Episode 34: Canine Caregivers - Can You Reward Fear?

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode.

In this episode we discuss "Can You Reward Fear?".

When people are discussing how to handle unwanted behaviours, too often we hear people and even some misguided professionals give the advice... "Don't do that to them then, you'll reward the behaviour and make them want to feel scared again". Which just DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE!!

It is impossible to use any amount of positive reinforcement to make another individual WANT to feel a negative emotional state again!

If I've had a bad day at work and my amazing wife gave me a beer when I got home because I was moping around and feeling angry, it would increase the likelihood of me wanting to come home feeling angry and behaving that way again.

So, it's impossible to reward fear... but does that mean we need to start being permissive of fearful behaviours? Is that the solution?

This topic is layered, so we unpack this all in this episode! Tune in!

If you want to learn more about Canine Caregivers, a platform in which we provide courses and webinars on how to live a healthy and happy life with your dog, visit caninecaregivers.com.au because we've got a ton of resources available.

Dominique also operates as 'The Dog Behavioural Trainer' in Sydney where she helps people and their dogs with training and behavioural issues. You can find her website here: https://thedogbehaviouraltrainer.com.au/

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