, here's one of them: Fear
is designed to be aversive, that's why it is an effective way of affecting
behavior and keeping animals out of trouble when they encounter something
that might hurt them. Fear is aversive enough that no amount of petting or
sweet talk is going to make your dog more likely to shiver and shake when
she hears thunder rolling as the clouds billow and the rains begin.

Here's the example for you of how hard it is to "reinforce" fear. What if
someone tried break into your home in the middle of the night? Let's say
they did, and after the intruder left, a friend or loved one sat down with
you on the couch, brought you tea and gave you a hug. Would the tea and
sympathy make you more likely to be afraid if it happened again the next
night? Of course not.

Can you imagine someone saying: "Well, I understand that you are frightened,
but I'm going to ignore you because any sympathy that I would give you might
make you more likely to be frightened if it ever happens again." I don't
know about you, but that would be my EX friend.

One could criticize this example as one of misplaced anthropomorphism, but
the fact is that this process works much the same in dogs as it does in
people. The fact is, it is almost impossible to "reinforce fear." Fear is
highly aversive, and if anything, it works in reverse. I suppose, if you did
it often enough, you could create an association between thunder and petting
that would make your dog afraid of petting, but it is extremely unlikely to
go the other way around.

It is true that you can make your dog more afraid than he already is, by
doing something yourself that scares him, by forcing him into situations
that scare him already or by being afraid yourself. Emotions are contagious,
so if you want your dog to be afraid of thunder, then be afraid yourself!
But you're not going to make him more afraid of storms if you stroke his
head and tell him it's going to be okay.

The bad news is that petting won't help (him or her) much either, so I'll
write next time about how to help a dog who is thunder phobic, but you might
also find some ideas in The Cautious Canine, a booklet I wrote about helping
dogs conquer their fears in humane and effective ways. I also wrote about
why it's okay to pet your dog when he's scared in Bark Magazine in October
of 2008, and more recently Pia Silvani wrote a GREAT article about it in
this month's APDT Chronicle.

Speaking of emotions, here's a photo of a boxer with a lot of expression on
his face. What emotion would you ascribe to it?



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Tags: APDT Chronicle, Bark Magazine, dogs fearful of thunderstorms, fearful
dog, reinforcing fear in dogs, The Cautious Canine Book, thunder phobia in
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