In recent years, dog training has undergone many changes, some for the better thanks to trainers such as Turid Rugaas, who wrote the fantastic book "Signs of Calm: The Language of Dogs", but also for the worse with the return of dog theory. dominance.
Certainly, there are several ways to train a dog, and if there is a technique that we see a lot, especially on television, it is the flooding or the flooding technique. What does it consist of exactly?
Basically, it would be like taking a person who has a panic to fly and putting them on a plane to go on a trip anywhere. Unless the hostesses loaded him with painkillers, he would most likely end up suffering from a tachycardia or an anxiety attack ... at the very least. It is exactly the same with dogs. If you are afraid of firecrackers, for example, if we take them to the Fallas we will not take them away; What's more, we can achieve just the opposite effect: that you have even more fear of firecrackers, or that which already made you feel bad before.
In people this technique can help; What's more, I myself had a phobia of snakes and since I forced myself to watch documentaries about these reptiles, little by little I have lost that fear, and now I love them. I don't know if I would be able to touch them, but I certainly wouldn't run off if I came across one. Dogs, on the other hand, do not have that ability to control the situation, so if they are afraid of something, the best we can do is desensitize them.
What is desensitization? Also called »controlled exposure», It is a technique that consists of gradually and gradually introducing the element that disturbs the animals so that at first they hardly notice it. After a few days, we would introduce it more into the environment. Always from less to more, observing the reaction of the animal. For example, if they are afraid of firecrackers, we will take them to play and ask a friend to explode one at about 500 meters; If the dogs do not react, fine, the next day we will ask you to explode it at 400m; And if it freaks out, we'll stop and try it the next day.
When in doubt, do not hesitate to consult a dog trainer who works positively.