Mary Allen
Proper upbringing also depends on individual character. Because a sensitive dog simply has different needs than a daredevil.
The basic creature is fur noses in the cradle – or put in the whelping box. If a sensitive dog is born, often only a few negative experiences in a formative phase are necessary to anchor a learning experience negatively. But courage can be learned to a certain extent if you have the know-how!
The pup, endowed with courage by genetics, whose mother was exposed to little stress during pregnancy, has a clear starting advantage over the sensitive one. If the sensitive dog sends small, fine signals, the trained human eye is required to perceive them. And as a result, it requires knowing how to deal adequately with the sensitive soul of a dog.
Even Sensitive Dogs Need Stimuli
Because by no means should the delicately strung candidate be put under the notorious cheese cover so that stimuli do not cause him stress. Rather, it is about presenting stimuli to the gentle soul in such a way that learning can take place in the best possible way. When dealing with cautious dogs, time is the most important factor.
External stimuli should also be presented in such a graded intensity that generalization during learning is possible without intimidating the animal. A concrete example of this: The sensitive dog should learn to walk on a grid floor in the city. This exercise is broken down into the smallest possible steps. A single grid element can be positioned well at home. At first, a sniff of it is already positively reinforced, only much later a movement on it.
Momentum comes into play when the dog has learned to follow the hand with treats on normal ground. Well-fixed cardboard on the grid makes the exercise easier so that only a small step on the grid is necessary. Gradually, the box is reduced. Only when the exercise is 100% perfect inside does it go outside. The sensitive dog overcame this hurdle through learning breaks, time, and small-step tasks. Simply placing it on the grid creates suboptimal learning conditions and is not conducive to trust in humans. Conversely, avoidance behavior does not make sense either. Sensitive little ones need a sense of achievement to grow internally.