Why is My Dog Afraid of Me For No Reason?
Did you find out recently about your dog being scared of you suddenly or of something which is in the house? Well, the answer to this would-be Fear. Many a time your dog may have a perception that there is a potential danger or threat that is when they would feel scared, even if you touch them. If this happens a lot to your pet friend it will affect the health and well-being of your dog. This in turn would also affect your mental health.
This subconscious threat of the dog can be termed as fear, although they are not the same. They are several types of anxieties and phobia which can be termed as extreme fear. This is kind of response can be considered as a response by an animal when their emotion and mental health are not in a good condition. This is when the dog assumes that something unpleasant might happen to them. Even if it does not happen.
In this article, you will be able to understand the reason or causes that might produce such fear in your pet.
Genetic Causes for Your Pet Dog Being Scared Of You
There are many characteristics of a dog that can be transferred through heredity. One of such features or characteristics is fear. What it exactly means is that if one of the parents, the father or the mother of the puppy has a temperament that is fearful then they might tend to inherit the temperament of fear to their litter. Hence, it is always better to for breeders to choose biological parents which do not have such temperament.
However, you can’t just blame genetics, behavior is affected by the environment as well. Therefore, if you maintain your dog’s socialization and train them properly. You can make sure that the dog can get a positive attitude.
Less Socialization Does Cause Fear In Dogs
If your dog does not get the positive stimuli during the first 2 to 12 weeks’ time then it would lead to a negative experience which would develop anxiety leading to fear. Dogs get a very serious problem which is also known as a Kennellosis or sensory deprivation syndrome of dogs. If your dog has this symptom then it means they are afraid of everything which is around them. This would happen if they are confined to a small space and are not allowed to socialize with others. This deprivation would lead to anxiety and in turn fear.
It is necessary for you to get your puppy to socialize to avoid the problem of fear in them.
Negative Experiences Trigger the Fear As Well
If the dog has an unpleasant experience it can cause fear in them. It however depends on the intensity of the experience. If the experience is extremely sensitive then it is enough for them to get a phobia of that particular thing or environment. Let’s say that you burn a firecracker close enough for him to be shocked by the sound and heat coming out of it. This incident would trigger a panic situation for him/her every time he/she sees a firecracker.
It is hard for the pet parents to avoid all circumstances but you should make sure that you try and keep them in a safe environment. Keep a watch about what is happening to your dog, so that they are never in such a condition where the memories are so bad that it literally marks their behavior.
Punishments Can Create Fear and Your Dog Might Be Scared Of You
Punishments can generate anxiety, stress, and fear. If you try and train your dog by giving severe punishments, then it would lead to your dog being scared of you all the time.
So, as you are aware of this now, you need to be able to train your dog while keeping the conditions amiable. You can try using positive training aspects, such as treating your dog with a mild pat to encourage him. You might give him a treat when they do something which you have told them. This is the perfect way to educate your dog, without insecurity or fear.
Castration Can Cause Fear
Many researchers have suggested that castration in dogs can trigger fear. In these cases, these dogs have not been in a condition fit for them. They don’t get the positive environment that is necessary for them to be happy. There are a lot of debates which state that there are some benefits of castration as well. However, this is something that needs to be accessed according to the condition of the dog.
Medical Conditions
There are many conditions that may even cause severe pain and even create defects in the sensory organs of your dogs. These sensory features such as vision, sense of smell, touch can be causes of fear. Due to the defects your dog might feel anxious and become scared of his or her condition.
If you see that your dogs are seriously ill. It is best that you get in touch with your veterinarian as soon as possible. Sometimes older dogs can be found to suffer from cognitive dysfunction syndrome. There are many problems that can cause the dogs to get scared such as less socialization, punishments, experiences that are negative, castration, heredity and medical issues. So, make sure you avoided such conditions as much as possible. So that you can keep away your dog from getting scared of all the surrounding things.
It is best to keep in touch with a specialist in behavioral medicine or an ethologist who can help the dog. They can help your dog get the proper help in case the condition of your dog deteriorates.
