The dog is afraid of loud noises. What to do? What to do if the dog is afraid of loud noises? Tactics of the owner's behavior when the dog is frightened

Fear of loud noises in pets in one way or another is quite common. It can be expressed in a constant fear of any sharp and loud sound, or it can be differentiated. For example, it happens that an animal experiences fear only at night or is afraid of gunshots, but is not afraid of thunderstorms. One way or another, the problem exists. But fortunately, there are ways to solve it.

How to avoid the problem?

Knowing about such a form of fear as the fear of loud noises, you can try to prevent this problem. It is advisable to do this even with. To do this, you need to study the maximum information about the dog's pedigree, about whether the fear of loud sounds was inherent in any of his parents or ancestors. It is also worth carefully observing the puppy itself. If the baby is timid and shy, hiding all the time, most likely, he will remain so. Active, curious, sociable kids with normal development do not experience fears and phobias in adulthood.

It is also necessary to be examined by a veterinarian to exclude the presence of any.

And, of course, do not forget that a dog is not a houseplant, but a social person. Therefore, it must be actively accustomed to street noises, and to city traffic, and to communication.

How to wean a dog from being afraid of loud noises?

If the problem cannot be avoided, you need to actively deal with its elimination so that regular stress does not turn into more unpleasant consequences for the dog. So what should you do if your dog is afraid of loud noises?

First of all, you need to increase physical activity. The active lifestyle of the animal, and especially the intensity of the loads immediately before the appearance of noise, reduce the sharpness of its perception. One trick is to associate noise with something pleasant. For example, before a thunderstorm or at the very beginning of it, you can give your dog a treat or an interesting toy. And so every time, when there is an opportunity, dilute the source of negative emotions with something positive.

Experts have also developed a technique for getting used to noise. To do this, you need to make a record of the noise that negatively affects the dog, and gradually accustom the animal to it. First, the recording is shown at a low volume level, as you get used to it, the volume gradually increases, and the playback time also increases. If the reaction is normal, the dog can be left alone with the noise for a while. One important condition is that such classes should be held in the absence of real noise (for example, in winter, when there is no thunderstorm).

By the same principle, you can accustom your pet to sharp pops or shots (use a gun or ordinary balloons). At first, the sound should be given from afar, gradually bringing it closer.

You can use another technique - the use of strong motivation. To do this, you just need to feed the dog in "noisy" conditions. As with other techniques, the noise intensity should increase gradually.

When correcting a dog's behavior, it is very important to adhere to the following conditions:

persistence;
subsequence;
regularity;
patience.

Trying to "speed things up" can only exacerbate the problem and result in even more stress for the pet.

There are many dogs that are afraid of loud noises. It manifests itself in different ways. For example, an animal may refuse to go for a walk, or run home from the street, sometimes they are so scared that even at home, it would seem that they are completely safe, hiding under the bed, bath and in the closet. Where does this problem come from and how to deal with it?

The reasons

There are several main reasons why a dog becomes afraid of loud noises.

congenital problem is very rare. And yet, the fear of the parents can be transmitted to the dog at the genetic level. Sometimes an animal can get fear in the "milk" age, when he especially needs peace in order to get stronger if he is frightened.
Everyone's nervous system is different. For example, you can consider a hunting dog and a service dog. The first will be delighted with the shot, because after it you need to run after the game. And the second is alert and may even take a defensive position. As you can see, their nervous system reacts differently to a loud sound. There are dogs that simply have a weak nervous system.
Negative experience is usually the most common cause of the problem. If an animal was shot at or a firecracker was thrown under its paws, most likely it will be afraid for life, or at least beware of loud sounds.
Misbehavior of the owner. Dogs always look at their owners. They are an example for them. The misbehavior discussed below can lead to such a problem.

Puppy and adult dog

So that in the future the dog is not afraid of loud sounds, it is necessary to direct education in this direction from puppyhood.

From an early age, it is necessary to “acquaint” the dog with all the possibilities of this world, including loud sounds. Protection from dangers will only harm the pet. Because a small animal forms a picture of the perception of the world. For him, any surprise in the future, for which he is not ready, will be incredibly stressful. Of course, you don’t need to push into danger, but if something has already happened, the pet must deal with it on its own, without the help of “mommy”.
Very often, at an unexpected loud sound, an adult dog or puppy will begin to shake or whine. The owners are eager to help them, hugging, stroking, soothing. It is not right! The fact is that the dog, seeing the panic of the owner, understands that the fear is not unfounded and begins to be afraid with redoubled zeal. And plus to this, stroking for an animal is a sign of approval, encouragement. In this case, it will decide that this is how it should behave and will shake at any loud sound, and over time the problem will worsen. Therefore, if the animal is frightened for the first time, you do not need to hug it, stroke it, feed it with treats to console it. On the contrary, it is worth showing indifference. When the dog sees the calmness of the owners, then she herself calms down. This is what a dog should see when he is scared - confident, cheerful, calm people next to him, setting an example with his behavior.

Precautionary measures

If the dog is very afraid of loud noises, certain precautions must be taken before re-education.

On the collar, write the name of the animal, its address and the owner's phone number, so that if the animal runs away in a panic, it can be found and returned. Ideally, of course, search chip, but this is very expensive.
It is necessary to work hard on raising a pet. Only the re-education of an adult dog or the correct education of a puppy can solve the problem. Letting things go will only get worse.
It is never necessary to let a shy dog off the leash on the street. A person can be confident in himself, but not in the world around him. A loud sound may appear unexpectedly: exhaust, firecrackers, fireworks, screaming, siren - all this is a lot of stress for the dog and she will just run away.

Solution

Having figured out how to raise a dog initially and what precautions to take, you need to determine what to do with the problem if it already exists! Everything is more complicated here. Any fear comes from self-doubt. And here again, only the owner can help. It is he who is considered the leader of the "pack" from the point of view of the pet. The owner's confidence and trust in him can help the animal cope with his fears. What should be the behavior of the owner?

Never need to encourage fear. Yes, there is already a problem, but you should not focus on it. You need to behave with your pet in a completely normal way, as if nothing happened. If the dog looks at you, you need to turn away, yawn, do something. The animal will see that the owner is completely calm and it will become easier for him, he will try to adopt his model of behavior in this situation.
Can try to switch the pet's attention. This does not always work out and depends on the degree of fear. But sometimes a toy, a workout, or even just a conversation can work. So, for example, you can discuss something aloud with the dog (lunch, a walk, plans for the evening). Animals feel human intonation like a scanner. They understand by the voice that the owner is nervous, happy, afraid, worried or calm. But besides this, they feel their importance in the family and sometimes switch their attention from one to another.
Frequent walks in unfamiliar places at different times of the day will lead to the emergence of trust in the owner, the dog will begin to treat him better, and look for an example, protection in him, adopting his confidence.
If on the street the dog abruptly sat down or fell to the ground, snuggling up, and does not want to go, you need to move away from it to the maximum distance that the leash allows, and squat down, looking at “something interesting” in the grass. The animal will not be able to resist because of curiosity and after a while will begin to rise and move towards the owner. At this moment, you need to get up and, with the command “come to me,” continue the walk.
In the case when the dog panicked on the street and tries to get out of the leash in order to run away, you need to grab it by the withers and turn the croup, then sharply pull the leash and put it at the foot on the command “next”. After that, it is worth taking the pet aside and distracting with some activity (ball, teams), and rewarding for good performance. But there should be no panic, fear or soothing words, gestures!

Everyone knows that dogs have excellent hearing. They hear what a person is simply not able to hear. Therefore, any loud sounds are very unpleasant for our four-legged friends. But there are various factors that can contribute to the development of a phobia in animals.

Most often, dogs become afraid of loud sounds for the following reasons:

Congenital fear. If your pet has never been in stressful situations, but, as a puppy, already begins to react inappropriately to any loud sounds, then genetics may be the cause of his phobia. Fear of loud noises may be inherited from his mother or father.
Unbalanced psyche. Dogs, like people, have their own character and individual characteristics of the psyche. For example, for some breeds, a characteristic reaction to noise is alertness, while in hunting breeds a shot from a gun causes delight. If your pet belongs to service dogs, but runs away when a loud irritant appears, then this may indicate an imbalance in his psyche.
Experienced shock. Very often, dogs become afraid of loud sounds after the holidays, which are accompanied by fireworks and explosions of firecrackers. In addition, this phobia can develop if the animal develops an association between a loud sound and a traumatic event. For example, if a petard was thrown under the paws of a dog, which exploded and injured the animal.

Fear of loud noises is quite common, and in order for your pet to respond adequately to these stimuli, it is necessary to know what corrective dog training and early socialization are.
puppy.

Animals may be afraid of gunshots, car exhausts, the sound of firecrackers, fireworks, the roar of trams, trains, etc. Quite often, the fear of sounds occurs in the form of phobias. It should also be reminded of
one thing: the dog's hearing is very sensitive. Your pet is able to hear things that you are not aware of. For example, a person begins to hear sounds with a frequency of 20 hertz, while a dog
responds to sounds with a frequency of 35 to 70 thousand hertz.

That is, what we perceive as everyday noise and what we do not pay attention to can be for a dog like a blow to the head with a hammer. Strong
the sound hurts and can even damage the tympanic membrane and the organ of Corti (the receptor part of the auditory analyzer) of the dog's ear. And if we talk about a thunderstorm with lightning, firecrackers or fireworks,
then they are also accompanied by flashes of light, which do not bring pleasure to the eyes of the dog either.

The choice of methods for correcting the fear of loud sounds depends on the degree of its severity. For simplicity, we single out three degrees of "illness".

A weak degree of fear is manifested simply in anxiety: the dog moves its ears, looks around in search of the source of the sound, but remains quite controllable and even takes food.
The average degree is manifested in fright, after which the dog does not obey, calms down with difficulty and does not eat the offered treat.
With severe fear, the dog trembles, does not obey commands, falls into a panic state, does not take a treat, tries to escape if he is on a leash, or runs away when he is on a leash.
no. Sometimes she refuses to go outside, actively resisting this.

The reasons why dogs become afraid of different people can be conditionally divided into two groups.

The first group of reasons combines past life experience and negative associations of the dog. For example, if a puppy was beaten by people, it is natural that this dog will be afraid of people, first of all, as sources of threat to its life.

If this dog has a weak type of nervous system, it will try to avoid the company of people as much as possible. If the animal has a strong nervous system, it is possible that it will manifest pronounced aggression towards humans as a response.

The second group of reasons will be associated with the characteristics of the nervous system and the worldview and upbringing of this dog.

Quite frequent are cases when in the past the dog did not accept any inconvenience from people, but still fears them. First of all, such a phenomenon will be characteristic of artificially bred decorative dogs of small size. Such a dog will acutely feel its inferiority in front of the outside world and people who are much larger than it in size and therefore represent a danger.

If a dog was brought up in conditions where it constantly sees only one owner and very rarely any of the other people, and besides, the animal has a weak type of nervous system, most likely, all this will lead to the fact that people, in addition to its owner , the dog will be extremely fearful.

There are several reasons why people are afraid.

Mistreatment of a pet. This option can be allowed if the pet was taken not from professional breeders, but from breeders (since it is quite possible that he was not kept in proper conditions or physical force was applied to him). Also, mistreatment cannot be ruled out if you have adopted an adult dog or pet from a shelter.
Lack of socialization at an early age. The age of up to 3 months is the period when the puppy learns the world. If at this age the dog did not have the opportunity to communicate with other people and gain experience, it is quite possible that he will develop a fear of strangers.
Weak pet nervous system. There are dogs that from birth show more fearfulness than their brothers and sisters. This is because some puppies may have a weak nervous system. Such a pet will be constantly defeated by various types of phobias and the owner will have to make a lot of efforts to make a self-confident pet out of such a dog.

Immediately make a reservation that phobias can occur for no apparent reason - this phenomenon is called idiopathic fear. There is also a risk of congenital mental disorders when the puppy is afraid "by nature". It is more difficult to deal with innate fears, more precisely, it will take more time. If you have already got an adult dog, then this is another case when the cause cannot be identified.

Was the dog shot or was another animal/person shot in front of it? This is not about hunting, but about violence. A stressful situation in which a four-legged person risked his life or saw someone's life taken away from him will remain in the pet's memory for a long time. Perhaps the only case when the ward should not be “drilled” is if he himself was injured. In this case, it is more than normal to be afraid of shots.

Has the pet been to "hot spots"? This includes not only military actions, but also explosions of household gas, gas cylinders, cars, etc.

Has your dog had a negative experience with pyrotechnics? For example, if the pet was left at home alone on New Year's Eve and was frightened by fireworks.

Was there a childish fear? Optionally, a shot, perhaps a sharp bang, can instill acquired fear in the ward.

Most likely, you do not understand how to teach a dog not to be afraid of other dogs. Moreover, there is a good chance that you are encouraging the cowardice of the dog, but we will deal with this below. Before deciding what to do with a phobia, you need to determine its causes.

Insufficient level of socialization acquired in puppyhood is the first and most popular reason. Numerous studies, observations and rich experience of owners have shown that if a puppy of 4–6 months has not received active walks and is unfamiliar with the outside world (except for home), the occurrence of phobias cannot be avoided. The only question is what exactly the dog will be afraid of.

A dog can be afraid of literally everything, phobias in front of transport, people, and other animals are especially dangerous. The threat of escape of the ward increases to a critical level. As experience shows, an unsocialized dog, in the end, is lost on the street and there is practically no chance of finding it (live).

The low level of socialization can also be explained by the early weaning of the puppy from its mother. The baby should be with the mother until 2-3 months of age. During this time, the puppy will learn to communicate with brothers and sisters, will pass the first educational school from his mother, learn to understand what role a person plays in his life.

Puppies fed artificially, the basics of human communication. Here the breadwinner needs to not miss the important stages in the development of the dog's personality and support them. The kid must learn to play, win and be defeated; must learn to compete for food, of course, upon reaching a more or less reasonable age.

Psychological trauma experienced by an adult dog in the past is the second most common cause of dog phobias. Most often, this problem is faced by people who pick up a pet on the street or take from a shelter. After moving to a new home, the dog will need time to recover and no one knows what this interval will be. In the process of adaptation, the four-legged can show cowardice to everyone, even to the owner.

Much less often, fear of other dogs can be explained by heredity. By nature, dogs are very sociable and if they are already afraid of someone, then they avoid contact. Having met with a frightening object, the quadruped defends itself, and if the opponent is too strong, it runs away.

Genetic predisposition can be assumed, but not guaranteed. Usually, puppies show cowardice at a very early age, at 4-8 weeks of age. The kid does not play with his brothers, is afraid of noise, most often lags behind in growth, because he does not dare to compete for food. In this situation, another reason is also possible - a fright experienced at an early age. Whether the consequences of fright will appear when the dog grows up, no one will say.

The dog is frightened by loud noises due to individual characteristics

How quickly a puppy gets used to strong sounds depends on their specificity, the degree of prior acquaintance with noises and the dog's experience, as well as its individual characteristics. The more complex and unusual the environment in which the puppy heard a strong sound, the stronger his fear.

If at the same time you forcibly keep the puppy on a leash or stubbornly lead towards the source of the sound, two options are possible. A puppy with a strong nervous system will probably gradually get used to the noise, with a weak one, it will probably get a nervous breakdown and even shock. The main thing is that you should notice the disturbing behavior in time and take measures to eliminate it.

If your efforts to accustom the dog to strong noises and harsh sounds are rewarded - the dog reacts quite adequately to them, does not get scared and does not run away, it is too early to calm down. Periodically arrange checks for the dog by visiting unfamiliar places. Ideally, the dog should be calm about strong noise stimuli, not particularly distracted by them (pay attention to them for a few seconds - to assess the situation).

Possible mistakes in the process of accustoming: acquaintance of the dog with strong noises and sounds in the initial period of accustoming to them; forced movement with the help of a leash to the sound source; rough treatment of the dog and causing her pain; "lisping" - a kind of encouragement for a dog for cowardice; too frequent "acquaintance" with strong noises and sounds; ignoring the individual characteristics of the dog.

From time to time, test your dog for sound sensitivity in new places.

Start training your puppy in a quiet and peaceful place, and then gradually master more noisy areas.

The optimal time for accustoming to noises and sounds is puppyhood. It is much more difficult for an adult dog to adapt to the turbulent conditions of the city.

During the first walks in busy areas, keep the puppy on a short leash and constantly observe his reaction to new sounds.

According to recent studies, some dog breeds are more likely to develop a fear of noise than others. Examples of such breeds include Collies, German Shepherds, Beagles and Basset Hounds. Dogs with separation phobia are more likely to be afraid of thunderstorms and loud noises.

Average degree of fear

In the case of a mild fear, it is enough to increase the controllability of the dog, i.e. pass or repeat a course of obedience, first in a calm environment, and then in the presence of factors that cause
anxiety state. As soon as the dog begins to be afraid, immediately begin to command it. A very effective method of eliminating motivation.

Linda Tellington-Jones believes that the salvation of your pet's fear of noise is literally in your hands. She also developed the so-called massage for dogs,
consisting in a system of therapeutic stroking, which was later called the "Tellington touch".

With an average degree of fear, it is also necessary to repeat the course of obedience, and as soon as the dog begins to execute commands perfectly (I emphasize - excellent) in a calm environment, start working on
habituation method, but be careful not to make mistakes.

With a strong degree of fear, the situation changes somewhat, since in this case the defensive need dominates, and is in a dominant state. She is extremely expressive.
and hypertrophied. The fixation of traces of memory during a dominant need occurs extremely quickly, after 1–2 cases, and this is determined by the high biological significance of this
needs.

When its value becomes critical, failure to satisfy the need at this moment can lead to dangerous consequences for the body and even death. defensive
the need for a dominant state is characterized by the fact that all other reactions of the body are aimed at removing or reducing this state.

By and large, the state of the dominant is useful. In many cases, in natural life, animals do not have the opportunity to collect statistical material about any causal relationship,
as it happens in the case of learning in the form of classical conditioned reflexes. If an animal were to develop adaptive behavior each time after 40–60 combinations of exposures and consequences,
then it most likely would not have left offspring.

However, the state of the dominant causes stress in the dog, and strong. An acute or prolonged conflict situation changes the properties of brain neurons, thereby creating a stagnant focus of excitation.
(congestive dominant) and forming pathological dominant changes in brain functions, which can lead to a breakdown of higher nervous activity (neurosis) or transcendental inhibition. Especially
care should be taken with young animals in which the state of the dominant is formed very quickly.

So, if your dog is afraid of shots or loud noises, you will have to knock out a wedge with a wedge. Try the following (by the way, if you are not sure about the ability of your dog's nervous system
to withstand heavy loads, spend the first 3-4 sessions using medications that will be prescribed by a veterinarian).

Put on a strong noose on the dog and fasten a reliable carabiner and leash. It is very important not to let the dog break free and run away, otherwise the behavior will be reinforced. Play the frightening
dog sound of medium intensity.
As soon as the dog starts shaking with fear and escaping, force him to run next to you (the “Near!” command) along the square, that is, without moving away from the “dangerous” place and not allowing
dog move away from you. Do not feel sorry for the dog, pull it sharply when trying to escape. So you have to run for quite some time - until the dog stops shaking and escaping.

Why should you run? The fact is that during stress, special substances are released into the bloodstream that increase the speed of transmission of nerve impulses and excitability of muscles. They are essential for
in order to effectively fight for their lives with someone or tirelessly and quickly run away from danger (a similar phenomenon is noted among athletes before entering the ring, tatami or
sports ground).

So, despite the fact that these substances are biologically very useful, they increase the state of anxiety, so it is advisable to get rid of them. And you can get rid
only by utilizing them in the process of muscular activity. Over time, as the dog's stress decreases, these substances will be released less and less, and the dog will have to
run closer to you.

While running, we seem to follow the dog’s lead, imperceptibly modifying behavior and proving to it that even without moving away from the source and without running away from the owner, you can stay
alive. And, besides, we create the very antagonistic dominant - let's call it the "dominant of submission", although this is wrong.

As soon as the dog stops shaking and thrashing, go to a walk and, moving also in a square, work for about 5 minutes on the movement near. Change pace and direction
movement. Stop and run again.
Work with the laying, landing and stand of the dog. Do not expect activity from the dog, but force it, creating that very “dominant of submission”. Plant with your hands if she is slow, but not
hurt. Work with endurance under the obligatory control of the leash. Obedience exercises will help the dog learn to control his condition and be manageable, even in
state of fear.
Finally, start playing with your dog. Find out in advance in a calm environment what games she prefers. Fix the gaming need. During the exercise, obsessively offer
the dog a game, even if she doesn't want to play. Sooner or later the dog will join the game and, over time, it will be easier and easier to play.
To begin with, do only 1-2 exercises per week, adding one every couple of weeks. If you are consistent and persistent, then over time the dog will become much more manageable.
presence of precipitating factors.

Sometimes it happens that with a strong fear of loud sounds, the dog refuses to go outside and, resisting, may even bite the owners. In such a situation, you just need to stop feeding
her in the apartment and give food only outside the door - on the landing, stairs, and then on the street.

When a dog exhibits panic fear while in an apartment, not all of the methods described above may be convenient. You can, of course, try to change the motivation, using very
delicious dog food, as H. E. Whiteley advises in his book Dogs Are Our Friends: “I chose a thunderstorm that was barely
just started, so to speak.

Rain was in the air, a few drops had already fallen. I showed Mishka the jar, and on his face an expression like “oh,
it must be Christmas!” than fear. Mishka's usual timid behavior never showed up; besides, I was lucky that the storm did not break out completely.

It is very difficult to find a thunderstorm that is clearly suitable for retraining a dog suffering from a phobia. For this reason, most experts recommend playing tape
thunderstorm records while positively reinforcing the dog's calm demeanor. If suddenly the dog develops fear, then you have gone too far in this training.

Tranquilizers and antidepressants are useful in calming the fear reaction, along with increasing retraining. I think that this suggestion will be useful in case of a weak or moderate degree
fear. With strong fear, you still have to create a food dominant and feed the dog only in the presence of noise.

Referring to the experience of well-known veterinarians and zoopsychologists, M. Hoffman believes that the fear reaction can be reduced by providing a dog with shelter in its favorite cage or throwing
some kind of cape (blanket, sheet, plaid), without covering her nose. It can sometimes be effective to mask a frightening noise with familiar noises or music.

In any case, even in the most neglected situation, with the help of methodical and regular work with the dog, the owner can achieve results and give the dog the opportunity to live without fear or, according to
at least keep the dog around. I hope the tips in this article will help you do just that.

Adaptation of an adult dog

If the pet appeared at home in adulthood, the situation is aggravated. A weak nervous system, lack of socialization, a cruel past are a possible reason for the dog's inappropriate behavior. Well, if the animal does not rush at all. If the pet is also aggressive, it poses a real threat.

Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to completely re-educate an adult dog. She will never be able to live fully. Either way, the fear will remain. But this is not a sentence. If you are ready for the ups and downs, you can get your pet used to some stimuli. This will not fix the psyche, but will allow at least to walk and train.

It is strongly recommended to contact a zoopsychologist or at least a cynologist. You may be tempted to say no at first, but be persistent. These dogs need an individual approach. In general, it is necessary to educate the pet in self-confidence and trust in the owner. Try to avoid strong irritants whenever possible. Be sure to do some training.

How to get rid of the fear of gunshots in your dog

Training and behavior modification are similar concepts, but the work is based on different “foundations”. The eradication of fear is not a difficult process, but it requires long and regular practice. Your task is to instill confidence in the dog, because a four-legged can always run away, but to understand the alternative, you need a “cold mind”.

Fear is suppressed by distraction- you should not encourage fear, that is, pity the ward, "protect him with your chest", hide, grab him in your arms, etc. The best method is to distract the ward by playing or following commands.

Be sensitive to your dog's reaction.- fear, bordering on control, this is a normal reaction. As mentioned above, the ward should be afraid, but not hysterically afraid.

Don't wait for risky situations- you yourself may not be ready for the right reaction if you do not adjust the situation yourself. Ask friends or family members for help, be ready and confident, then it will be easier for your pet to cope with stress.

The most harmless method is a game with balloons (not big). Tease your dog with a ball. As a result, she will bite or pierce the toy with her claw. When the balloon pops, continue playing as if nothing happened. If this step did not cause difficulties, proceed to the next.

Ask a friend to blow up a small firecracker at a distance of 100–200 m. At first, it is worth blowing up the pyrotechnics behind the fence (house, garage, fence) so that the sound wave is scattered. Ideally, the ward should turn towards the explosion, perhaps lay their ears back, but not run. If everything went according to plan, the distance to the explosion is gradually reduced to 20–50 m.

Further, the quadruped is taught to shoot from the starting pistol. The methodology is the same, starting from a distance of 100–200 m, gradually reducing it. Ideally, the pet should calmly respond to the shot made by the owner, sitting at the left leg (the "Next" command).

In this way, you will help the dog cope with the situation and not aggravate it.

The dog will not resist and not want to go out or, on the contrary, go obediently in the most depressed state - after all, you did not punish him or frighten him, on the contrary, you supported and chose a quieter time.

Yes, the dog is afraid - but after the fireworks, now he calms down much, ten times faster.

And the leash does not break, does not try to break out of it - after all, there is no need to run away anywhere else, support is nearby.

First of all, seeing the reluctance and fear of the animal before a street walk, the owner must exclude physical ailment. Experienced dog breeders and cynologists attribute stress, illiterate training, and mental problems in the animal to the reasons for the negative attitude of the dog to walking.

puppy

The owner may face the problem of a dog's fear of the street as early as puppyhood. Responsible breeders don't release an animal to a new home until they are two months old and usually advise the new owner on revaccination timing and when to go outside.

Early weaning from the mother, premature separation from their furry brothers and sisters reduce the level of socialization of the baby. It is difficult for such a pet to adapt to constantly changing environmental conditions. Fear during a walk is often experienced by young puppies, which at puppyhood would-be breeders kept in an aviary or in cages.

Due to inexperience, the newly-made owners strive to introduce a new family member as early as possible to the territory of a country house or cottage. You can't do this. The fragile psyche of the baby, the stress of moving to a new place lead to the fact that the puppy develops fear.

Outdoors, a pet's sensitive nose picks up a lot of unfamiliar smells. The noise of a passing car, the screams of children, a person on a bicycle can cause panic and severe stress in a baby. Mentally unbalanced individuals react especially nervously to extraneous sounds and irritants.

Most dog owners are not very familiar with canine psychology. Not only do they not know how to help their pet overcome their own fear, they also unwittingly aggravate the condition of their four-legged friend by encouraging such behavior.

Insufficient socialization

This is the most common defect, the culprit of which is the owner himself. Experienced cynologists and breeders confirm that if a puppy before the age of 5-6 months did not go for walks outside his yard or apartment, did not visit public places and did not get acquainted with other people and animals, then in most cases he develops some phobia.

But in this case, it is not necessary that the condition manifest itself in the form of fear of other dogs. The pet may be afraid of cars, people, animals, extraneous sounds. The risks of escapes in unsocialized pets are much higher. Sooner or later, such a dog ends up on the street and is not able to return home on its own.

A low level of socialization can also be caused by the fact that the puppy was taken away from the bitch too early. It is desirable that the offspring be with the mother for up to 2-3 months. During this period, the kids manage to get the first knowledge about the world around them, they learn to interact with their mother and brothers, she also gives important educational lessons. In addition, looking at the behavior of the bitch, puppies begin to understand what a person means to a dog, what place he occupies in her life.

Artificial puppies are deprived of this school, they adopt the first skills from people. And the person who feeds the baby should not miss the moment, it is important to develop the personality of the pet and support it:

the puppy must learn to play, both to win and lose;
he needs to be able to compete for food.

Experienced mental trauma

The second most common cause of phobias in animals. A similar phenomenon is often encountered by owners who take an adult pet from a zoo or from the street. As soon as the dog is in a new home, he is going through an adaptation period, and how much time it will take to recover is unknown.

hereditary propensity

A rather rare cause that affects the appearance of a pet's fear of dogs. By their nature, dogs are sociable, and if they are afraid of someone, they will try to avoid contact. When a dog comes face to face with a frightening object, he can take a defensive position, and if the opponent wins in size and power, then run away.

Genetic propensity can be assumed, but it is not guaranteed. Usually signs of cowardice appear in puppies as early as 4-8 weeks of age. Such babies avoid playing with brothers and sisters, are afraid of noise, grow somewhat more slowly than others, as they do not compete for food.

Fright experienced in puppyhood

It is impossible to predict whether the fear experienced by the puppy will come around in the future. The cause of severe stress is often a visit to the veterinary clinic, careless handling, inappropriate behavior of the bitch, etc.

Reasons why a dog is afraid to walk

Before implementing methods aimed at solving the problem, the owner must understand why an adult or puppy is afraid to walk on the street. The most common factors that can provoke such a phobia, zoopsychologists include:

Traumatic experience associated with strong experiences in the past. It can relate to both physiological and psychological aspects. The pet could have been hit by a car, hit by a passerby, or frightened by a scene of violence. As a result, the sound of a passing car or the sight of a stranger can evoke painful experiences in the dog's memory that may make him dislike walking in the yard.
Bad weather conditions. Most dog breeders believe that the only thing the dog wants is to jump out the door of the apartment and run in plenty. And it doesn’t matter what the weather is outside the window - rain, snow, strong wind or hellish heat. But in fact, barking friends are selective in this regard, especially for those breeds that are distinguished by short hair. Extreme cold or excessive humidity gives them a lot of inconvenience, so if the dog does not want to walk, and clouds are gathering outside, then it is better to put the leash aside and take it out for a walk a little later.
It is important to understand that if dog is afraid of people, then it's no surprise that she wants to avoid places full of them. This behavior is caused by the fact that in the past the animal suffered abuse from its former owners. Attentive owners may notice that their shaggy friend willingly goes for a walk at an early time, when the streets are still empty and there are few passers-by, and in the evening, on the contrary, begins to become stubborn and hides under the bed.
Low level of socialization. Zoopsychologists are convinced that if a puppy does not want to leave the house once again, then the reason often lies in the fact that he has practically no socialization skill. This is often the fault of negligent breeders, who early separated the puppy from his brothers and sisters. The problem also manifests itself in pets taken from shelters for stray dogs, where the baby was kept in isolation. As a result, he considers strangers and his fellow tribesmen to be menacing figures capable of harming him.
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system cause unbearable suffering to the pet. He hardly moves around the house, to say nothing about the street. Each movement causes severe pain in the dog's body, so over time, he develops a fear of walking, as before something painful and fraught with difficulties.
Old age is another factor why a dog does not like walking. In the process of aging, visual acuity and hearing become dull, which makes the dog helpless. Dogs are afraid of fast moving objects that they cannot hear, so they panic and break off the leash.
Zoopsychologists have found that in some cases the puppy does not want to walk because it has an innate weak nervous system that overreacts to stimuli such as light, sound, strong smells.

The owner must clearly understand that if his animal is not mentally stable, is able to break off the leash or throw himself at passers-by, then you should not try to correct his behavior on your own. Be sure to seek help from an experienced dog handler or a qualified animal psychologist.

The dog is afraid of people on the street due to various reasons. One of them is the mistreatment of the owners with the dog from an early age. He develops a fear of people. Basically, this is observed when the dog was raised by breeders, and not dog breeders with experience.

The dog is afraid of people and barks as a result of the lack of socialization for up to three months. During this period, the puppy should gain experience communicating with people. If this recommendation of dog breeders is not followed, correcting the situation by making the behavior calm is a difficult task.

A pet may experience fear of strangers due to a weak nervous system. Most often, a puppy is born with this trait. As he grows up, he encounters phobias. To eliminate them, the owner will have to make a lot of effort.

The causes of fear may be idiopathic. Their origin is unknown. In such cases, the dog shows fear of something specific - he is afraid of tall people, he is afraid of a loud voice. A similar situation can occur within a family when a pet experiences a feeling of fear in relation to one of the family members.

Why is a dog afraid of people?

In most situations, a phobia of specific people can develop. They may experience fear of citizens dressed in a uniform, of a certain configuration with a smell. This often happens when a dog remembers his offender who beat him.

They can experience fear in front of a veterinarian who is dressed in a white coat. It is associated with pain and discomfort. Such feelings the dog experienced at the reception. Phobias can cause fear of a cyclist, a man with a beard.

Fear of loud noises is quite common, and in order for your pet to respond adequately to these stimuli, it is necessary to know what corrective dog training and early socialization are.
puppy.

Animals may be afraid of gunshots, car exhausts, the sound of firecrackers, fireworks, the roar of trams, trains, etc. Quite often, the fear of sounds occurs in the form of phobias. It should also be reminded of
one thing: the dog's hearing is very sensitive. Your pet is able to hear things that you are not aware of. For example, a person begins to hear sounds with a frequency of 20 hertz, while a dog
responds to sounds with a frequency of 35 to 70 thousand hertz.

The choice of methods for correcting the fear of loud sounds depends on the degree of its severity. For simplicity, we single out three degrees of "illness".

A weak degree of fear is manifested simply in anxiety: the dog moves its ears, looks around in search of the source of the sound, but remains quite controllable and even takes food.
The average degree is manifested in fright, after which the dog does not obey, calms down with difficulty and does not eat the offered treat.
With severe fear, the dog trembles, does not obey commands, falls into a panic state, does not take a treat, tries to escape if he is on a leash, or runs away when he is on a leash.
no. Sometimes she refuses to go outside, actively resisting this.

There can be several reasons why a dog is afraid of people:

Poor treatment of a dog from an early age can lead to the fact that he will not just avoid strangers, but in every possible way avoid contact with them. As a rule, this behavior is characteristic of those puppies that were taken from breeders, and not experienced dog breeders. It is possible that physical force was applied to the puppy. In addition, this reason cannot be denied if the pet was taken by an adult from a shelter.
If a dog shied away from people on the street, then most likely it lacked socialization at an early age. Up to 3 months the baby learns the world. If during this period the puppy did not communicate with people and did not gain experience, then it will be extremely difficult to teach the pet to behave calmly.
Another common reason that dogs are afraid of strangers is that their nervous system is very weak. As a rule, a puppy is already born with this trait. In the future, he may be haunted by various phobias that will appear like mushrooms after rain. That is why the owner will have to make a lot of efforts to raise a calm and adequate dog.

There are several main reasons why a dog becomes afraid of loud noises.

congenital problem is very rare. And yet, the fear of the parents can be transmitted to the dog at the genetic level. Sometimes an animal can get fear in the "milk" age, when he especially needs peace in order to get stronger if he is frightened.
Everyone's nervous system is different. For example, you can consider a hunting dog and a service dog. The first will be delighted with the shot, because after it you need to run after the game. And the second is alert and may even take a defensive position. As you can see, their nervous system reacts differently to a loud sound. There are dogs that simply have a weak nervous system.
Negative experiences are usually the most common cause of a problem. If an animal was shot at or a firecracker was thrown under its paws, most likely it will be afraid for life, or at least beware of loud sounds.
Misbehavior of the owner. Dogs always look at their owners. They are an example for them. The misbehavior discussed below can lead to such a problem.

puppy

Did you know that cynophobia, that is, the fear of dogs, is considered a mental disorder? Considering the opposite situation, we can draw a similar conclusion - if a dog is afraid of a person, it means that the animal has a too receptive, weak or traumatized psyche. The phobia may "stretch" from puppyhood or have specific causes.

Caused - fear can be the cause of negative emotions, pain, or a dangerous situation experienced by the four-legged. Most often, the animal's reaction is based on the direct consequences of life experience. For example, dogs are afraid of some people if they have been in captivity or quarantined, bullying or rough treatment. All bipeds that have a similar height, silhouette or smell will remind the ward of the experience and frighten him.

Idiopathic - fears, the cause of which cannot be identified. For example, a dog is afraid of crying babies or very young children. Another example - a puppy is brought up in a family from childhood, but suddenly and for no reason begins to be afraid of one of the family members.

Types of behavioral reactions when a person is afraid

Before correcting previous mistakes, one must admit that they were and clearly define what act (or series of actions) led to the emergence of a phobia. Human fear is, first of all, distrust. Usually, pet fears are expressed in two forms:

Passive-defensive reaction- flattened ears and tail, frequent licking of the muzzle, shifty eyes, an attempt to escape, hide or lie down, uncontrolled urination.

Aggressive-defensive reaction- this is a consequence of a passive reaction with increased stimuli or an independent behavioral type. The dog barks, growls or barks. Turns away and tries to stick his muzzle into a corner or under furniture (after that, the dog will make a jerk towards the irritant and bite). Gaze concentrated controlling.

If the dogs continue to press when showing a defensive reaction to the psyche, the next stage of defense begins. The animal whines, snaps its jaws in the air at the slightest attempt to approach, bites furniture or other objects nearby. There is trembling and severe salivation. Usually, at this stage, the body temperature of the quadruped increases greatly.