Is your dog afraid of other dogs? At the sight of another dog, does his ears flatten back, his tail tucked between his paws, he shrinks and wants to run away, or does he even growl at the other dog to try to intimidate him?
Fear is a necessary and vital emotion: it allows animals to react to danger, but if the fear becomes a phobia or something that appears at inappropriate times can become a big problem and walks become a time of stress for your dog.
In this article on our site we are going to explain why your dog is afraid of other dogs and how you can help him.
Fear due to lack of socialization
Your dog may be afraid of other dogs due to lack of socialization, that is, because he did not have enough contact with other dogswhen I was a puppy.
This can occur in dogs that have been separated too early from their siblings and do not know other dogs in their foster family. Discover on our site how to socialize an adult dog.
Fear of a traumatic experience
If your dog is quite fearful, the accumulation of bad experiences can foster this fear and even turn it into a phobiaThis can happen when a small dog that is a bit fearful meets large dogs with a lot of energy that will want to play with him a bit roughly.
If the small dog becomes traumatized he may then growl, bark or show other forms of aggression towards large dogs he encounters. Note that this can also occur in large dogs.
Fear reinforced by owners
Many times when we see our dog frightened we want to help him and we pet him and speak softly to reassure him, actually doing that makes the problem worse.
Indeed, acting like this only gives the dog confirmation that he is right to be scared. Forcing him to stay among the other dogs is also not a good idea and can even worsen the quality of your relationship with your dog.
Help my dog feel safe
The first thing to help your dog who is afraid of other dogs is to accept him as he is. Afterwards, the important thing will be to give him confidence and security.
If your dog shows fear when approaching another dog, the best attitude for you is keep calm and have a neutral behavior If you try reassuring him by speaking softly could be interpreted as a justification for his fear. That could also cause your dog to continue this behavior to get your attention.
You shouldn't force him to be in a stressful situation either: it could further traumatize him and make him lose his trust in you, and it's also not going to help him overcome his fear in any way. Find out if your dog is stressed because of this situation.
At first the easiest thing for your four-legged friend is to avoid encounters with other dogs, you can help him with three different techniques:
- desensitization consists of presenting the stressful situation progressively until it no longer causes stress. Specifically, you can keep your dog a few meters from the other dogs and gradually reduce this distance during walks, in accordance with the evolution and improvement of your dog. You can also organize encounters with very gentle and calm dogs and progressively introduce more energetic or more impressive dogs.
- The habituation consists of teaching the dog not to react to the stressful situation: multiply the walks in places where you are going to meet others dogs allows your dog to get used to them and understand that they are not a threat. If you apply this method, be very careful not to put your dog in a situation that is too stressful for him because this would make the situation worse.
- The counter-conditioning allows you to associate the stressful situation with a positive experience: for example you can play with your dog when other dogs don't away so that he associates this moment with play and relaxes in the presence of other dogs.
You can apply these three methods together, the important thing is that you respect the learning pace of your dog. It is a process that can take time, this depends on each dog. If you feel that you cannot face the situation alone, do not hesitate to consult a canine behavior professional who will be able to advise you for the specific case of your dog.
Dogs are social animals that need interactions with their peers and helping him overcome his fear to be able to interact with other dogs is a great token of love that you can give your dog.
