Have you ever seen a dog act aggressively, growling or barking at others? While we might dismiss this as a normal behavior for dogs, who knows? It could also mean that your dog is experiencing fear, stress, or anxiety about its surroundings, potentially affecting its mental state. Of course, no one wants to see their dog feel scared or anxious, right? But what can you do if your dog exhibits behaviors that suggest fear? Let's understand the problem of fearfulness in dogs.
Dogs, like humans, have a natural response to the world around them. When something happens that has a profound effect on their minds or lives and then happens again, that fear becomes deeply embedded in their hearts, as fear is often a result of past experiences. Dogs' fear can stem from a variety of factors, such as never having left the house to meet strange people or dogs, or a sudden change in environment that can make dogs feel unsafe, anxious, and even fearful, leading to stress. Furthermore, if your dog has had a bad experience with strange people or dogs, or has been hurt or injured in the past, it may cause them to choose to protect themselves by displaying aggressive behavior. A dog with fear will definitely have a negative effect on its mental state, but it can be a big problem for owners when they need to take their dog out of the house, such as to see a veterinarian.
Dogs are easily startled, for example, when someone approaches them they become startled and afraid that someone will attack them. Some dogs may jump away, cry loudly, or even pee themselves. If you have experience raising a fearful dog, you may often worry about how to help them relieve their anxiety or fear. This is because fearfulness is a unique behavior and is often found in dogs that are attached to their owners and have been pampered since they were young. However, there are some cases where dogs are so afraid that they have seizures, go into shock, or show other symptoms, which is very worrisome. This is because the dog may have a nervous system problem, perhaps epilepsy, caused by abnormal electrical waves in the brain, causing the dog to become excited or startled easily, leading to seizures. Therefore, if your dog exhibits these symptoms, it is recommended that you see a veterinarian for a nervous system examination and evaluation. Dogs have minds just like us humans. A dog's mental health is also very important and we should not neglect it.
In cases where dogs are startled by loud noises, it usually happens in dogs that have not been trained to become accustomed to the sounds, such as thunder, engines, firecrackers, airplanes, music, children crying, or other sounds. If the dog hears the sound, it will express fear, shock, tail drooping, body shaking, and quickly run to find a place to hide for its own safety. The more he jumps around or runs without stopping, it means that the dog is very excited. This type of behavior is not good because it will stimulate some dogs to have more urine leakage.
If a dog isn't startled by noise but is teased, it may become a very suspicious dog when it grows up. Especially if you have small children in your home, be careful. If children like to use both hands to grab the dog's fur or rub it violently, it will startle the dog and make it run away. If this happens, you'll notice that your dog can learn by itself. Now, when he sees a child approaching, he will quickly hide behind his owner or hide so the children don't see him because he is afraid of being touched by children. This is why some dogs dislike small children.
However, some young dogs may show only minor signs of shock, such as a drooping tail or a startled face. After a while, they will return to normal behavior. This is normal for puppies. However, if the dog shows obvious fear, trembling, or hiding in a corner of the cage, refusing to move, or growling, it indicates that the puppy may have a mental disorder. However, all puppies are normally cheerful. To determine whether a dog is fearful, shy, or playful, we can test it with simple methods such as clapping, shaking a keychain, or snapping your fingers to call them. Then observe the dog's response to whether it is startled, running away, or coming to play.
How to deal with a dog that is easily startled or scared
1. Create familiar experiences.
Train your puppy to walk in public places, such as clean markets, by walking past strangers and hearing the sounds of strangers he doesn't know. Try letting strangers touch your puppy's fur or letting your puppy hear cars and other sounds more to build familiarity. Try to let him go outside often until he gets used to it. Hearing different sounds will prevent your dog from being afraid or startled, allowing him to adapt and learn about his surroundings.
2. Massage to relax.
When your dog is frightened, you should help him relax by gently stroking his head or massaging his body. Touching your dog with affection and care can create warmth and serve as a good medium of communication between you and your dog. This helps your dog feel relieved of stress and anxiety.
3. Hug
When the owner hugs him tightly, it acts as a comforting gesture that helps the dog feel warm and secure.
4. Greet and talk gently.
Greet your dog by sitting down and scratching or stroking the area under his chin to make him feel comfortable and relieve his anxiety. Try petting his head and talking to him. He will respond and show his affection by licking his face or hand.
5. Take them out for exercise.
A natural way for your dog to release his pent-up emotions is to let him run and exercise in a place with fresh air. Location is very important. You should have a space for your dog to run around. You shouldn't keep him confined all the time. Training your dog to do various activities will also help him socialize well.
A dog's mental health is an important factor that should not be neglected. If we observe carefully, we will see that when a dog is afraid, it will clearly show its physical and behavioral effects. Don't dismiss it as normal. We can train him to engage in various activities to help him adjust to his fears. Remember, dogs can be stressed and experience mental problems just like us.
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References
Dr. Oraya Prapanpoj, veterinarian at the Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Surgery and Department of Cardiology, Talingchan Animal Hospital
Pethub. Recognizing Abnormal Stress and Anxiety in Dogs. From Pethub: https://www.pethub.com/article/recognizing-abnormal-stress-and-anxiety-dogs
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