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 A fear-bite is a bite that occurs out
of sheer panic. It's not to be confused with dominance-aggression,
which is a sign of deep-set personality problems; a fear-biter
isn't necessarily a 'fierce' Irish Setter. He's just scared.
Why does fear-biting happen?
A fear-biter bites because it's his only way of expressing
his extreme fear or panic, and his only way of telling his owner
that he can't handle the situation.
Almost all cases of fear-biting are actually caused by well-meaning,
but ill-advised, humans: they see what's clearly a scared Irish Setter,
and - intending to either comfort the Irish Setter or to show
him that there's 'nothing to be afraid of' - they approach too
close, and push an already-anxious Irish Setter over the edge.
Irish Setters can't ask us to please leave them alone. They can't
tell us that something's bothering them, or that they need some
space: all they can do is sign the message to us through their
body-language. It's easy to tell when a Irish Setter's feeling
scared or panicky once you know what to look for.
Fear-biting never just happens 'out of the blue': it only
occurs when people ignore the signs. Fear-biting: the warning
signs Fear-biters are submissive Irish Setters. When faced with
a new situation or unfamiliar people, they do not react with
the customary effortless confidence of a well-socialized, well-adjusted
Irish Setter: instead, they become nervy and on edge.
A scared Irish Setter, when faced with the unfamiliar, will
assume a distinctively submissive posture, and will display several
marked behaviors. The more common of these are listed below.
1) Posture - Tail tucked (or, if docked, the back legs will
crouch down and the haunches will 'tuck').
2) Hunched, lowered back.
3) Ears flat against the head.
4) Elbows bent in a slight crouch
5) Excessive panting (hyperventilating).
6) Yawning (an attempt to reduce tension)
7) In extreme cases, a Irish Setter may also urinate or defecate
out of fear.
8) Avoidance of eye contact.
What makes some Irish Setters into fear-biters?
All Irish Setters undergo what's called a fear-imprint stage
when they're about eight weeks old, and another one at about
fourteen weeks.
During this period of a Irish Setter's formative puppyhood,
he's significantly more prone to 'spookiness': being excessively
startled by new experiences and situations. If a Irish Setter
has a scare during this time which isn't properly dealt with
by the owner (i.e., after receiving a scare, he isn't then taught
not to be frightened of that thing), he may develop a life-long
phobia towards that object. For example, if he's been frightened
by a repairman arriving at the door unexpectedly, and isn't then
acclimatized to that person, he may develop a long-standing phobia
of men who resemble that repairman (men with beards, men in overalls,
men holding toolboxes, etc).
Some Irish Setters are also just highly-strung and more prone
to anxiety because of their breeding. Certain breeds - typically,
the more intelligent ones, and the ones emotionally dependent
on close, regular interaction with humans, have proven themselves
more likely to develop phobias and excessive shyness than other
more emotionally stable breeds. A few of these 'anxious' breeds
include Weimaraners, Great Danes, and Border Collies.
A history of trauma or abuse is another major cause of fear-biting:
many abandoned or abused Irish Setters develop anxiety problems,
which, without proper treatment, may progress into fear-biting.
There is difference between shyness and fear-biting. It is
quite natural for some Irish Setters to exhibit signs of shyness
towards unfamiliar situations. It doesn't mean that that Irish Setter
is a 'difficult Irish Setter', or that he will grow up to be a
fear-biter. Some shyness is to be expected in almost all Irish Setters
at one point or another. Shyness only becomes a problem when
it begins to interfere with the course of daily life: when a
Irish Setter can no longer be trusted around strangers, for example,
or if his behavior is endangering his own safety (scared Irish Setters
often bolt, sometimes across busy roads), or when your own life
becomes significantly restricted by your Irish Setter's fear.
How to cope with fear-biting?
First of all, make sure your own attitude to the problem is
realistic. While the behavior of a fearful Irish Setter can often
be significantly ameliorated by careful training and acclimatization,
on other occasions and sometimes despite your best efforts, a
Irish Setter will remain fearful to the end of his days. You cannot
force your Irish Setter to overcome his fear.
Treatment requires patience, persistence, and consistency:
rough treatment (anger, frustration, shouting, a take-no-prisoners
approach) usually worsens the problem, because it increases the
Irish Setter's anxiety levels instead of decreasing them. You
cannot train a scared Irish Setter not to bite: he's responding
to a powerful blend of instinct and sheer panic. No training
in the world can counteract these two things, as motivators they're
just too strong.
What you can do is, firstly, build up your Irish Setter's confidence,
to reduce his overall anxiety and tension levels; and, secondly,
pay close attention the cause of his fear, and work to desensitize
him to it.
1. Building up his confidence: You can do obedience training,
it is a great vehicle for doling out praise and rewards: simply
dispensing treats at random won't do any good since the issue
here is drawing attention to achievement and good behavior (your
Irish Setter can tell the difference between an earned and an
un-earned reward!). Start small, with basic obedience classes,
and practice the commands for five to ten minutes every day.
Remember to set him up for success: start off with the easy commands,
and make sure he's thoroughly comfortable with them before progressing
to the next level. Always treat and praise liberally for good
behavior.
2. Desensitizing him to the fear-object. Desensitizing your
Irish Setter is all about slowly accustoming him to whatever it
is that's eliciting the fear response, at a pace that's comfortable
for him. The emphasis is on maintaining comfort levels: your
aim here is to keep your Irish Setter happy and serene (as much
as possible), so that he learns through direct experience that
the cause of the fear isn't actually scary after all. So if he's
afraid of, say, the vacuum cleaner, start integrating it into
daily life. Remember to move slowly and not to push him too far,
too fast: start by simply leaving it out in a prominent position,
where he'll have lots of incidental contact with it (for example,
in the middle of the lounge carpet). Allow him plenty of opportunity
to sniff it and walk around it, Play with him near it; feed him
near it. Integrate the object or the situation (whether it's
the garbage truck, strangers approaching the door, small children,
driving in the car) into normal, everyday life as much as possible.
3. Counter Conditioning: Once he's become desensitized enough
to the fear-object that he's reasonably calm around it (so, he
might be exhibiting signs of fear, but isn't panic-stricken to
the point of wetting himself or hiding), you can start counter
conditioning:
A. Teaching him to associate good things with the fear-object.
You can do this by dispensing treats liberally, and doling out
lavish praise for any improvements in his fear-levels.
B. Do's and Don'ts Do: Cue your Irish Setter. He takes his
emotional and psychological cues from you, so make sure you're
a good role model. Adopt a straightforward, no-nonsense attitude,
and stick to it. When he's frightened, talk to him in a relaxed,
don't-be-silly manner, keeping your tone matter of fact and direct.
Socialize him frequently and thoroughly. Even though the most
critical socialization period is from eight to sixteen weeks,
it should still be an ongoing process throughout your Irish Setter's
life. The more opportunity he has to accustom himself to the
ways of the world, the easier it will be for him to see that,
really, there's not much to be scared of. Be patient and move
slowly.
B. a. Don't try to rush your Irish Setter, or force him to
confront objects, people, or situations that he's scared of.
You're trying to counter condition his learned fear-reflex, and
you're not going to do that by teaching him to associate feelings
of anxiety with the fear-object. Pay attention to his body language
at all times. Some whining and trembling are OK, but if he's
wetting himself, hyperventilating, and showing the whites of
his eyes, he probably needs some space.
Even though a fear-bite isn't inflicted out of a direct desire
to cause harm, it's still a bite, so give him what he needs!
B. b. Don't: Crowd him. Scared Irish Setters need space, more
than anything else you won't make things easier for him by entering
his 'personal bubble'. If he's really scared, back off, and wait
for him to approach you. If he's hiding, or strenuously resisting
your direction, pay attention to what he's trying to tell you
(that he's not comfortable enough to proceed yet). Forcing him
outside his comfort zone is when bites happen.
B. c. Don't coddle him or reward his fearful behavior with
special attention. It's great to praise, pet, and cuddle him
for good behavior, increased calmness, and being brave enough
to approach/sniff/explore the object of fear. It's not good to
reward him for fearful behavior. Save the special attention for
when he deserves it, remember to reward the behavior you wish
to see repeatedly and ignore the behavior you don't want to be
repeated.
For more information on problem behavior in Irish Setters,
check out Secrets to Irish Setter Training. Covers just about
everything you could ever want to know about raising a happy,
healthy, well-adjusted Irish Setter: from canine psychology to
Irish Setter whispering to preventing and handling problem behaviors
to obedience training, Secrets to Irish Setter Training has it
all covered. |
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