You did say you could take him to the park on a long lead, so it wasn't at all obvious why you couldn't do that even though it was raining. That's a good idea. Perhaps take a few more steps once he is happy.
Our first lab didn't want to cross bridges. She was also with the tail between legs. I was told not to give treats for it is a confirmation that it really is scary....we managed to get her to cross the bridge by every day going to the place and make it a fun place by playing with each other....
If he'll happily get in the car I would use that to get him past the bit he doesn't like. Even if you don't go as far as the park. Drive him somewhere he's happy to walk even if that's just the end of the road or drive. In the meantime use food to change the association he has with walking past the house. If you do a search on BAT you'll find some threads where people have tried to work on things that have made their dogs anxious. It's tough but try and be patient. Hope the trainer can help you too
I think that's really old fashioned advice. Most people these days believe that it is not possible to reinforce fear - fear is in itself a very aversive thing, in a way the emotion is a punishment. So giving treats is not going to change that. But, hopefully, giving treats might act as a distraction, and in the long run change the way a dog feels about something.
Yes, I would go as far as he likes and then throw a toy or hot dog pieces, something really worth going farther for. He has to really want it. You won't be doing this when he is ten, you are just doing it to make it worth it to him to go further. You can do that over and over. Praise him, throw a hot dog piece, if he goes further, repeat. On the rain thing, my lab boy, who is driving me to drink, doesn't like to get his feet wet if it has been raining. You would think it is toxic waste on the ground. Minces around and runs back to the porch. He just doesn't like it. We don't all like the same thing. He will walk though puddles with no problems but wet grass just seems wrong to him.
It was advice from 20 years ago....when we had our first lab! But it worked for us then. So true, it is old fashioned.....
I think there's an element of allowing the dog to process and become habituated to whatever is causing them concern. By not interfering in any way you allow this process to occur in time. However if it were possible to reinforce fear through rewards or comforting your dog then BAT (behaviour adjustment training) wouldn't work which I believe it does.
I think one thing you have to be very careful of when you think you're comforting is to not accidentally put any (emotional) pressure on your dog. It's helpful to try to get them to "come down" by having them focus on you and perform basic behaviours, but if they're not ready for this, it can add extra stress to the situation. I've also found that I've inadvertently taught Willow that certain tones of voice are linked with scary things, so if I use the same "soothing" tone in a different setting, she will immediately go on edge. It's not reinforcing fear, per se, but both are things to watch out for with a nervous dog.
THanks for the tips. I am doing a lot of these things. And I am not forcing him too much. I try to nudge him along a bit, but not forceful.
I'd also been taught that comforting your dog when he was acting fearful reinforced an undesirable behaviour. I always struggled to maintain an neutral attitude when clearly my dog was in distress (Brogan's Achilles Heel was gunfire). This is an enlightening thread - I'll need to look into "BAT" - something new to me. Thanks for the good info!
There is a great article on this here: http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/th...ou-cant-reinforce-fear-dogs-and-thunderstorms And here: http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/reinforcing-fear-ii-thunder-phobia-iii
Thanks for telling me about BAT - I'd not heard of it before. Some great info out. I'm greatly appreciative.
