Anxious or fearful dogs, perhaps they are sound sensitive, or generally anxious characters, can benefit from carefully carried out confidence building activities. Read on for more about confidence building in dogs!

Exposing dogs to novel items and activities in general is great for building confidence. We all know how good it can feel to overcome a challenge! And here is the key: it must be something the dog is able to work through without becoming fearful.

Even providing enrichment that doesn’t correlate directly with the situation your dog is anxious in can help to give them an overall confidence boost and help with their specific anxiety.

• You could start by using small objects that your dog needs to snuffle in, pushing them around to find treats.
• Over time as your dog gets good at this you can add in bigger objects or different types of object.
• You can work towards using things that move more or fall slightly, or make a noise. Again, it’s really important this happens gradually. If your dog has something big or loud fall next to them this could make them more anxious, not less!

Check out the different approaches Max and Ernie have to challenges in the video below to demonstrate some ideas.

If you’d like to learn more about how to use enrichment for building your dog’s confidence, or how to create a tailored programme to address your dog’s specific worries then please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

I am a Clinical Animal Behaviourist based in the Worcestershire area. However, with successful online training procedures, training can be anywhere in the world as long as you have your dogs, and a device with an internet connection!

Get in touch to see how I can help:

– Call on 07834604549

– Email on hello@weteachpets.com