Just like us, dogs can experience fear, especially when faced with a negative or stressful situation that they feel puts their physical well-being is at risk. Dogs can be afraid of people, animals, loud noises, foreign objects and even the street itself.
We must understand that fear is an adaptive mechanism, since it allows them to be alert to possible dangers in the environment and prevents them from exposing themselves to unnecessary risks, thus favoring their survival, through physiological responses, which They can be flight or fight. If you notice that your dog is more skittish than usual, it is essential to go to the vet to rule out any organic cause.
In this article on our site, we will show you 10 symptoms of fear in dogs so you can easily recognize when your dog is scared. Do not miss it, it is essential for your well-being:
Why are dogs afraid?
fear is an adaptive emotion that appears when the dog perceives imminent danger, however it is essential to differentiate it fromanxiety , which is a chronic state of alertness, or the phobias , which are not adaptive and usually provoke a totally uncontrolled reaction in the dog, even in situations that do not represent a real danger. When a dog experiences an episode of fear, it can happen that he remains paralyzed, that he tries to flee, that he moves or that he tries to attack.
Causes of fear in dogs
Fear may be caused by a period of poor socialization, in which the dog has not been adequately presented with all the stimuli with which it will live in its adult stage (people, animals, environments, noises…), the genetic inheritance [1] and thelived experiences In addition, fear directly affects the he alth of the dog, as a study shows that dogs with chronic fear and anxiety are susceptible to more diseases and have alower life expectancy [2]
When we talk about lived experiences we can refer to a traumatic experience, an illness that has caused a lot of pain and a negative association with certain stimuli (such as towards the veterinarian), physical punishment and even due to to a history of animal abuse. In any case, to obtain a diagnosis it will be essential to go to an ethologist who will help us establish management guidelines and a specific treatment to help the dog overcome or control episodes of fear.
Sensory deprivation syndrome
This pathology usually appears in puppies that have been completely isolated from the environment during their socialization period, without their mother and siblings, and who have also been raised in impoverished environments and without stimuli. All this causes that in their adult stage these dogs present generalized panic, in the face of practically any stimulus.
The main symptoms of fear in dogs
To recognize the symptoms of fear in dogs, you will need to learn more about the body language of dogs to be able to identify and differentiate the signals that his body communicates to us when he experiences moments of relaxation, happiness, fear, anger or stress, for example.
First of all, we must understand that each but is unique and shows its own personality. Therefore, it is impossible to make an exact guide or manual on how to understand dogs and all their emotional variations. To meet your best friend, you must spend time to get to know him, enjoy with him, observe his behavior and identify his postures, gestures and facial expressions to express his different moods. However, we can identify some very obvious signs that show us that our furry is scared.
Next, we show you the main symptoms of fear in dogs:
1. Tail down or between legs
Without a doubt, One of the most obvious symptoms of fear in dogs is the tail between the legs or down. In addition, excessive or exaggerated movements can also be considered a sign of anxiety and stress in the dog.
two. Ears back or close to head
Ears pushed back or flat against the head are also fear symptoms in dogs are well recognized and easy to identify. They can appear both in dogs that adopt positions of fear and submission and those that react aggressively out of fear.
3. Crouched body or stooped posture
A frightened dog will show a hunched body and may also walk crouched. This posture tells us that our furry no longer behaves and acts with the security that he should have in a calm and positive environment.
4. Find a place to hide
This is a very common behavior in frightened and fearful dogs. When identifying some unknown stimulus or feeling threatened, the animal will look for a safe refuge, where it can hide and wait the danger goes away and tranquility reigns again in the ambient.
5. Try to escape
In a situation that it considers to be of imminent danger, logically the dog will try to escape to a place where it feels safe. Running away is a way to escape from any danger and to avoid unfavorable fights with other individuals.
6. Calming signals
Frightened dogs may also show different calming signals, such as smacking, yawning continuously, head turning, squinting, shrinking, averting their eyes, or glancing sideways among many other common signs of their body language.
7. Submissive postures
Submission in dogs is an adaptive response that has allowed them to establish a hierarchy and survive in packs. It is important to highlight that within the same group of dogs that live together, variable hierarchies can be generated, which do not always follow a linear pattern. The submission postures appear regularly in relationships between individuals of the same species (submission is intraspecific, that is, it only occurs between members of the same species).
A dog adopts such postures voluntarily when he recognizes a dominant individual, expressing that he submits his own will to that of the dominant dog. However, in some extreme cases, a dog can also carry out submission postures when recognizing itself in a situation of high stress and fear In these cases, these postures they are usually accompanied by signs of calm and the other symptoms of fear mentioned in this list.
8. Muscle stiffness and tremors
Situations of high stress or that cause intense fear in dogs, usually cause muscle stiffness. A frightened dog shows tense muscles and may even tremble In more extreme situations, the dog may also freeze in fear
9. Involuntary urination
Fear urination is different from submission urination. A dog that urinates out of intense fear does so involuntarily, faced with a situation that overcomes it. If your dog urinates when you scold him, for example, this is a very obvious symptom that this situation causes him such a great fear that it leads him to lose control of his urinary tract
In more severe cases, the dog may also defecate and empty its anal sacs in a context of high stress and fear. For this reason, it is essential to eliminate physical punishment and opt for positive reinforcement to properly educate your dog and stimulate his cognitive, emotional and social abilities.
10. Stereotypes
In more extreme situations, when dogs are frequently exposed to a negative environment and constantly live with fear, stress and chronic anxiety, they can develop stereotypes, a behavior that is very harmful to their he alth.
Stereotypies are behaviors performed repetitively and incessantly, that is, obsessively The most commonly observed stereotypies in dogs are: chasing each other and tail nipping, excessive biting or licking, incessant barking, chasing imaginary flies or insects, etc.
Fear aggression in dogs
On certain occasions, fear can also cause dogs to carry out aggressive behaviors (defensive aggressiveness). When the dog finds itself in a difficult and unfavorable situation, in which it feels that its physical integrity is threatened, aggressiveness can "appear" as a defense mechanism, to preserve well-being against the dangers of your environment.
In the defensive aggressiveness we observe a dog that has been "overcome" by a situation of intense fear and does not know exactly how to react and what to do in this context. So, in the face of imminent danger, he is instigated by his survival instinct (which is present in all animals, including humans) that forces him to react in a aggressive or reactive way
The fear aggression in dogs can be identified through some body and behavioral signals, such as:
- Show teeth
- Brookly hairs
- Muscular stiffness
- Loud, rapid and constant barking
- Snarl
- Excessive panting
- Cry and/or whine
aggression in dogs is a serious behavior problem that needs to be treated quickly and properly to preserve the well-being of the dog and its everyone around him. A fear-aggressive dog can overreact, causing harm even to loved ones.
In these cases we speak of redirected aggressiveness, in which the dog is not capable of attacking the stimulus that causes fear and ends up biting anything around it, such as the guardian or caregiver her. This behavior does not appear because of malice or cruelty (since there is no mean or cruel animal by nature), but because intense fear "overcomes" it and the animal is no longer able to maintain a balanced and self-confident behavior.
If you notice that your furry is very fearful, scared easily and/or presents any of the symptoms mentioned in this article, don't hesitate to take him to the vet to check his he alth and find out if some disease could be causing this behavior.
After ruling out any pathological cause, we recommend that you seek the guidance of a canine ethologist to verify the causes of fear and problems of behavior of your furry, and establish some specific guidelines for treatment according to their own needs.
Also, if you have recently adopted a dog and notice that your new best friend is very scared in his new home, we invite you to know our tips for a scared adopted dog.
