Years ago people were told that if they comforted their pets when they were  afraid, the pets would be more likely to be afraid next time.  I remember hearing this advice and I could not comprehend why it was being used.  If I am scared I want a loved one to comfort me and it definitely does not make me more fearful in the future.  In some cases, I may be less fearful because I realize that the thing I was afraid of was not a big deal.  If you think about this intuitively you can see that it does not make sense. […]