Behavioral Rehabilitation of Extremely Fearful Dogs: Report on the Efficacy of a Treatment Protocol
Dogs subject to neglect, abuse, and/or severe under-socialization may develop moderate to extreme fearfulness. Moderate to extreme fearfulness, especially of humans and home environments, significantly impacts quality of life, impairs adoption from animal shelters, and increases the risk of euthanasia. A behavioral rehabilitation program incorporating desensitization and counterconditioning graduated 86 % of dogs with a 99 % adoption rate. Increasing the availability of rehabilitation may contribute to reducing euthanasia of dogs for behavioral reasons, particularly those from cruelty cases, puppy mills, and hoarding situations
Collins, K., Miller, K., Zverina, L., Patterson-Kane, E., Cussen, V., & Reid, P. (2022, June 30). Behavioral rehabilitation of extremely fearful dogs: Report on the efficacy of a treatment protocol . Applied Animal Behaviour Science – Elsevier. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159122001472?via%3Dihub&fbclid=IwAR1CwIFkXiOzrndxDufquTRQtv49b_7x7WW8WK4DzlqqJ8QGajAoscHPJP4
View ResourceTopic(s): Behavior, Intervention, Problem Abnormal Behavior, Shelter and Rescue