Canines can develop fear or anxiety of people for a number of reasons. In some cases, the fear is focused on specific stimuli – for example, a man riding a bicycle. In other cases, it may be due a general lack of socialization during a dog’s early, formidable period. In still other cases, a canine may have been physically abused and thus, learned to distrust anyone who is unfamiliar to him. A frightened dog is always a less pleasant companion for his owner and family.

Below, we’ll explore how a dog’s fear of people influences his behavior. We’ll describe some of the ways in which this anxiety emerges and explain the triggers that can serve as a catalyst. We’ll also offer several suggestions for molding your pooch’s behaviors if he is easily frightened by those who are unfamiliar to him.

How Canines Respond When They’re Afraid

Canines respond in different ways when they are afraid of an individual. Some will become hostile, baring their teeth and barking. Others will take the opposite approach and try to escape. They might immediately flee or simply hide from the person causing their anxiety.

Many dogs will adopt a submissive role as an act of conciliation. For example, they might lower their heads and break eye contact; they might lie on their back to show their belly; they might also put their tail between their legs. Each of these actions is meant to assuage the person feared by the canine.

Possible Triggers Of Fear

While there are many possible triggers for a fearful pooch, most of them can be traced to the environment in which the pooch has lived, or continues to live. For example, puppies that lack exposure and interaction with people during the first few months of their lives often grow to feel uncomfortable around strangers. They’re rarely hostile to strangers; instead, they’ll act tentatively around them or try to avoid them altogether.

A worse outcome results from abuse. If a puppy has experienced physical abuse early in his life, he will likely develop a deep mistrust of strangers as an adult. While a lack of socialization can result in a general discomfort around strangers, cruel treatment often focuses their unease on certain stimuli. For example, if a tall man treated a puppy cruelly, the puppy might fear taller men in adulthood. So too, might a canine fear kids, teenagers on skateboards, or men dressed in suits.

How To Modify The Behavior

Preventing a behavior’s development is always more effective than modifying an undesired behavior. Unfortunately, prevention requires having access to a dog when he is still a puppy. This is not always possible.

If your pooch is already fearful of others, you’ll need to start him on a desensitization program. The goal is to slowly expose him to stimuli that causes a fear response. A quick clarification is needed. A lot of owners mistakenly believe that desensitization training simply means providing their canines with exposure to people. So, they try to accelerate the process by taking their pooches to the park where hundreds of people can be found.

This can do more harm than good because it inundates the dog with the trigger he dislikes, thereby strengthening his mistrust. Desensitization is a slow, methodical process that gradually introduces the trigger. Rather than submerging your canine in a heavily populated park, let him meet one person at a time. Moreover, do so from several feet away so he has little reason to feel anxious. Over time, he’ll become increasingly comfortable as the original trigger fades away.

A fearful dog can be problematic for a number of reasons. The first step to resolving the issue is to understand what is stimulating his fear response in the first place. Then, use desensitization training to slowly modify his behavior.

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Category: Pets
Keywords: dog, dog afraid of people, dog fear, dog behavior