THE FEAR
FACTOR
Dogs can experience mild anxiety to full-blown fear. A lot of dogs are frightened of storms. With their super sensitive canine hearing, they know long before the storm clouds roll in that a storm is about to hit. Usually they follow their owners around whimpering and howling.
It's not just storms that can get your dog's pulse racing out of control. Some dogs are terrified of young children if they have never seen a young child before. Others may be fearful when confronted with a lawnmower or a slippery floor.
There are varying degrees of fear, from mild anxiety to full-blown phobias!
One dog might show a gentle startle reflex, which is barely the blink of an eyelid. Another might have such a severe response they'll harm themselves in an effort to get away.
EARLY EXPOSURE
Adequate puppy socialization is critical. Dogs, just like humans, can fear the unknown. To socialize your puppy, expose him to a variety of situations in a fun and non-threatening manner. Also get him accustomed to being handled by strangers, so that as he grows he will not fear strange people.
Once fully vaccinated make a point of exposing him to gentle dogs, of his own size preferably. Many vets have puppy schools for this very reason. Take him for walks along busy footpaths, always making sure he is on a secure lead. Get him use to such things as pushbikes, traffic lights, as well as other pets.
CDs are available for sale from this web site that replicate the sounds of storms and assorted other sounds with music, which can evoke fear responses in dogs. It can be beneficial to play these for your puppy, or even adult dog who already has a fear of these sounds.
Dogs are individuals, just like people. Some have even, calm, temperaments, while others are nervous and anxious.
FEAR RESPONSES
Common fear responses are panting, pacing, increased salivation, defecation or urination in the house, and clingy behavior. Your dog may show certain body postures, flattening his ears against his head or tucking his tail between his legs. Other dogs tend to vocalize, emitting low growls, or barking noisily. On the extreme end of the scale, dogs may break teeth and tear out toenails in frantic efforts to escape stimuli they are frightened of.
It's hard to understand why your dog is distressed about something that seems harmless to you, but their fear is very real to them! I have no doubts that some dogs when faced with the objects they fear, or sounds- think they are going to die. For some dogs, experiencing a storm is like you sitting in your lounge room, knowing an axe murderer is about to break through the door!
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP YOUR DOG?
Your four-legged friend's fears and phobias won't disappear by themselves. If left untreated, they worsen over time.
A dog with a nervous disposition can start out being mildly fearful and with repeated exposure, develop an intense phobia. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy for the dog. Even though nothing happened in the external environment of the dog, (they weren't hit by lightening, for instance), the dog's internal emotional state is one of distress. The dog suspects the storm will be a negative experience and it is.
Don't punish your dog for being fearful or coerce him into confronting his fears, instead help your dog to change his thinking. The key is to make the potentially threatening situation fun. Grab your dog's favorite toy and have a game during the storm or offer favorite treats.
It's about trying to train the dog to feel differently about the feared event, so they anticipate something positive will happen.
MAKE YOUR DOG COMFORTABLE
Avoidance is one strategy, but, unfortunately, you can't always avoid the feared event. Create a comfortable environment for your dog, during a storm or fireworks. Mask the stimuli by drawing the curtains.
Turn on the television or stereo loudly so there is continued noise between the fireworks display and or storm.
KEEP YOUR DOG SAFE
Take precautions to keep your dog safe. Escape behaviour is a common response to fear. Shelters are filled with dogs which have escaped during storms or fireworks.
If your dog is a budding Houdini, check gates and fences to ensure there are no gaps or loose palings. Check that fly screens inside your home environment for potential dangers. Are there things the dog could injure himself if he became agitated?
CRATE TRAINING
A crate gives your dog the feeling of security – a safe haven to escape to if he is feeling frightened.
The crate should be just big enough for the dog to stand up and move around in. When preparing the crate, rub an old towel if your dog's or one of your own over the crate to eliminate the "new " smell. Place your dog's bedding inside, tire in some favourite toys and pop in tasty slow-release food such as Kong stuffed with treats.
WATCH YOUR RESPONSES
Monitor your own responses when your dog is frightened. "Some dog owners pat their dog on the head in a tense, agitated fashion, trying to reassure the dog. You dog will pick up on your distress and mistakenly believe there is really is something to be afraid of.
Instead, try to remain calm and confident so your dog feels secure.
VETERINARIAN INTERVENTION
Some dogs are genetically predisposed to be fearful of certain noises or objects and despite your best efforts your dog will go on to be fearful of them.
Ask your vet about your dog appeasement pheromones. These plug-in devices emit a synthetic replica of the pheromone the mother dog produces when she's lactating. It can have a calming effect on your dog. If your dog is self harming or showing extreme responses to the object they fear, medication from your vet can help.
The medication doesn't stop them being phobic altogether, but it blunts their response.
Some phobias can be impossible to cure. You must keep this in mind.
DESENSITISATION
One technique to help a dog that has developed a phobia is controlled desensitization and counter conditioning. It requires your commitment and patience, but can go a long way to helping your troubled pet.
This procedure needs to be carried out over time and must be gradual. It involves calmly exposing the dog with a lot of reassurance and treats to the object of his fear. This may be a vacuum cleaner for example. Turn it on low for a few seconds, praise, and reward, do it again, and gradually do this over time until the dog understands that the vacuum cleaner is not to be feared.
HOW I CAN HELP
I have available for sale CDs with different sounds of nature, these often combined with very relaxing music. Some may have strong winds, others thunderstorms, others the sound of the waves. We suggest playing these CDs at least once a day while you are present with your dog and comforting him.
Incidentally, these CDs are also very relaxing for people; some even have the sound of rain, bird songs, etc. They are said to help you meditate, sleep, or for total relaxation. They really do work!!!
The price of the CDs are $10.00 each Australian and this includes postage within Australia. International including postage is $15.00. Email for an order.
Dogs can experience mild anxiety to full-blown fear. A lot of dogs are frightened of storms. With their super sensitive canine hearing, they know long before the storm clouds roll in that a storm is about to hit. Usually they follow their owners around whimpering and howling.
It's not just storms that can get your dog's pulse racing out of control. Some dogs are terrified of young children if they have never seen a young child before. Others may be fearful when confronted with a lawnmower or a slippery floor.
There are varying degrees of fear, from mild anxiety to full-blown phobias!
One dog might show a gentle startle reflex, which is barely the blink of an eyelid. Another might have such a severe response they'll harm themselves in an effort to get away.
EARLY EXPOSURE
Adequate puppy socialization is critical. Dogs, just like humans, can fear the unknown. To socialize your puppy, expose him to a variety of situations in a fun and non-threatening manner. Also get him accustomed to being handled by strangers, so that as he grows he will not fear strange people.
Once fully vaccinated make a point of exposing him to gentle dogs, of his own size preferably. Many vets have puppy schools for this very reason. Take him for walks along busy footpaths, always making sure he is on a secure lead. Get him use to such things as pushbikes, traffic lights, as well as other pets.
CDs are available for sale from this web site that replicate the sounds of storms and assorted other sounds with music, which can evoke fear responses in dogs. It can be beneficial to play these for your puppy, or even adult dog who already has a fear of these sounds.
Dogs are individuals, just like people. Some have even, calm, temperaments, while others are nervous and anxious.
FEAR RESPONSES
Common fear responses are panting, pacing, increased salivation, defecation or urination in the house, and clingy behavior. Your dog may show certain body postures, flattening his ears against his head or tucking his tail between his legs. Other dogs tend to vocalize, emitting low growls, or barking noisily. On the extreme end of the scale, dogs may break teeth and tear out toenails in frantic efforts to escape stimuli they are frightened of.
It's hard to understand why your dog is distressed about something that seems harmless to you, but their fear is very real to them! I have no doubts that some dogs when faced with the objects they fear, or sounds- think they are going to die. For some dogs, experiencing a storm is like you sitting in your lounge room, knowing an axe murderer is about to break through the door!
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP YOUR DOG?
Your four-legged friend's fears and phobias won't disappear by themselves. If left untreated, they worsen over time.
A dog with a nervous disposition can start out being mildly fearful and with repeated exposure, develop an intense phobia. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy for the dog. Even though nothing happened in the external environment of the dog, (they weren't hit by lightening, for instance), the dog's internal emotional state is one of distress. The dog suspects the storm will be a negative experience and it is.
Don't punish your dog for being fearful or coerce him into confronting his fears, instead help your dog to change his thinking. The key is to make the potentially threatening situation fun. Grab your dog's favorite toy and have a game during the storm or offer favorite treats.
It's about trying to train the dog to feel differently about the feared event, so they anticipate something positive will happen.
MAKE YOUR DOG COMFORTABLE
Avoidance is one strategy, but, unfortunately, you can't always avoid the feared event. Create a comfortable environment for your dog, during a storm or fireworks. Mask the stimuli by drawing the curtains.
Turn on the television or stereo loudly so there is continued noise between the fireworks display and or storm.
KEEP YOUR DOG SAFE
Take precautions to keep your dog safe. Escape behaviour is a common response to fear. Shelters are filled with dogs which have escaped during storms or fireworks.
If your dog is a budding Houdini, check gates and fences to ensure there are no gaps or loose palings. Check that fly screens inside your home environment for potential dangers. Are there things the dog could injure himself if he became agitated?
CRATE TRAINING
A crate gives your dog the feeling of security – a safe haven to escape to if he is feeling frightened.
The crate should be just big enough for the dog to stand up and move around in. When preparing the crate, rub an old towel if your dog's or one of your own over the crate to eliminate the "new " smell. Place your dog's bedding inside, tire in some favourite toys and pop in tasty slow-release food such as Kong stuffed with treats.
WATCH YOUR RESPONSES
Monitor your own responses when your dog is frightened. "Some dog owners pat their dog on the head in a tense, agitated fashion, trying to reassure the dog. You dog will pick up on your distress and mistakenly believe there is really is something to be afraid of.
Instead, try to remain calm and confident so your dog feels secure.
VETERINARIAN INTERVENTION
Some dogs are genetically predisposed to be fearful of certain noises or objects and despite your best efforts your dog will go on to be fearful of them.
Ask your vet about your dog appeasement pheromones. These plug-in devices emit a synthetic replica of the pheromone the mother dog produces when she's lactating. It can have a calming effect on your dog. If your dog is self harming or showing extreme responses to the object they fear, medication from your vet can help.
The medication doesn't stop them being phobic altogether, but it blunts their response.
Some phobias can be impossible to cure. You must keep this in mind.
DESENSITISATION
One technique to help a dog that has developed a phobia is controlled desensitization and counter conditioning. It requires your commitment and patience, but can go a long way to helping your troubled pet.
This procedure needs to be carried out over time and must be gradual. It involves calmly exposing the dog with a lot of reassurance and treats to the object of his fear. This may be a vacuum cleaner for example. Turn it on low for a few seconds, praise, and reward, do it again, and gradually do this over time until the dog understands that the vacuum cleaner is not to be feared.
HOW I CAN HELP
I have available for sale CDs with different sounds of nature, these often combined with very relaxing music. Some may have strong winds, others thunderstorms, others the sound of the waves. We suggest playing these CDs at least once a day while you are present with your dog and comforting him.
Incidentally, these CDs are also very relaxing for people; some even have the sound of rain, bird songs, etc. They are said to help you meditate, sleep, or for total relaxation. They really do work!!!
The price of the CDs are $10.00 each Australian and this includes postage within Australia. International including postage is $15.00. Email for an order.