Overcoming Fear of the Harness: Helping an Anxious Dog
By: David Codr
Published Date: November 18, 2020
In this Omaha dog training session, we worked with Callie, a Miniature Schnauzer. Callie’s family reached out to us to help her overcome her fear of the harness.
Callie also tends to get anxious around new people and she does not like it when her guardians pick her up.
Anxious Dog Behavior
Callie was upset with my arrival and darted towards me anytime I moved in the entryway. I stopped moving, crouched down and turned myself sideways while I tossed her treats. I tossed them both to help her feel comfortable and to get her moving around.
You don’t want a fearful pup to keep barking at someone. Sometimes dropping treats in front and behind them helps them calm down.
After talking with the family, I believe there was a lot of miscommunication. This led to a dog that felt anxious and uncomfortable at times.
How to Help a Dog that Dislikes Being Picked Up
After sharing several dog behavior tips, we aimed to help everyone understand. We wanted the guardians to create a confident environment for her. Then, we began working on her dog behavior problems.
One of the minor problems the guardians asked me to help with was Callie’s biting behavior when they went to pick her up. I have experience helping dogs that dislike being picked up. I shared some tips with Callie’s parents on how to help a dog that dislikes being picked up.
Overcoming a Fear of the Harness
Next we addressed Callie’s habit of running away when the guardians went to go get her harness. Dogs develop a fear of the harness and other things through association.
There are a few possible reasons why Callie developed a fear of her harness. It might have pinched her when it was put on, or the rubbing could have irritated her fur or joints. She could have also been bothered by something inside the harness, like a tag or cocklebur, which irritated her skin.
Additionally, the guardians may not have noticed signs of discomfort in her body language. If Callie showed she didn’t want to wear the harness but someone put it on anyway, this could have increased her fear over time.
When I have a dog who fears something, I like to use a Conditioned Emotional Response or C.E.R. to fix the problem. You can learn to use a CER to help a dog overcome its fear of the harness. Just watch the free positive dog training video below.
The great thing about using a CER to help a dog stop being scared of something is how easy it is. As long as you go slow and follow the dog’s pace, anyone can do it. You don’t need to be a professional Miniature Schnauzer trainer.
After shooting the video, the guardians practiced this easy way to get a dog to stop being scared of the harness. This case of anxiety about the harness is more intense than I expected. It may take a day or two before Callie fully puts her head in the harness. However, I am confident they will help her overcome her reluctance to wear it soon.
They will need to guard against the urge to cheat for the last 5-10% of the process. That is a temping and a common mistake people make when using this positive way of helping a dog stop avoiding the harness. But if they take their time, the dog’s anxiety of getting the harness put on will be gone for good.
Due to Callie’s anxiety about people moving and new people, I would like to return in a few weeks. I want to show the guardians how to help her overcome those fears. But for now, the guardians have a lot of homework to do.
We covered a number of other positive dog training tips in this in-home Omaha dog training session. To help them remember everything, we recorded a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.
Want to Combat Anxious Dog Behavior? Click Here to Book a SessionCategorized in: Dog Behavior