Do you feel that your dog is afraid of strangers? If yes, it is because of a certain amount of fear. Some dogs get nervous or afraid of strangers because of poor socialization, negative past experiences and genetics. Experts suggest that training is the key to dealing with the situation. It should be done gradually, maintaining their own pace and without putting additional pressure on them.
If you feel that your dog shows severe reactions to strangers, you must deal with the situation accordingly and hire a qualified behaviorist. Let’s understand the reasons why your dog is afraid of strangers.
Stranger Don’t Know How to Interact With Dogs
In most of the cases, people don’t know how to approach dogs in a caring and calm manner. For others, they don’t even know how to react when they are around the dog. In some cases, the dog tends to look strangely straight into the eyes, or they approach to pat them directly. Some people approach the dog directly to play. In case the dog is kind of uncertain, all the before said activities will be perceived as dominating or threatening behavior by the dog.
Poor Past Socialization
Socializing is considered to be a very healthy development of the overall social behavior towards strangers, different new situations or new dogs. In case the dog does not have frequent contact with strangers or other people from a very young age, they tend to become unfamiliar as well as fearful of the new people.
The fear can be directed towards any given stranger, irrespective of age and gender when the stranger starts doing something very scary or unknown. When it comes to fear from strangers, it may include all types of strangers, including men, women, children, cyclists, runners, etc.
Genetic Reasons
In some cases, it is seen that dogs are genetically predisposed to anxiety. Veterinarians suggest that dogs receive these mannerisms from their parents. Some breeds are known to be energetic and outgoing, while other breeds are shy. But no matter what breed your dog is, dogs of any breed can get nervous or afraid of strangers.
Traumatic Experiences in the Past
Dogs that have suffered some unpleasant experiences in the past are always afraid of strangers. In some cases, the fear remains there for the rest of their lives. It can be serious abuse or a simple incident that has a lingering impact on the dog. You need to work on the training on the dog, and things will change with the gradual course of time.
How to Reduce Fear?
Dogs that fear strangers tend to run away, whine, shiver or hold their tail between their bark, legs, snarl or growl. These are the kind of signals where the dog is loud and clear and suggest that the dog wants to get out of it. Being a responsible pet owner, it is important to respect these stress signals. One must never force the dog to contact anyone that they want to avoid.
Dogs need to have great confidence in order to eliminate the gear. Make sure to build up contact slowly with new people. But make sure that your dog is in control of the situation. The aim is to socialize and not traumatize the dog, so there’s no need to rush.
Socializing is the key, and through this, you can control the fear of strangers in dogs. You can also install underground Dog Fence wire in your garden area or in the backyard to ensure that the dog remains within the said boundary and feels protected every time they see any strangers.
You can also ask your friends and family to approach your dog calmly and in a positive way so that the dog develops confidence and adjust in any new situations with new people around.
You must also reward your dog every time the dog stays calm in any new circumstances without causing any trouble. You must also monitor the behavior of the dog at regular intervals of time to ensure that the change is happening in real life. Please feel free to share your insights with us regarding the post below in the comment section.