Scared of ROF. Not ROTFL. ROF - Return of Fear. Seems to be a hot topic last few months. If you condition a dog to like scary things, take a break - dun dun dun...the fear will come back. Theres been quite a bit of research on it. Trainers that use desensitization havent really talked about it much because, if you know about how it happens, its not an issue. If youre scared of ROF, here is what you need to know. Good owners are at risk. These people go out, every day like clockwork and practice. The dog learns a pattern. Fear reduces, but, the dog has a long history of being scared. The dog then learns, hmmm, something new has happened. Scary things are good....for now. Then the good/diligent owner takes a break or thinks they are done with rehab. Maybe they go on holidays. When they get back, the dogs fear returns. Why? Because the dog has a long, varied history of being scared. Then ONE consistent time frame where things were different. After the break the dog thinks, Hmmm, which rules are happening now? To get past this you need to.... 1 - Plan long spaces between fear rehab sessions. That way the dog learns that breaks are normal and the scary thing doesnt morph back into something evil after a break. Breaks matter! Longer ones too. 2 - Eliminate little secret cues and contexts. Do you ONLY wear a treat pouch for rehab? The dog will notice that when you wear a treat pouch the scary thing is not scary. No treat pouch - oh oh. Special leash? The dog will notice. 3 - Understand that after a break, your dog will be concerned about which rules apply. The old or the new. If you stay focused and keep the dog under threshold (be prepared to lower it after a break), the moments where your dog is worrying will reduce. Expect it. Understand its a sign that the dog is processing the new information. It means that things are working as they should! Really good, diligent, well meaning people work very hard and dont realize that what they are doing might not be technically correct. What they dont know, might scare them. Know the science = get better results.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 01:09:20 +0000