This New York Times Magazine article on anxiety chronicles pioneering research, going back some 20 years, into the innate tendency of some people to be more anxious than others. A few things revealed in the article amused me, including the commonalities I see between parenting an anxious child and training an anxious dog. And, here is the kicker … dog people like us know the “right” answer.
Whereas animal behaviorists believe about 10% of dogs have a genetic predisposition to be fearful, those who first studied human babies found that 20% fell into the “high-reactive” category. So, if anyone ever says that dogs are more neurotic than people, don’t believe them.
The following paragraph in Robin Marantz Henig’s article tells me that animal behavior science outpaces human development science.
How so? Keep reading.
“Attempts to see what kind of parenting works best with an anxiety-prone temperament leave almost as many questions asked as answered. Which is better for a fearful, high-strung child — a parent who CODDLES the child and says everything will be alright, or a parent who sets firm, strict limits and has no tolerance for skitishness? You could picture it as going either way, really. On one hand, it might be good to shield children from the things that worry them. On the other hand, it might be better to urge them, maybe even FORCE them, to confront the things they dread.” (emphasis mine)
Fellow dog people, are you laughing?
I practically had to sit on my hands to avoid being Horshack (for those old enough to remember). Ooh, ooh! I know the answer!
Yet, studies on the human side have delivered mixed results. Researchers really need to look at the dog data that proves what works and what doesn’t.
Force is never the answer with people OR dogs with this sensitive predisposition. And, while I quibble over the term “coddle” since it’s often used in a derogatory manner, I stand with both feet and all the conviction I can muster in the camp that says we can COMFORT, PROTECT, and TEACH fearful beings at the same time.
I have 2 dogs scared of thunderstorms and my big, bad German Shepherd/Rot mix is scared of the running washing machine. The only thing we can think of is the vibration of the floor. She wasn’t like this in our other house.
I enjoyed that article too! And, I kept seeing the dog-people parallels. K was an anxious puppy right from the start so I think that she was born anxious. But, the questions about how to handle it seem as confused in the human world as in the dog world. Given my experiences with K, I think that we need to tailor our reaction to the dog’s response. K is an odd one – comforting works in some situations but not others.
Very interesting, Roxanne. I know my Duck Toller Kodi has anxiety and it can be really difficult to remember to stay calm w/him when he’s freaking out about nothing and barking like a maniac.