There are many things which may cause fear in your dog. They can be afraid of strangers, thunderstorms, passing bicyclists, or even other dogs.

As human beings, we naturally move to protect and comfort our animal, trying to make them feel unafraid simply by virtue of our assurances. But unfortunately, this compassionate response is likely doing our fearful dog more harm than good, as it teaches him that being fearful will garner extra attention from you. And remember, you get what you reinforce with your puppy.

Here is some further explanation as to your dog’s natural instinct, why he may be afraid, and how to best remedy the situation.

A Fearful Dog & His Reactions

Instinctively, dogs respond in one of four ways to stimuli which they perceive as threatening. A fearful dog may exhibit avoidance, flight, fight or surrender.

Avoidance and Flight:

When frightened, your dog may either actively ignore the threat, take the long way around to avoid the situation, or run away from whatever is scaring them.

Fight:

This extreme reaction is similar to a “cornered animal”, attacking and appearing aggressive or mean – even though they are actually terrified.

Surrender:

This is the reaction we will train the dog towards, which is simply accepting the presence of the stimulus without any strong reaction one way or the other.

How to Quell Fearfulness

As we have discussed previously, your dog associates your response with what is happening in the moment. This is why we cannot scold a dog for chewing a shoe hours after it happens – they simply do not understand that your reaction is tied to something they did hours go.

Conversely, your dog will associate overt affection with whatever catalyst triggered it – in this case, being frightened. Your fearful dog does not understand your words of comfort or assurance – only that given your positive response, you want him to be afraid. His fear is rewarded.

Therefore, as tempting as it may be to love on your puppy when he is afraid, they will benefit more from strong guidance. Dogs learn by imitation – generally from other dogs, but certainly from the human they adore as well. You are, in essence, his “pack leader”.

If you remain calm, friendly, and unaffected by the stimulus, your dog will learn to do the same, This is calling out his “surrender” instinct – to notice, but essentially remain unperturbed. Your dog learns that there is nothing to be afraid of not because you are comforting him, but because you are showing him that there really is nothing to be afraid of.

Here’s a Tip:

Punishment will do more harm than good when dealing with a fearful dog. You will simply add more fear and confusion to an already difficult situation for your dog.

  • Associate positive things with the fearful object. When you see another dog approaching, give your dog a treat. When they get closer, give them another treat. Once the other dog has passed, do not give anymore treats until you see another dog. Soon your dog will realize another dog is cause for excitement, not fear.
  • Instead of avoiding the stimulus, expose them to it more often. If your dog cowers at the sight of the vacuum cleaner, run it more often. Start when they are in the next room or in a crate, and gradually use when they are in the same room.
  • Ask guests to allow the dog to approach them, instead of them walking up to the dog, which your dog can see as threatening. Once the dog does approach, advise guests to pet them on the side or back, as opposed to the top of the head which can cause anxiety for some dogs.

Dog trainers are well-versed in identifying and moderating many types of behaviors in canines, and can be of great assistance if your dog is really struggling with fear. Gulf Coast K9 Dog Training is a smart call to make in the Bradenton and Sarasota areas if your dog is exhibiting severely anxious or fearful behavior. Call us today, we’d love to help.