Dog With Fear Of Other Dogs: What Can You Do?
Walks on the street, in the park or in a meadow can be a bad experience if you have a dog that is afraid or aggression towards other conspecifics.
The reasons are different: a bad memory or a lack of socialization can cause this distrust in your four-legged friend. The tension resulting from this situation does not improve for the companion when contact between the dogs occurs.
Dog with fear
Fear is an emotion in the face of a stimulus. This can be a noise, a situation or, as in this case, contact with another dog. Clearly, this fear is not normal for social animals like dogs and can become a problem with everyday activities such as walking.
A dog owner must not punish their dog for being afraid at that moment , or force them to interact with the other dog if they show clear signs of fear.
In this case, it is advisable to consider enlisting the help of a professional dog trainer instead of trying to force a supposed normalcy on the animal.
Signs of fear in dogs
Body language is very important in recognizing the animal’s condition. If you pay attention to these signals, it is easy to prevent a bad situation from happening.
Dogs have very extensive body language. The facial expression, the posture and the position of the tail indicate their feelings.
A dog with fear shows the following behavior:
- The ears point backwards or close to the head.
- Muscle tension. The animal can even tremble.
- He makes himself small.
- Deep tail, sometimes between the legs.
- Barking and whimpering.
- Tries to move away from the source of fear.
If the anxiety worsens, the stressful situation may cause the animal to defecate, urinate, or even make repetitive movements (stereotypes) . In addition, in these situations it often happens that he shows a certain calm.
Causes of Fear of Other Dogs
Dogs that are afraid of other dogs often have a reason for this feeling. The most common causes for this are:
- Lack of socialization. The socialization phase is key in the puppy’s life to avoid phobias in adulthood. This period ranges from the first three weeks of life to three months. During this time it is important to give the puppy as many stimuli as possible. Among other things, he learns what a dog is, what species his friends are, bite control and communication.
- Traumatic experience. A previous bad experience with another dog can be enough for the animal to be afraid of other dogs.
- Behavior reinforced by the owner. Dogs easily recognize the feelings of their companions. And if the person is tense in situations with other dogs due to fear or ignorance, he transfers this feeling to the animal, for example by pulling on the leash.
What can you do if the dog is scared?
Fighting your dog’s fear of conspecifics is not an easy task: you need to be aware that it will take a lot of time and effort. You can’t force the dog to interact with others.
But you can reduce the fear of meeting other dogs on the street by following a number of rules when walking:
- Release the tension. It is advisable to use a leash about ten feet long to allow the animal to walk more calmly, without a tight leash or pulling when another dog crosses the path. This way he will not associate walking with a confrontation with his source of fear.
- Practice getting used to it. Keep a distance from other dogs that the animal is uncomfortable with. In these situations the companion must show calm behavior and always use positive reinforcement. Over time, the distance can be narrowed.
- Watch the dog. It is very important to pay a lot of attention to the animal in order to know its limits and to track its progress.
If you train your dog this way, the fear of other dogs will go away. Little by little you can begin to introduce your four-legged friend to calm, sociable and not overly active dogs.
