What's the best way to test my dog's temperament and tolerance?

Hello, sorry to hear about Oscar. There are some things you can try at home to manage his fears. Here are some basic definitions and tips to better orient you, however, successful management of his fears may require patience and time as counterconditioning to the stimulus can sometimes take a long time. Hope this helps and best of luck. DOES YOUR DOG HAVE FEARS? Fear in a dog may present in a variety of ways. Recognizing that your dog is indeed fearful is the first step. Some signs that a fearful dog may display include: tucking its tail between its legs, lowering its head, shaking or trembling, lip licking, rolling over to expose the belly, urinating, or becoming immobilized. A scared or frightened dog may also display aggression, including barking or growling, if it feels it cannot escape what is feared. Avoidance behaviors such as running away, hiding or backing up into a corner may also be seen. WHY IS MY DOG FEARFUL? Many dogs are fearful of specific stimuli or situations. These fears may stem from a lack of exposure to the stimulus, or may develop due to an adverse experience. Both can result in the dog having a fearful, emotional reaction when confronted with the stimulus. Often dogs respond fearfully to things in their environment that in nature would be potentially dangerous, such as loud noises or strangers. This behavior can be troubling for owners to watch. Often, owners become concerned that they have done something to make their dog fearful and their natural reaction is to try to comfort the dog which may amplify these behaviors. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP YOUR DOG? 1. Identify specific triggers This is an important step in moving forward and helping your pet overcome their fear. Knowing what stimuli are a “triggers” is key in creating a treatment plan because it allows you to have more control over the behavior and avoid such stimuli when possible. 2. Avoid the stimulus Initially it is often best to avoid the things that will trigger a fearful reaction. This may provide an opportunity to work on your relationship with your pet and develop trust without distraction. 3. Define your relationship with your pet How do you and your family members react to the behavior? Often times the natural reaction to the fearful pet is to comfort them by petting or picking up small dogs. This response may enhance the dog’s reaction to the fearful stimulus because they perceive the comfort as positive reinforcement of their fearful behavior. Rather, a more appropriate reaction is to act as though nothing unusual is going on and try to redirect the dog’s attention to you through a “look” or “sit” command and then treating that behavior. Some dogs are so fearful they may not be food motivated. Perhaps there is something else that your dog considers a “treat”. You may use this in the place of food. In these cases it is essential that all family members are consistent and treat the dog in the same manor.

There may not be an easy solution. Dogs are all individuals just like humans and they all exhibit different preferences. Unlike humans though, they have no desire to act polite. It sounds like Oscar is not naturally interested in other dogs very much. Certainly there are some dogs who would rather be with humans than other dogs. Most people are not well-versed in canine behavior, canine psychology and dog training. A professional trainer is your best option and it will take consistency, routine, positive reinforcement, and lots of patients. Certainly you can read and educate yourself about dog body language, dog behavior, dog psychology and dog training. It never hurts to have a solid foundation of knowledge. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello. It is good that you are exposing Oscar to new things. Overtime he should adjust, but you do have to go slow & limit these public excursions to a few minutes at a time. I am sure you are very reassuring with him, but do reward him with special treats when he seems to relax. You can also try some of the natural stress relieving products such as Zylkene. The best way to help Oscar get over his fears is to work with a veterinary behavioral specialist. Your veterinarian should be able to see if there are any in your area. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. As for the theory behind making Oscar perform submissive behavior, the thought process is that you, as the owner, must place yourself as the "alpha dog" in your home. As is the case in many instances with things we hear, see, or are made to believe, there is much more to it than what meets the eye. Most of the major veterinary behavioral publications in today's literature suggests that establishing an alpha role over your dog's is more likely to cause damage than any good, particularly if left to folks who do not have an expertise in dog behavior or dog training. The majority of dogs will do all they can to escape a forcible submission into any position regardless of the level of comfort they might feel. Dog's will often prefer to fight or run than submit. In terms of achieving behavioral goals in your home and in order to best obtain the most rewarding relationship with Oscar, I would recommend positive reinforcement training. I would try something else only if that has shown to be ineffective over the course of many months with the assistance of a professional. Dominance training, punishment, and negative reinforcement training have all failed to produce results nearly as successful as positive reinforcement. Hope this makes sense.

The ASPCA website has some good information on the different types of aggression in dogs: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/aggression It sounds like you're already on the right track with some behavioral training. You may want to ask your veterinarian if there are any behaviorists they would recommend to work with you specifically on the fear of strangers issue. At his age, as long as he isn't showing aggression at home towards family members I would think you could have good success with a behavior modification program but it will take work. You will be most successful if you can work one on one with a behaviorist who has experience with fearful dogs. I wouldn't even completely rule out that Pepe could be a therapy dog some time in the future. Good luck to you and Pepe - he's lucky to have a dedicated owner!

I would speak to your vet about a referral to a professional behavioral expert for Savannah. I never recommend owners work with aggressive dogs on their own due to safety reasons. Having her seen by a professional behavioral expert is the best way to find out if this aggression can be controlled. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

What a cute pup! In terms of separation anxiety, it will depend on how severe your dog suffers from this issue. Some cases may be managed with over the counter products such as an Adaptil collar or diffuser and calming supplement like Composure Chews for Dogs and behavior modification, but if severe I would recommend discussing medicaiton with your vet. You can read more about separation anxiety at https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951949 I am not sure what you mean by "what are all the dog behaviors", if you are interested in understanding your dog I recommend the book "Decoding Your Dog" by Debra Horwitz.