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Dogs Afraid of Something
Fear is a normal emotion that makes animals respond to a threat, but it can also be a huge problem to overcome. If you find that your dog is afraid of something, remove it from it’s environment initially. Ensure that the dog is gradually exposed to absolutely every stimulus that it may come into contact with. By doing so, you will build up the dog's self confidence and trust in you.
Recognizing the problem:
Most dogs are accustomed to normal situations such as household noises, strangers and many other every day events. Some dogs may experience fear over anything and everything. Dogs that are fearful have problems adjusting to new situations and people and may develop aggressive behaviour to cope with the fearful emotional state.
Indications that the dog is afraid of something:
- Hide or run away
- Keep ears back or flattened
- Have dilated pupils
- Tuck it’s tail between legs Threaten and bark at a person while backing away
How to do away with this fear:
- Gradual exposure: Do not force a dog to accept the people, objects or situations he fears as it may cause stress and other behaviour problems. Exposure should be frequent and short; and use rewards for voluntary approach.
- Your attitude - do not reinforce the fearful response: Do not reassure a scared dog or say things as it’s ok as it will kindle the fearful behaviour and make him think you are frightened too.
- Change your dog’s response to feared objects: Place the feared object in full view. Keep moving the object to different locations daily until your dog stops avoiding it and walks by.
- Take it outside: Make your dog touch all sorts of objects outside (i.e. trees, statues,bench parks, etc.) Always start with objects that don’t frighten your dog.
- Changing your dog’s response to feared sounds: You can desensitize your dog to sounds he fears (fireworks, thunder, doorbell) by recording those sounds and playing them on a tape recorder at low level and gradually increasing the volume.
- Distract Your Dog: Engage your dog in any activity that captures her attention and distracts her from behaving fearfully. Give her a lot of praise and treats for paying attention to the game or the commands.
- Seek your vet’s help: Dogs that have severe fear may benefit from Anti Anxiety drugs but should be given in consultation with a veterinarian. Drugs only mask the problem, they never resolve it fully. The only long term solution is to overcome it.
What Not To Do:
- Attempting to reassure your dog when she’s afraid may reinforce her fearful behavior. Instead, try to behave normally, as if you don’t notice her fear.
- Putting your dog in a crate to prevent her from being destructive. She’ll still be afraid, and is likely to injure herself while attempting to get out of the crate.
- Don’t punish your dog for being afraid as it will make her more fearful.
- Don’t force your dog to be close to what frightens her; as she may become aggressive in an attempt to escape from the situation.