Dogs are afraid of all sorts of unusual and wonderful things from the sound of falling leaves to people wearing hats or men with beards.
But as entertaining as some of their fears seem, living with a fearful dog is not very easy. While many people spend our time making an attempt to calm our dogs over exhuberance down, owners of fearful dogs use their time trying hard to coax their dog out from under the furniture and build their confidence.
Some owners can only walk their dog after it is dark because their dog is scared of seeing other dogs; other owners can't invite friends and family into their place because the dog is so frightened of people and yet others owners who can't get their dog to go out of the house without shaking with fear.
The things that make your dog afraid can also lead to other behaviour problems like fear aggression, excessive barking, destructive behavior and other conditions such as separation anxiety in dogs.
Top Dog Fears
Noises seem to cause the most fears and there are many dogs who are terrified of thunder, storms and fireworks. Loud noises are maybe most understandable to us, but equally you will find dogs who are afraid of noises such as the telphone ringing, the vacuum cleaner, or the doorbell.
People can also be a big source of fear amongst dogs, with some dogs focusing on men or children to be terrified of, and others being terrified of particlular things about people, like beards or hats or particular voices. I heard about a dog that would start barking ferociously at the sound of a popular newsreaders voice, but at no others.
Places can also make dogs afraid, starting from wide open spaces all the way down to developing fears about peeing in their own favorite rear yard spot.
Some of their fears are difficult to understand, especially when a dog all of a sudden is afraid of a place they have been happy to use for years without worry. On a forum lately a dog owner was discussing how her dog was suddenly fearful of being downstairs and would dash upstairs at each chance and spend her time looking uneasily back down the stairway. She would only come down when she had to urinate or when called for a walk and then would skid down the steps and out the door as quickly as she could.
3 things That Help a Fearful Dog
It is important to stay calm yourself when dealing with a dogs fears because if they pick up on our own anxiety it'll give them more reason to be scared.
Do not make too much fuss of your dog while they are in a panic state either as it can heighten their feelings. Treat them in an agreeable but straightforward way like there's little for them to fret about at all.
Find out how to use desenstisation training to carefully introduce them to the things they fear in a controlled way and use plenty of treats and praise.
But as entertaining as some of their fears seem, living with a fearful dog is not very easy. While many people spend our time making an attempt to calm our dogs over exhuberance down, owners of fearful dogs use their time trying hard to coax their dog out from under the furniture and build their confidence.
Some owners can only walk their dog after it is dark because their dog is scared of seeing other dogs; other owners can't invite friends and family into their place because the dog is so frightened of people and yet others owners who can't get their dog to go out of the house without shaking with fear.
The things that make your dog afraid can also lead to other behaviour problems like fear aggression, excessive barking, destructive behavior and other conditions such as separation anxiety in dogs.
Top Dog Fears
Noises seem to cause the most fears and there are many dogs who are terrified of thunder, storms and fireworks. Loud noises are maybe most understandable to us, but equally you will find dogs who are afraid of noises such as the telphone ringing, the vacuum cleaner, or the doorbell.
People can also be a big source of fear amongst dogs, with some dogs focusing on men or children to be terrified of, and others being terrified of particlular things about people, like beards or hats or particular voices. I heard about a dog that would start barking ferociously at the sound of a popular newsreaders voice, but at no others.
Places can also make dogs afraid, starting from wide open spaces all the way down to developing fears about peeing in their own favorite rear yard spot.
Some of their fears are difficult to understand, especially when a dog all of a sudden is afraid of a place they have been happy to use for years without worry. On a forum lately a dog owner was discussing how her dog was suddenly fearful of being downstairs and would dash upstairs at each chance and spend her time looking uneasily back down the stairway. She would only come down when she had to urinate or when called for a walk and then would skid down the steps and out the door as quickly as she could.
3 things That Help a Fearful Dog
It is important to stay calm yourself when dealing with a dogs fears because if they pick up on our own anxiety it'll give them more reason to be scared.
Do not make too much fuss of your dog while they are in a panic state either as it can heighten their feelings. Treat them in an agreeable but straightforward way like there's little for them to fret about at all.
Find out how to use desenstisation training to carefully introduce them to the things they fear in a controlled way and use plenty of treats and praise.
About the Author:
Author Venice Marriott is a writer, dog owner and runs a website which provides help and information for dog owners dealing with dog anxiety. Get more information about dog fears and the symptoms of separation anxiety in dogs when you visit the site.