Ranger Recommends: fearfuldogs.com

Ranger came to us a confident self-assured one year old who was convinced that people always mean good things. He didn't have any manners but he did have great socialization. Finna didn't have that socialization. Sadly, her early life seems to have convinced her that while a few humans might be trustworthy humans in general are not to be trusted. Rather than believing that humans will result in something good happening for Finna she believes that humans will result in something she doesn't like. She is afraid and her fear causes her to take actions to keep the scary things away. Finna is a fearful dog and today's blog is about an incredible resource for those of us who are dealing with fearful dogs.

http://fearfuldogs.com/ is a practical resource created by Debbie Jacobs. Jacobs didn't set out to become an expert on shy, timid, anxious, overwhelmed dogs--dogs who are afraid and whose fear leads them to behave in inappropriate ways. She came to her expertise through hard won experience as she works with her own fearful dog Sunny a beautiful border collie who was rescued from an animal hoarding situation. Her quest to help him has led her to a valuable understanding of the biological nature of fear and to techniques and treatments for fearful dogs. As an incredible gift to those of us who also have fearful dogs Jacobs has shared her hard won knowledge and her ups and downs in this website and in her fascinating blog (linked from website.)

Reading through all the blog posts and examining the other resources and links on http://fearfuldogs.com/ I learned a lot about the subject of fearful dogs and lots of practical ideas for helping Finna. Jacobs has a real gift for clear and direct writing. Reading her blog I found myself looking at things in a new light and better able to understand what's going on in Finna's head. If, like me, you're dealing with a canine who is afraid you need to visit this website. Ranger, Finna and I highly recommend it.