All animals and individuals have certain things they are afraid or scared about. Fear is an undesirable emotional state exemplified by emotional, physical, and behavioral responses to stimuli considered a threat or danger. Your pet’s response to their fear is related to their perception of a particular thing. Even though there won’t be any real danger, fear can be both rational or irrational. It can keep your pet safe from getting any harm. Such a type of fear is called adaptive fear.
Your pet might show certain signs indicating that they are feeling scared. Physical signs your pet might show that they are afraid or they fear something. These may include increased heart rate, breathing, sweating, swelling, and sometimes frequent urination. In terms of behavior, your dog might also show signs like avoiding eye contact, lowering the head and body, and tucking the tail under the body.
Some Of The Most Common Dog Fears May Include:
- See-through stairs or stairs in general.
- Elevators.
- Other dogs and puppies.
- People and children.
- Jumping from a height.
- Loud noises like thunder.
- Being alone.
Some dogs might be afraid of certain things which might not be more common, and their reaction to it might be subtle, and they might avoid anticipating the act.
These May Include:
- Your dog might suddenly stop eating as they are in a different environment than usual.
- Your dog might not poop outside because they are in different places other than their comfort zone.
- Hiding under the table or below the bed.
- Suddenly barking without reason.
- They will not participate in something they enjoy.
Counter Conditioning
In counter conditioning, you change your pet’s emotional response, attitude, or feeling towards external stimuli. Let’s take an example for understanding this in a better way. If your dog is afraid of one of your friends and he lunges at them, it might be due to fear. With counter-conditioning, you have to treat your dog with his favorite reward to change its emotional state so that your pet can act positively. The dog will think that meeting this person will get him his treat. Do this with the help of a professional dog trainer.
