It is completely normal for our dog to face some fears in the course of his life. Among these we can find “universal” fears, which affect almost all dogs, and others that are typical and peculiar to our four-legged friend.

In this article we will try to explain what fears are and what kind they can be, to understand how to best deal with them.

Meanwhile, let’s make a distinction between fear and phobia:

FEAR is an “adaptive” instinctive emotional response that is triggered in response to an external stimulus that the dog perceives as a danger (whether it is real or not). Fear is not a completely negative emotion: it serves, in fact, at a primordial level, to trigger an innate survival mechanism of the animal. The important thing is that this fear does not influence and excessively limit his life to the point of becoming a serious problem. If so, you may need the help of a behavioral veterinarian.

The PHOBIA with respect to fear persists for a long time even after the elimination of a trigger factor or is triggered in the absence of a precise external stimulus. While fear includes its “beneficial” function of adaptive response, phobia on the contrary is extremely negative and interferes with the functioning of the organism as a whole. In this case it is important not to improvise but to entrust our animal to a good veterinarian who specializes in the subject.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF FEAR IN THE DOG

The dog’s behavior when he feels fear can be expressed in a series of signals , sometimes very different from each other.

  • Increased motor activity
  • Excessive and frantic attention request
  • Unusual and restless exploration of the surrounding environment
  • Increased state of alert
  • Aggression

Or, conversely:

  • Inhibition of motor activity
  • Instinct to hide or flee
  • The animal becomes withdrawn and shy
  • Self-comforting behaviors
  • Tremble and hold the tail between the legs

As we have seen, the signals of a state of fear can also sometimes be opposite to each other : this largely depends, just as it happens for us, on the specific character of each animal.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON FEARS OF DOGS

Surely in the course of his life, our furry friend will experience one or more of these fears, which are the ones that are found most in our best four-legged friends:

  1. Very loud and / or sudden noises . Dogs have very sensitive hearing and poorly tolerate loud noises such as that of lightning during a thunderstorm or those of New Year’s barrels.
  2. Separation from the master . When they are left alone, especially if for a long time, and the owner does not show up for a while, a real separation anxiety immediately sets in. In fact, dogs with their master establish a relationship of dependence, which refers to that of the pack. In these cases the dog starts to cry, or vents against everything that comes within range.
  3. Visits to the vet : which furry dog likes to go to his vet? This is certainly one of the most common fears.
  4. Traveling by car . Especially when associated with a visit to the vet, the car for our furry loved ones is often synonymous with fear and bad feelings. An expedient to help them in this case could be to associate the car with pleasant seats and moments of fun.

Then there are dogs who show particular fears due to unpleasant experiences : there are those who are afraid of stairs , some of water , some of the umbrella , some of the cat or of the grates .

These are fears that most likely developed as puppies and, by staying well in the pet’s mind, are also the most difficult to deal with .

WHAT TO DO (OR NOT TO DO) WHEN YOUR DOG IS SCARED

If we realize that our furry loved one is going through a state of fear, we must be very careful to avoid a series of gestures and behaviors that apparently may seem the most right and appropriate, but which instead would only make the problem worse.

WHAT NOT TO DO:

  • Avoid comforting your furry friend, cuddling him, talking to him in a sweet voice. So we must avoid empathizing with her fear because this will only confirm and further strengthen her
  • Do not make sudden and abrupt movements
  • Avoid speaking in a high or altered tone of voice
  • Don’t force him to interact with us
  • Avoid stroking it and approaching the animal in any other way

WHAT TO DO:

  • Get close to your furry friend, thus showing your support, but remaining indifferent to what is happening.
  • Avoid looking him in the eye , walking towards him or interacting with him in these moments of acute fear, especially if the animal shows signs of aggression.
  • If his instinct is to flee or hide in dangerous areas, put a collar and leash on him. This can also be felt as a gesture of reassurance and will prevent the dog from putting himself in danger.
  • Or, on the contrary, we keep our furry friend free to move in an area he knows and trusts, large but protected (perhaps fenced).
  • Remain as calm, impassive and still as possible.

In a nutshell: we try to respect their emotional state and show our furry friends our presence not as we would like us, but as it is for them to go through this moment without consequences.