# adjustment, fear period, or reactivity?



## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

I’m going to preface this by saying that I prepared myself for an 8-week-old puppy, not a 5 1/2-month-old. 

We know that Katie doesn’t like the deer. She barks (when she sees or hears them), we tell her “Ok Katie” and walk in another direction. This afternoon when we were out, a neighbor’s dog came over to investigate. Katie was leashed, neighbor’s dog was not. Katie was not happy – she pulled, barked, even growled a little. I tried to pull her away, told her “Ok Katie,” and tried to be calm. The neighbor came quickly to collect his dog and we went back in the house. Tonight when we were out, she seemed very distracted by / alert to kids and barking in the distance.

How do I know if this is just part of an adjustment period (like the stairs), her second fear period, or actual reactivity? It seems like they would all be treated somewhat differently – adjustment and reactivity with gradual desensitization and lots of reinforcement and fear period with matter-of-fact handling and no reinforcement.


Thanks!


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

Let me preface this by stating that I'm not a professional, nor have I played one on TV, but will tell you what has worked for me and what I've learned from others. 

First, the dog intro. As you know because you mentioned it, a dog on leash is always going to be somewhat on the offensive (insecure) as opposed to a loose dog. My dogs are reactive on leash when approached by an off-leash, exuberant dog. What breed / age is your neighbor's dog? If you know your neighbor fairly well and his dog is a nice, stable specimen, invite him/his dog to go on a walk with you and Katie. That way she can meet and get to know his dog on equal footing in a non-threatening setting, and he won't be perceived as a bad thing. (I predict she'll be seeing a lot of him so this will make your life easier.) Are you planning to take her to a class? That will also help tremendously (socialization, bonding with you, etc.). 

As for the deer, I'd recommend positive reinforcement / redirection training. When she sees the deer and reacts, redirect her with a high-pitched noise. Try and get her to focus on you, perhaps by putting her in the sit. You could try clicker training here combined with a treat (chicken), or just a treat once she's calm and focused on you. The goal is to associate the deer with chicken (something good). Soon, she'll spot a deer and look to you for chicken. LOL (Same principle applies to kids. If she sees or hears them and reacts, redirect her and treat/praise when she's calm. If any kids visit--ask them to ignore her until she's calm and then give her a treat. Have a bag ready at all times.)

At 5 1/2 months old, she still has a lot of maturing to do and this sounds like normal puppy behaviour to me. Her entire world has changed dramatically, and she's essentially having to re-establish herself. An 8-week old puppy has four basic needs: eat/drink, sleep, play, eliminate. She has these needs and more--she needs a lot more guidance and direction. It's like getting a turbo-charged puppy, which is a great thing as she's past the "all I want to do is sleep and wee" phase.

You're doing great because you're already leaps and bounds ahead of most puppy owners. You did the research.  

I hope that helps and I'm sure others will be of much more help.


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Cookieface, I was just wondering the same thing about my 4 1/2 month old puppy who just took to barking and growling at every strange sound or sight! "Is this a phase...or is this her nature?" They are sooooo young, though, that even if it is their nature, we still have lots of ability to influence it! : )

When you say "matter-of-fact handling" do you mean ignoring her signals of fear and any undesired behaviors, with the expectation that they'll just go away once this phase passes? And by "no reinforcement" do you mean not rewarding her when she does begin to relax or ceases an undesirable behavior? I just want to make sure I'm picking up what you're putting down. Please correct me if I'm wrong. : )

The way I look at it, when Katie is acting like a reactive dog, she is a reactive dog. She's not pretending to be upset/excited/frightened/stressed. She is. This may be a fear stage (and I hope so!), meaning a few days/weeks she'll naturally be less on edge, and that will be wonderful! But, until then, I'd suggest working with her in the same way you would any dog in need of guidance. Remember, habits and tendencies are forming now! She may be calmer in a few weeks naturally, or she may have learned that barking/growling/lunging when she feels excited or upset is the thing to do. Work with her now to form the habit of looking to you for direction when she's ever uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I like this situation..let me see what Mom thinks about it..she might even have cheese!" If this is a phase, it's a great way to "practice" desensitizing and redirecting. If she mellows out in a month and it's obvious it was just a puppy thing, then you'll have that experience under your belt for the first time she needs to walk near a freight train at 2 years old. You'll both know how to work through her fear. : )

I'd suggest all the same things Rowan did. : ) And here's the story of Lumi's new bark and growl habit. I kept tasty treats handy and whenever she started (I swear, she was barking at dust in the air!), I'd call her name to get a moment of silence between the barks and then pop something yummy in her mouth. The moments of silence got longer and I added the word "Quiet" before treating her, and now she is *so* much better! I don't even use treats most of the time now, she'll just let off a bark at a noise and I'll say "Quiet" and give her a pet and she'll go back to whatever she was doing before "the sound"! I personally don't mind her speaking up if she's got something to tell me, even if it's "there's popcorn in the microwave!", as long as she guiets when I ask. I think she feels validated when she brings something to my attention and I acknowledge her in a positive way. Hahaha One thing that I do *not* want her barking about is other dogs barking. (You know, 'cause that will keep them going which will keep her going, which keep - you know what I mean!) In those cases, I ask her to "Quiet" before she gets her first bark out and then reward her. That may help with Katie and the deer. : ) Please keep us posted!


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## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

Rowan said:


> Let me preface this by stating that I'm not a professional, nor have I played one on TV, but will tell you what has worked for me and what I've learned from others.


You're funny! 



Rowan said:


> First, the dog intro. As you know because you mentioned it, a dog on leash is always going to be somewhat on the offensive (insecure) as opposed to a loose dog. My dogs are reactive on leash when approached by an off-leash, exuberant dog. What breed / age is your neighbor's dog? If you know your neighbor fairly well and his dog is a nice, stable specimen, invite him/his dog to go on a walk with you and Katie. That way she can meet and get to know his dog on equal footing in a non-threatening setting, and he won't be perceived as a bad thing. (I predict she'll be seeing a lot of him so this will make your life easier.) Are you planning to take her to a class? That will also help tremendously (socialization, bonding with you, etc.).


The neighbor's dog (and maybe it was the adult son's??) looked like a Rhodesian ridgeback. He was very well-behaved, came up in what looked to me like a friendly manner (I wasn't scared), and seemed curious. I may ask him or the neighbors across the street with two well-mannered Staffies (I think) if we can plan a neutral ground meeting.

I do plan to take Katie to class. A friend recommended a trainer, but she's some distance away - Katie's car sickness could be a problem there.



Rowan said:


> As for the deer, I'd recommend positive reinforcement / redirection training. When she sees the deer and reacts, redirect her with a high-pitched noise. Try and get her to focus on you, perhaps by putting her in the sit. You could try clicker training here combined with a treat (chicken), or just a treat once she's calm and focused on you. The goal is to associate the deer with chicken (something good). Soon, she'll spot a deer and look to you for chicken. LOL (Same principle applies to kids. If she sees or hears them and reacts, redirect her and treat/praise when she's calm. If any kids visit--ask them to ignore her until she's calm and then give her a treat. Have a bag ready at all times.)


I started to do that, but then read about the second fear period. The recommendations there were to ignore the fear and not to reassure or in any way reinforce the fear. I wasn't sure if redirecting and treating was reinforcing the fear...



Rowan said:


> At 5 1/2 months old, she still has a lot of maturing to do and this sounds like normal puppy behaviour to me. Her entire world has changed dramatically, and she's essentially having to re-establish herself. An 8-week old puppy has four basic needs: eat/drink, sleep, play, eliminate. She has these needs and more--she needs a lot more guidance and direction. It's like getting a turbo-charged puppy, which is a great thing as she's past the "all I want to do is sleep and wee" phase.
> 
> You're doing great because you're already leaps and bounds ahead of most puppy owners. You did the research.
> 
> I hope that helps and I'm sure others will be of much more help.


I've started reading about puppy adolescence. Her breeder said that girls in her family generally don't physically mature (i.e., have their first estrus cycle) until after 12 months. To me, that means she's not really an adolescent yet.



PammiPoodle said:


> Cookieface, I was just wondering the same thing about my 4 1/2 month old puppy who just took to barking and growling at every strange sound or sight! "Is this a phase...or is this her nature?" They are sooooo young, though, that even if it is their nature, we still have lots of ability to influence it! : )
> 
> When you say "matter-of-fact handling" do you mean ignoring her signals of fear and any undesired behaviors, with the expectation that they'll just go away once this phase passes? And by "no reinforcement" do you mean not rewarding her when she does begin to relax or ceases an undesirable behavior? I just want to make sure I'm picking up what you're putting down. Please correct me if I'm wrong. : )


What I read was basically ignore the fear. Be patient, avoid stressful situations as much as possible, don't force anything, but importantly, don't reinforce the fear by coddling and try to remain positive and stress-free yourself. And definitely reinforce desired behavior.



PammiPoodle said:


> The way I look at it, when Katie is acting like a reactive dog, she is a reactive dog. She's not pretending to be upset/excited/frightened/stressed. She is. This may be a fear stage (and I hope so!), meaning a few days/weeks she'll naturally be less on edge, and that will be wonderful! But, until then, I'd suggest working with her in the same way you would any dog in need of guidance. Remember, habits and tendencies are forming now! She may be calmer in a few weeks naturally, or she may have learned that barking/growling/lunging when she feels excited or upset is the thing to do. Work with her now to form the habit of looking to you for direction when she's ever uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I like this situation..let me see what Mom thinks about it..she might even have cheese!" If this is a phase, it's a great way to "practice" desensitizing and redirecting. If she mellows out in a month and it's obvious it was just a puppy thing, then you'll have that experience under your belt for the first time she needs to walk near a freight train at 2 years old. You'll both know how to work through her fear. : )
> 
> I'd suggest all the same things Rowan did. : ) And here's the story of Lumi's new bark and growl habit. I kept tasty treats handy and whenever she started (I swear, she was barking at dust in the air!), I'd call her name to get a moment of silence between the barks and then pop something yummy in her mouth. The moments of silence got longer and I added the word "Quiet" before treating her, and now she is *so* much better! I don't even use treats most of the time now, she'll just let off a bark at a noise and I'll say "Quiet" and give her a pet and she'll go back to whatever she was doing before "the sound"! I personally don't mind her speaking up if she's got something to tell me, even if it's "there's popcorn in the microwave!", as long as she guiets when I ask. I think she feels validated when she brings something to my attention and I acknowledge her in a positive way. Hahaha One thing that I do *not* want her barking about is other dogs barking. (You know, 'cause that will keep them going which will keep her going, which keep - you know what I mean!) In those cases, I ask her to "Quiet" before she gets her first bark out and then reward her. That may help with Katie and the deer. : ) Please keep us posted!


Thanks for sharing. I'll definitely try your suggestions. I absolutely agree that when she's barking or hyper alert, her emotions are high. She doesn't seem to bark much - only if she actually sees the deer (or sometimes her reflection) or when the neighbor's dog approached. 

My mother-in-law was over on Sunday and Katie took to her right away. No fear, no barking, just wagging tail and face licks.

Overall, she's pretty good. I didn't really see it - I see all the things we need to address - but my husband mentioned that he's very impressed with her. She is a sweetie in that she's very focused on us. If we're in the kitchen and I move, she stops what she's doing and watches me. If I run out of the room *very* briefly, she stands at the doorway to wait. She follows me around and is generally great about coming when called. Although when she's super focused on noises and deer, she's hard to distract.

Thanks again. I'm sure I'll have many more questions (already thinking about foot licking, doggy aroma, and food) as we settle in.


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