Have you ever experienced seeing your dog in extreme fear and he wouldn’t calm down even after a very long time? Well as a pet owner, that probably is very hard to handle especially if it’s the first time that you have ever experienced being with an extremely scared dog.
The first thing that you need to do is to find out what caused your canine buddy’s fear and anxiety. You should always know the source of the problem and ask yourself what is making your dog so scared.
Sometimes his fear is obvious, like he doesn’t like the sound of the thunderstorm or he is not comfortable around your friend that visited you in your house. But sometimes the situation might be much difficult since the root of his fear and anxiety is not obvious, so you need to quickly look around and be observant of what’s happening around you.
Take note of his actions and watch his eyes because he probably will be looking away from what he is scared of or otherwise, he might stare out of it because of concern.
Here are a few tips that are easy to follow and you can do to calm your dog’s nerves when he is scared:
1. Sooth your pup away from his misery
A lot of dogs are used to the soothing touch of his pet owner. When your dog is currently having a breakdown, one of the things that you can do is just sit beside him while talking to him calmly and gently stroke his back with your loving touch until he becomes calm and stops trembling in fear.
Start by touching his head then gently bring your hand back towards his tail and start saying calming words like “it is okay” or “everything will be alright”.
Although some might say that acting like this towards your canine buddy’s behavior means that you are rewarding his behavior and that it is okay for them to act and feel the way that they are feeling.
But as your dog’s owner, it is up to you to judge the situation since every situation can be handled differently based on what your dog is experiencing. Sometimes, your loving touch is just exactly what your dog needs for him to calm down and let go of his fear.
2. Provide your dog a time out
While your dog is currently at the state of fear and anxiety, you might need to place him in a safe place until his anxiety passes. You can consider putting him in a crate or in a smaller room where he can stay.
Lead your dog to a space and encourage him to lie down for him to be able to relax and be comfortable. You may also cover his space in a blanket or add some sheets for him to be safe and add to his additional security. By providing him his own space and his own safe area, your dog can relax and rest and they may even forget what is bothering and scaring him.
3. Let your dog face his fear
Did you know that there is this mantra that goes like this, “you have to face your fears”? Well, maybe that is what your dog needs. So train your dog to face his fears and help him overcome them. This means that if your dog is scared of something; make him see that it is nothing and that he doesn’t need to be afraid of it.
For example, your canine buddy is afraid of your television, put your dog in a leash and bring him directly in front of the TV. Give him praises and calm him down once he gets afraid again and gradually show him that there is nothing to be scared of and your TV won’t be able to harm him.
In case he starts acting out again, bring him to his safe space and try this tip again some other time. Remember that you shouldn’t force him because it might scare him more, always be patient and gentle with him especially when he is anxious.
4. Give positive reinforcements
Every time you give your dog a positive reinforcement towards the thing that he is scared of, you might be able to change your dog’s attitude and behavior towards a situation.
5. Cause a distraction
Once your dog starts to freak out from something that he is scared of, try with him the distraction trick. You may do this by showing him the toy that he loves to play with or try to play fetch with him. By doing this, he might be able to focus less on what he is scared of.
6. Prevent future meltdowns
Once you know what causes his fear and what are the things and scenarios that he is scared of, you now have the capacity to prevent his meltdowns in the future. You can minimize or remove the source of his anxieties so he wouldn’t be scared of it again.
7. Never punish your canine buddy
Whatever you do and whatever happens NEVER punish your dog for beings cared. It is not his fault that he is scared of something even though that it is only a petty situation. Once you punish your dog, you will only add to the fear and the anxiety that he is feeling. You would not be able to fix the problem and you will only add up to it and make things worse.
8. Stay calm and always be patient
When your dog is scared, always be patient with him and try to address the problem correctly. Once he feels that you too are anxious, it may only add up to the anxiousness that he is currently feeling. Never get tired of trying ways on how you can remove your dogs fear and anxiety.
9. Visit a vet for additional help
If you think that you have tried everything to remove your dog’s fear, you can always seek help from your dog’s vet and ask him for recommendations about what you can do to abolish these fears or even medications if necessary.
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