Ananova:

Cowardly canines are being taught to face their fears at a self confidence course designed to bring out the inner wolf.

The course which has been a sell out success in Austria was organised by animal behaviour expert Marianne Prutsch.

She said: "More and more dogs are scared of their own shadows and the course is designed to make them more self confident and secure."

She said the course at Hannersdorf in the wine growing Burgenland region of Austria was not about making the dogs more aggressive, saying: "Self confident dogs rarely bite and are more fun to be with.

"Nervous dogs who are afraid of everything are even more likely to bite their owners and too often are aggressive."

Prutsch said that some breeds of dog were naturally more nervous than others, including surprisingly the Doberman, Dalmatians and Border Collies.

She added: "The most self confident are the Irish Wolfhounds, but they are also one of the biggest."