Symptoms of fear in dogs

Author: Peter Berry
Date Of Creation: 14 February 2021
Update Date: 1 December 2024
Anonim
Fearful Behavior in Dogs
Video: Fearful Behavior in Dogs

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As with us, dogs can be scared, especially when faced with a negative or stressful situation that puts their physical well-being at risk. Dogs can be afraid of people, animals, loud noises, strange objects, the street itself and we can also have a dog afraid of nothing.

We must understand that fear is an adaptive mechanism, as it allows furry animals to be aware of possible dangers in the environment and prevents them from exposing themselves to unnecessary risks, thus favoring their survival, through physiological responses, which can be fleeing, attacking or barking . If you notice that your dog is more scared than normal, it is essential to go to the vet to rule out any organic cause.


In this article by PeritoAnimal, we will show 10 symptoms of fear in dogs so you can easily recognize when you're facing a scared dog.

Why are dogs afraid?

Fear is an adaptive emotion that arises when the dog perceives imminent danger, but it is essential to differentiate it from anxiety, which is a chronic state of alertness, or from phobias, which are non-adaptive and usually cause a totally uncontrolled reaction in the dog. , even in situations that do not pose a real danger. When a dog experiences an episode of fear, he may become paralyzed, try to run away, back away, or try to attack.

What causes fear in a dog?

Fear in dogs can be caused because the dog has had poor socialization, in which the dog has not been adequately introduced to all the stimuli with which it will live in adulthood (people, animals, environments, noise...), genetic inheritance[1] and lived experiences. In addition, fear directly affects a dog's health, as a study shows that dogs with chronic fear and anxiety are susceptible to more illnesses and have a lower life expectancy.[2]


When we talk about lived experiences, we can refer to a traumatic experience, a disease that has caused a lot of pain and a negative association with certain stimuli (as in relation to the veterinarian), physical punishment and even due to a history of animal abuse. In any case, to get a diagnosis it will be essential to go to an ethologist who will help us establish management guidelines and specific treatment to help the dog overcome or control the fear episodes.

Sensory Deprivation Syndrome

This pathology usually occurs in dogs that were completely isolated from the environment during their socialization period, without their mother and siblings, and that were also raised in impoverished environments, without stimuli. All of this makes that in their adult phase these dogs present generalized panic, in front of virtually any stimulus.


Main symptoms of fear in dogs

To recognize the symptoms of fear in dogs, you will need to learn more about dogs' body language in order to identify and differentiate the signals your body communicates when it experiences moments of relaxation, happiness, fear, anger or stress, for example.

First of all, we must understand that each dog is unique and it has its own personality. Therefore, it is impossible to make an exact guide or manual on how to understand dogs and all their emotional variations. To get to know your best friend, you will need to take the time to get to know him, enjoy being with him, observe his behavior and identify his postures, gestures and facial expressions to express his different moods. However, we can identify some very obvious signs that show us that our furry friend is scared.

Here are the main symptoms of fear in dogs:

1. Tail down or between legs

Without a doubt, one of the most obvious symptoms of fear in dogs is the tail between the legs or down. In addition, excessive or exaggerated movements can also be considered a sign of anxiety and stress in the canine.

2. Ears behind or too close to the head

Ears pulled back or glued to the head are also very recognizable and easy to identify as symptoms of fear in dogs. Such signs can appear both in dogs that adopt positions of fear and submission as in those frightened dogs that react aggressively out of fear.

3. Curved body or posture

A frightened dog will show a hunched body and may also walk crouch. This posture indicates that our furry friend does not behave or act as confidently as he should in a calm, positive environment.

4. Search for a refuge to hide

This is a very common behavior in frightened and fearful dogs. When identifying an unknown stimulus or feeling threatened, the animal will seek a safe haven, where it can hide and wait danger disappears and calm reigns again in the environment.

5. Try to escape

Faced with a situation that it considers to be of imminent danger, the scared dog will logically try to flee to a place where he feels safe. running away is a way of escape from any danger and avoid unfavorable fights with other individuals.

6. Signs of calm

Frightened dogs may also show different signs of calm, such as l.lick your lips, yawn continuously, turn your head, squinting, cringing, looking away or looking sideways among many other common signs of body language.

7. Submission Positions

Submission in dogs is an adaptive response that allowed them to establish a hierarchy and survive in a group. It is important to note that within the same group of dogs that live together, variable hierarchies can be generated, which do not always follow a linear pattern. At submission positions or postures they regularly appear in relationships between individuals of the same species (submission is intraspecific, that is, it only occurs between members of the same species).

A dog voluntarily adopts such postures when it recognizes a dominant individual, expressing that he submits his own will to that of the dominant dog. However, on some extreme occasions, a dog can also adopt postures of submission when recognizing itself in a high stress situation and fear. In these cases, these postures are usually accompanied by calming signs and the other symptoms of fear in the dogs mentioned in this list.

8. Muscle rigidity and tremor

High stress or intense fear situations in dogs often cause muscle stiffness. A frightened dog shows tense muscles and may even tremble. In more extreme situations, the dog too can be immobilized out of fear.

9. Urinate involuntarily

Urinating out of fear is different from urinating out of submission. A dog that urinates out of intense fear, does so involuntarily, faced with a situation that is "bigger than him". If your dog urinates when you reprimand him, for example, this is a very obvious symptom that this situation causes him such fear that he lose control of your urinary tract.

In more serious cases, the dog is also afraid. can poop in a context of great stress and fear. Therefore, it is essential to eliminate physical punishment and use positive reinforcement to properly educate your dog and stimulate its cognitive, emotional and social skills.

10. Stereotypies or repetitive actions

In more extreme situations, when dogs are often exposed to a negative environment and live in constant fear, stress and chronic anxiety, they can develop stereotypies, a behavior that is very harmful to their health.

Stereotypies are behaviors performed repetitively and incessantly, that is, obsessively. The most common cases observed in dogs are: chasing and biting their tails, biting or licking excessively, barking incessantly, chasing flies or imaginary insects, etc.

aggressive dog for fear

Sometimes fear can also lead dogs to get involved in aggressive behaviors (Defensive aggression). When the dog is faced with a difficult and unfavorable situation, in which he feels that his physical integrity is threatened, the aggression can "occur" as a defense mechanism, to preserve his well-being in the face of dangers in his environment.

At defensive aggressiveness, we observe a dog that has been "overcome" by a situation of intense fear and does not know exactly how to react and what to do in this context. Then, faced with an imminent danger, he is instigated by his survival instinct (which is present in all animals, including humans) that forces him to react aggressively or reactively.

A fear-aggressive dog can be identified through some bodily and behavioral signs, such as:

  • he shows his teeth
  • the hairs stand up
  • Muscle becomes rigid
  • Loud, fast and constant barking
  • growls
  • You get excessively breathless
  • cry or moan

Aggression in dogs is a serious behavior problem that it needs to be treated quickly and properly to preserve the well-being of the dog and everyone around him. A fear-aggressive dog can overreact, causing harm even to loved ones.

In these cases, we speak of redirected aggression, in which the dog is not able to attack the stimulus that causes fear and ends up biting anything around him, like his own tutor. This behavior does not appear out of malice (since there is no evil or cruel animal by nature), but because the intense fear it "gets over" and the animal is no longer able to maintain a balanced and self-confident behavior.

If you notice that your dog is very scared, is easily scared and/or shows any of the symptoms mentioned in this article, don't hesitate to take him to the vet to check your health and find out if any illnesses may be causing this behavior.

After ruling out any pathological causes, we recommend that you seek the advice of a canine ethologist to verify the causes of your dog's fear and behavioral problems, and establish some specific guidelines for the treatment of according to your own needs.

Also, if your furry companion is afraid of other puppies, we invite you to read this other article on this topic.

Now that you know all about fear in dogs, don't miss the video below where we talk about dogs that are afraid of fireworks and fireworks: