Being able to introduce our dog to friends and family is something that every owner should be able to do, however, some dogs can show insecurity and even fear when they approach unknown peopleand even people they've seen before.
If this is your case, it will be important to consider going to a specialist to carry out therapy for fearful dogs, however, in this article on our site we will give you some tips that you can apply to know what to do if your dog is afraid of people. Do not forget that it is a long process, but with patience you can discover how to make a dog not so afraid of people:
Why is a dog afraid of people?
Fear is an emotion that appears at the end of the puppy's socialization stage. Before that moment arrives, it is essential to introduce and accustom our dog to all kinds of people, animals, objects and environments, otherwise, the fears and phobias.
Although this fear is generally related to poor socialization, there are other causes that can cause fear in dogs, such as:
- Lack of regular contact with people.
- Traumatic experiences related to people.
- Due to genetics (child of fearful parents).
- Use of punishment on the dog and/or aversive techniques.
- Contact with a small variety of people throughout his life.
- Aging (cognitive dysfunction syndrome).
- Diseases and exposure to toxic substances.
Sometimes some dogs can show fear of men and not of women, this is usually due to all of the above but related to men only. Also, males tend to have a louder voice, tend to be taller, and have facial hair, characteristics that tend to frighten a dog more.
It may also happen that the dog is fear of very specific people (for example, fear of veterinarians or fear of people in uniform) or that fear is generalized.
How to differentiate fear from phobia?
We must remember that fear is an adaptive emotion that allows you to survive, while phobia is a disproportionate emotionIf our dog is afraid, we will see that it tries to run away, move, stay still and even attack, while if the dog has a phobia it will act totally uncontrollably and we will see panic and anxiety attacks.
In any case it will be interesting to go to a specialist, but in the case of phobia it will be essential, since it is much more complicated to work with and pathological problems in the dog must be ruled out. It may also be related to sensory deprivation syndrome.
What to do when a dog is afraid of people?
Before considering any type of therapy, it will be essential to learn the canine language, that is, calm or appeasement signals, signals physical that will help us understand if our dog is calm or if, on the contrary, he is uncomfortable. Understanding our dog is key to helping him overcome his fears.
The next step will be to identify the stimuli that trigger the fear. Are you scared of all people equally or only before men? Are you afraid only when spoken to and/or approached or even from a distance?
Once we have these concepts clear we must control the interactions of the dog with people. It is very important that our fearful dog does not suddenly find himself in a crowd or before people who try to touch or caress him, we must try to make him feel safe at all times (observing him and noticing the signs of calm that he may show). This will help you gain confidence and feel better with us.
If our dog feels good it will be easier for him to begin to overcome his fears. We will always keep a safe distance from other people and if they try to get closer we can chase them away by arguing that our dog bites, for example, even if it is not true, to prevent him from trying to flee or react. The idea is that, as long as the dog is with us, it knows that nothing bad is going to happen
Therapies for dogs with fear
If we go to a professional, he will probably recommend working on approach therapies in a controlled field of work, in which the educator and some extras that will represent random people from the street. Positive reinforcement should always be used to encourage the dog and help him associate people with something good (food or toys, for example).
Going to a professional is key to treating fear in dogs, although there is always the possibility of a relapse if the indicated guidelines are not followed, do not forget it. Below we explain things you should never do:
- Allow other people to approach the dog directly, try to touch or pet him if he shows signs of appeasement.
- Punish you, force you or force you to do something you don't want to. The dog must be free to express his emotions and leave if he wishes. An imposition can mean that the dog ends up attacking the person who corners him or forces him to do something.
- Scold him if he shows his teeth. In this case the dog can go on to attack directly without showing this warning signal. If the dog begins to show aggression out of fear, we should go to a specialist as soon as possible, to prevent the behavior from getting worse.
On the contrary, if your dog is only afraid (not aggressive), you can work with trusted people the interactions in your home, always following these tips:
- Tell people not to stare at the dog, try to touch it, or pet it. They also won't lean over him or try to initiate first contact.
- People will maintain a relaxed body posture and ignore the dog, not looking or talking to him. They should act normally.
- We will let the dog get used to the presence of people in the home, probably the first few times he will not want to approach, but as the days go by he will show interest in those who visit his home.
- We will ask people that, every time the dog approaches them, they try to reward him with a treat for the dog or with a very tasty food (a piece of frankfurt or cheese, for example). After giving it to him they will continue to ignore the dog.
- We will repeat this exercise with the same people and once they tolerate their presence and take the prizes normally, we will repeat the exercise with other different people.
- Once the dog practices this exercise and is confident at home, we will perform the same exercises outside the home, in parks and streets.
Remember that this is a long process and that in order to observe an evident and faster improvement, the therapies in the field of work will be necessary In addition, the professional who works with us will be able to identify more effectively the dog's emotions and other behavioral problems it may have.
