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挑重点概况一下：
和平之爪宠物训练中心的Pat Miller发现，虽然人们越来越注重幼犬的社交，但近年来训练专家们却发现越来越多有恐惧心理的幼犬。他总结了以下几点造成这种现象的原因：
- 越来越少的自然社交活动。因为更有责任心的主人们不在让幼犬串门，而是为了安全把幼犬锁在家中
- 更多宠物行为专家参与并愿意去帮助有恐惧心理的狗狗们，于是曝光的case就多了
- 很多狗主虽然意识到社交的重要性，但并不了解正面社交的关键是让狗狗接触正面的世界。在最重要的社交年龄阶段（3-14周），如果幼犬接触了负面事件，那么它很可能产生恐惧心理，除非被及时安抚。
- 狗主们很少意识到狗狗的第二重要社交年龄阶段（4-11月，甚至更长至2岁）
- 万恶的PUPPY MILLs. 30年来，在puppy mill中的幼犬们不能得到足够的社交，它们通常在8周左右（严重早期恐惧年龄段）就被过早的送到宠物店出售
- 所谓的“没有杀害”运动，使得往年一些应该被安乐的问题狗狗得以生存，并在接触过程中给幼犬带来负面影响
- 越来越多的动物保护组织们解救了数百上千 低社交高恐惧 的狗狗们，并给它们安排了新家
防止恐惧
恐惧是造成狗狗攻击性的基本原因。这直接降低了狗狗的生活品质，以及爱着它的主人的生活。因此，每位狗主应该懂得如何防止狗狗恐惧。有人觉得那么应该把狗狗关在家，不要接触外面的世界。其实恰恰相反，低社交 才是造成容易恐慌的最重要原因。
当年带着狗狗去社交的时候，要十分注意，将幼犬的环境填满欢乐，这样狗狗的大脑就会认为外面的世界是充满欢乐的。必须特别注意幼犬对外界的反应，仔细观察幼犬是否有感觉到压力的迹象，包括闪躲，舔嘴唇，打哈欠，停止活动等等. 一旦发现，找出造成这种现象的事物，并努力使幼犬对该事物产生正面联想。
幼犬社交
一些好运气，和好的社交活动，你可能永远不需要担心恐惧问题。很多幼犬学校并不教授一成不变的内容，而是提供安全的环境，给幼犬温和接触种种刺激，在这种环境下，早期恐惧现象可以得到及时的发现和纠正。幼犬们会接触种种穿着古怪的人们，听奇怪声音的CD，走在凹凸不平充满障碍物的地面，等等等等
Eliminating Your Puppies Fear Related Behaviors
Prevention and modification of fear-related behaviors in puppies.
The intent of puppy socialization is to convince the part of the puppy’s brain that reacts emotionally to his world (the amygdala) that, in general, the best/most appropriate emotional responses are calm, relaxed, and happy. These days, the importance of puppy socialization is well-known and widely accepted. Interesting, then, that some behavior professionals (myself included) report seeing an increasing number of canine clients with fear-related behaviors.
Don’t forget that there can be genetic diversity even between full siblings. One may inherit a fearful temperament, while the full sibling is confident and cocky.
There are several reasons for the apparent increase in fear-related behaviors in dogs, including:
-Less “natural socialization,” as responsible owners keep their puppies safely at home, rather than allowing them to roam the neighborhood.
-The availability of more behavior professionals who are willing and able to work with dogs who display fear-related behaviors, and the awareness of more dog owners that behaviors can be modified.
-A lack of understanding among dog owners who recognize that socialization is important, but don’t realize that key to good socialization is positive exposures to the world. A pup who has negative experiences during the primary (3 to 14 weeks) socialization period is very likely to grow up fearful, unless prompt remedial action is taken.
-A lack of awareness of the existence of secondary fear periods which, according to various information sources, can occur for a dog anywhere between the age of 4 to 11 months, or perhaps as late as 2 years of age. A fear-causing event any time during this period, when a dog is more sensitive to aversive stimuli, can also have far-reaching fear behavior implications.
-The emergence of puppy mills over the last 30 years. Puppy milling only began to boom in the late 1970s and later. Puppy mill puppies do not receive adequate socialization – if any. They are also likely to be shipped to retail outlets during the very significant early fear period (8 to 10, maybe 12, weeks)
-The emergence of the so-called “no-kill” movement, which promotes the placement of behaviorally questionable dogs who, in the past, would more likely have been euthanized.
-A growing number of hoarder case investigations by animal protection agencies that result in the seizure of hundreds of undersocialized/fearful dogs who are then rehomed.
Genetics v. Environment
An often-asked question is, “Is my dog’s fearful behavior genetic, or did someone or something cause it?” The answer is always “both.” Genetics as well as life experiences always have a combined influence on behavior.
In the case of genetics, what is actually heritable is a dog’s propensity to be reinforced by (or to find aversive) a particular behavior. Border Collies are genetically programmed to find running after things to be very reinforcing – so they are good at herding; while Labradors Retrievers have a propensity to be reinforced by putting things in their mouths – hence they are good at retrieving. Conversely, a dog who has a genetic propensity to find new and/or unusual stimuli aversive might be said to be genetically fearful – a common problem for dogs produced by breeders (including puppy mills) who don’t deliberately make an effort to breed for sound temperament.
If you take two puppies of similar age and expose them to a novel stimulus, given equal amounts of proper socialization, the puppy who is of genetically sound temperament will likely be calm and/or curious, while the genetically less-stable pup is more likely to exhibit a fear response. Genetically less-stable pups need much more socialization if they are to develop into normal, stable dogs – but since it’s virtually impossible to tell how genetically stable a pup may be, the solution is to super-socialize all pups. The stable ones can only benefit from the extra experience as well.
Environmental impact can begin very early. For example, if a pup is genetically sound for temperament but his mother exhibits fearful behavior toward people approaching the whelping box, the pup can learn from this to be fearful of people at a very young age – as young as 3 weeks. Additionally, fear-causing events during sensitive periods, as well as significantly traumatic events at any time, can cause environmentally induced long-lasting fearful behavior.
Preventing Fear
Fear is one of the primary causes of aggression. It also badly degrades a dog’s quality of life, as well as the lives of the humans who love him. Therefore, it’s in everyone’s best interests for you to take steps to prevent your puppy/young dog from becoming fearful. One might think that would mean keeping him safe at home where no bad things can happen to him, but the opposite it true. Undersocialization is likely the leading cause of fear-related behaviors. (See “Vaccinations and Socialization”.)
When you are socializing your pup, take care to fill his environment with happy experiences. When you do this, you are giving him a positive classical association with his environment; you are programming his brain to see the world as a fun and happy place. Be extra sensitive to your pup’s perspective on the world, and watch closely for low-level signs of stress that will tell you he’s not enjoying himself. These might including avoidance (trying to move away from something), lip licking, yawning, shutting down (absence of behavior) and more. (For more information about identifying these behaviors, see “Stress Signals,” June 2006.)
If you see any of these signs, identify what is worrying him and increase his distance from that stimulus. Then carefully work to give him a positive association with that thing, using counter-conditioning to pair the stimulus with something wonderful, like chicken – baked, broiled, or canned. (See “Counter-Conditioning and Desensitization,”).
Puppy Socials
With a little (okay – a lot) of luck and a good socialization program, you may never need a counter-conditioning program for your pup; he’ll grow up mentally stable and free of fear, and be exactly the happy canine companion you’re hoping for.
Recognizing the importance of early socialization, more and more positive reinforcement trainers are offering puppy socialization classes. In these classes, rather than (or in addition to) the routine teaching of basic good manners, pups are gently exposed to a variety of stimuli, below threshold, in a safe environment, where any early fears can be identified and tended to. Pups encounter a variety of people wearing strange costumes, listen to odd noises from “sound desensitization” CDs, walk on and through a variety of surfaces and obstacles, see a vacuum cleaner at a distance, and more. My own puppy social class recently got to meet Olivia, our miniature horse!
With efforts such as these from trainers and owners who understand the vital importance of early socialization, along with an increasing awareness of how to effectively help dogs who do have fear-related issues, we can hope to see the trend reverse, and start seeing fewer dogs in our practices – and our society – with fearful behavior.
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CDBC, is WDJ’s Training Editor. She lives in Fairplay, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center, where she offers dog training classes and courses for trainers. Pat is also author of many books on positive training, including her newest, Do Over Dogs: Give Your Dog a Second Chance at a First-Class Life.
[ 本帖最后由 sylva 于 2012-5-31 12:19 编辑 ] |
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理发 (2008-7-14) youyuan 
发表于 2012-5-27 13:33
