Why Is My Dog Suddenly Scared Of Me? - How To Gain Back Their Trust

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Being afraid is an emotional response that is triggered when the animal is exposed to a threatening stimuli. This is why there may be many reasons why your dog is scared. This emotion is not in itself negative, since it involves a survival mechanism that helps avoid elements that are hostile and allows one to safely adapt to the environment.

However, what is negative for the animal and our coexistence with them, is for them to be fearful of everyday elements that in fact, do not threaten their survival. When a dog becomes frightened of an everyday element, it is very difficult for them to function properly in their environment. This causes them to be stressed and anxious. When this element is their human companion, it is particularly problematic.

First, we will explore where fear comes from. Fear is an emotion caused by the interaction between two elements:

Genetics

Apart from inheriting physical characteristics from their parents, temperament is also inheritable. In fact, fear is a feature with a high possibility of being transmitted from parents to children (there's about a 50% chance).

In addition, by nature dogs can be afraid of stimuli with which they aren't familiar. This instinct, which is called neophobia, has been inherited from their wolf ancestors (or another common evolutionary link). It is a defense mechanism that allows them to protect themselves from possible dangerous stimuli when encountering something new.

Learning

This will be determined by the different elements of the environment that have interacted with the dog since they have been a puppy. In other words, socialization. This is the education received when first introduced to new people, animals and environments. It's recommended to be very careful in this part of a puppy's life as any negative experiences they encounter can affect their temperament as an adult dog.

Poor socialization will affect the future of the dog and make them more fearful of certain elements, espeically those that are unknown. It's important to note that any traumatic experiences will leave a strong imprint on the personality of the puppy when they become an adult. Therefore, it's very important to socialize them progressively and never force situations on them.

In the same way, an education based on punishment and shouting will establish a poor relationship in trust between the dog and their owner. This is because it will be based on control through fear and intimidation. This promotes an insecure character in the animal, since they need a lifestyle that provides security.

Finally, if the dog has ever experienced a negative situation associated with a certain stimulus, it is very likely that in the future this stimulus will generate a fear response when exposed to the animal. For example, if your dog was bitten by another dog, they might begin to feel unsafe in the presence of new dogs.

Why Is My Dog Suddenly Scared Of Me? - Why is my dog afraid?

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