Gouves+Animal+Shelter+Paws+for+Thoughts+January+issue+2020

The 4 F’s of Fear
In general, it also helps to be
aware of the 4 F’s of Fear, which
may be observed in your dog’s
behavior:
Freezing
Fleeing
Fighting
Fooling around
By learning to identify these
patterns in your dog’s behavior,
you can more quickly determine if
your dog is frightened and take
the necessary steps to comfort
her.
Fearful dogs and aggressive
behavior
Destruction and escaping are
other behaviors often associated
with a scared dog. Fear is a major
cause of aggression in dogs and
this is often misunderstood, as
some people consider any signs
of aggression as “bad behavior”
which requires punishment.
Punishing dogs for fear-based
aggression will only make the dog
more fearful.
Of course, correcting a dog’s
behavior is important when he or
she become aggressive, but
punishment is not always the
proper method of dealing with it,
especially if you have a fearful
dog on your hands.
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