How to Calm a Fearful Dog

You can calm fearful dogs with a lot of patience and persistence.

Owning a dog as a pet can be an immensely rewarding and satisfying experience for many dog owners. However, some dogs may experience great amounts of fear during certain situations. Fearful trigger situations may vary from vacuuming the house, new people entering the house or even thunderstorms. Dogs that experience these fearful moments may hide, lash out at others or even soil the carpet. Calming a fearful dog requires lowering the sense of fear that these objects create.

Things You'll Need

• Object of fear
• Sound effect CD
• CD player

Instructions

1. Expose your dog to the object or situation that causes his fear. Introduce it in a situation or distance that is very low stress, such as placing a fear-inducing object 100 feet away. In the case of being afraid of thunderstorms, play a CD of thunderstorm sounds at a very low level.

2. Reward the dog when he shows non-fearful behavior in the presence of the fearful object. Gradually increase its severity, such as bringing the object closer or turning the thunderstorm noises louder.

3. Continue rewarding him for non-fearful behaviors as you increase the intensity of his exposure. Increase the intensity very slowly and gradually. Going too fast may create fearful behaviors in your dog, which will ruin your calming session.

4. Repeat this process a few times a week over an extended period of time. Continue to reward your dog as he shows non-fearful behaviors to the fearful object. Progress at a pace comfortable for your dog.

5. Give your dog commands when he shows non-fearful behaviors in the presence of his fearful object. Reward him if he complies. Use this technique to desensitize him to his fearsome object more fully as he will associate it with pleasant sensations as opposed to negative.

6. Ignore him if he shows fearful behavior, such as whining or shaking, in situations that occur beyond your control. Do not scold or comfort him. Scolding him will only make him more fearful while comforting him will give him positive reinforcement for his fearful behavior.

Tips & Warnings

• Never force your dog to experience his fear-inducing object in a situation that is too advanced beyond his desensitization routine. For example, never place him near a fast paced traffic lane if he is afraid of cars. This may completely set back his desensitization routine.

• Avoid punishing your dog for soiling the carpet in your home due to fear of his object. He is not misbehaving; he is simply terrified. Clean the soiled carpet when the dog is not present and never draw attention to it. This will help contribute to the desensitization routine.

• Be patient with your dog. This process may take weeks or even months to show progress. Some dogs will progress at a much slower rate than others due to natural skittishness. Be persistent and never rush.

• Don't soothe or comfort a fearful dog. This will make him feel that being afraid is OK. Instead, ignore fearful behavior and reward confidence and curiosity.

• Don't force your dog to interact with strangers or dogs. A bad

References

• 2nd Chance: Curing For Your Fearful or Frightened Dog; Ron Himes DVM PhD
• Paw Rescue: Dog Tips Help for the Shy and Fearful Dog
• All About Goldens: Scared Dogs