Should I console my dog when she's scared?

Photo by Brandon Morgan on Unsplash

The other night, severe thunderstorms raged their way across Connecticut. Shelby, my whippet cross couldn’t get close enough to me, burying her nose in the crook of my arm. She’s a sensitive dog; she notices small changes in the environment before I do, whether it be a slight breeze that picks up or a darkening of the sky.

People who know a lot more about dog training than I do, advise me to brush her off, behave as if nothing is amiss, and simply carry on with whatever I was doing.

This feels wrong. I’ve learned that if advise feels more wrong than right, I should follow my heart. Shelby was trembling; she’s a super lean, string bean of a dog and I imagined I could hear her bones clacking together. So, instead of going about my business as usual, I did what any good friend would do for another; I sat on the couch and consoled her with a steady hug.

After a bit, her body caught up with her reassured mind and she stopped trembling. After a few minute…