Overview of Confidence Program

If your dog is constantly scared or nervous, we need to focus on building their confidence around the things that make them nervous. It's very important with this training that we introduce the "scary" things gradually so your dog doesn't feel overwhelmed.

As with all my training programs, we start with the Intro Lesson where we'll focus on making sure your dog's base needs are met. This can be particularly difficult for anxious dogs as there can be problems meeting those needs due to their fear, so we may have to be creative! Additionally, depending on the severity of the anxiety and fear, you may need to work with a vet as well as working on training.

For more information about the Intro Lesson in general, you can visit the Intro Lesson Page here.

In the supported training portion, we'll likely work on creating and reinforcing a safe space for your dog that can then be the place they can venture away from. If your dog has specific fears (opposed to just a generalized fear of new things, for example), we'll work on exposing your dog to the scary things at a rate they can handle and be confident with.

We may also add in some specific trained behaviors like "check it out" or "touch the monster!" to give your dog a framework for investigating a scary thing.

In nearly all anxiety and fear cases, we also work on adding in a nosework or searching portion as it's been shown to really build confidence.

Anxiety and Fear

Timing/Scheduling for Program

General anxiety or fear is often a lifelong issue. We've learned a lot about stress in dogs, and the ability to deal with stress can be effected by genetics, epigenetics, and their experiences. So when working with generally fearful dogs, it's not uncommon to need multiple training programs.

If, however, your dog is primarily scared of a specific trigger, most teams are able to get significant results in a 6 week timeframe and are confident to continue with any future exposure and training needed.

Coaching or Pro Daytrain Track?

When dealing with fear and anxiety, I pretty much never suggest the daytraining option. Often the dogs are scared of me, and fear is very much contextual, so training is more effective with the Coaching Track.