How to Deal with a Fearful Dog

Perhaps one of the most amazing features of a dog's personality is the fact that they do not live in the past and they do not live in the future. Rather, they only live in the present. As humans, we could derive a lot of wisdom from such a way of thinking. That would translate into no longer having past childhood traumas worrying us and no longer having thoughts about the future tormenting our days. Perhaps this is the ultimate secret as to why dogs lead such happy lives and perhaps that is the key to the solution to all our problems.

While as humans, we may have a lot to learn from dogs and their appreciation of each day as it unfolds, dogs still however, may have some problems when they face their fears in the present.

For instance, one of the most common fears in dogs are fears of loud noises such as thunder. Dogs fortunately are advantaged in this case: because they do not live in the future, they do not have to worry about that big thunderstorm coming on next Fridays as the weather forecast has pronounced. However, when the first rumble arrives they will surely make sure they get their spot under the be to hide.

While dogs do not live in the past, for instance they cannot remember past puppy hood memories, they are however, able to recollect some past experiences and deduct how they will behave in the future. This is because the past experience was in some way made remarkable.

Normally, a dog in nature, will go out hunting all day. He may have heard his first rumble of thunder when he was a puppy. The noise may have frightened him at first, but because he noticed that the remaining dogs that are part of his pack, go along with their lives as nothing happened, he learns that thunder is not a big deal and therefore goes along with his life.

Indeed in nature, there is really no such thing as a dog fearful of rain, thunder or lightening. If this was the case, dogs would have not survived. They would have had to call it quits to go hunting just because of the chances of inclement weather. This could have meant the difference between life and death.

With domestication however, something in the dynamic of how dogs deal with their fear has shifted, that is :human intervention.

I personally have seen this unfold right in front of my eyes.

The Story of Chico and his fear

Chico, was a little Chihuahua that was terrified of thunder storms. His owner (which as a human lives in the future) was already worried about summer being around the corner, as she came to the veterinary clinic to pick up Chico's sedatives.

Of course, Chico had no idea of what was going on as she saw her owner pack those pills in her medicine cabinet. Yet, Chico was able to detect some anxiety in her owner that day.

Then one day Chico was at our clinic because she had developed some sort of skin allergy. It was a hot and humid summer day. As the morning progressed the weather dramatically changed and in the office came Chico and her worried owner. ''It looks like we are getting a storm soon and I didn't even bring her medicine along with me'' she said.

Then it came. A loud rumble of thunder, and under the chair Chico went, trembling and shaking like a leaf! Quickly, her owner picked her up, placed her in her arms, and pet her: ''It's OK Chico, mommy is here, its almost over, baby, just hang on''.

AHA! Now everything was crystal clear. Chico had been basically trained by her owner on how to react to thunder. Her owner stroking her, even though in good faith, was really what made those events of thunder remarkable and what has thought Chico to bookmark them in her mind and fear them.

Because her owner was unable to demonstrate Chico the calmness and disinterest her pack in the wild would have demonstrated, Chico was missing an invaluable life lesson. Rather, she was reacting to an owner that stroked her fur, basically telling her ''You are so right Chico, thunder is a big deal, keep doing what you are doing, its almost over''.

And there it goes. A phobia is created. No wonder why Chico needs so many sedatives! And this applies to many other phobias of modern time, courtesy of owners that reassure their pets instead of offering wisdom and calmness.

So what can be done in dogs that have been taught to make a big deal out of thunder, fear of big men, fear of hats, fear of umbrellas and so on? Simple. Gradually expose the dog to the source of its fear and teach him in the same way his dog pack would have done in the wild. Ignoring the fearful behavior and going on with life.

If a dog is fearful of thunder for instance, a recording of thunder may be played each day at higher and higher volumes. The dog will get used to it gradually and because you do not make it a remarkable event by reassuring, he or she will eventually learn that it is no big deal. Things should continue on as usual. The dog can be fed, play fetch etc, just as in any other day.

By doing so you are imitating what his pack would do if it was thundering. It is important to notice that dogs in the wild are generally not much fearful beings. Being fearful is a weakness. In order to survive a pack must be strong and work together. If a dog pack feared thunder or that big deer drinking water at a river they would have not survived.

Fear, however, is also a means of survival. Dogs in the wild have a natural instinct to stay away from rattle snakes, poisonous plants and prey much bigger than them. These instincts however, appear to have diappeared in some modern day dogs which each year get bit by some poisonous snakes.

We can all  really learn a lot by taking a look into a dogs' philosophy of life. Just imagine, no more worrying about past and future events. We would all have less problems if we learned to focus on each day as it unfolds in front of us. And our dogs would surely appreciate our calm and positive state of mind.

Some dogs seem to be predisposed to being fearful at the vet's office. We often attribute this the particular smells of medications or to the fact that dog has live unpleasant experiences there such as getting shots and recovering from surgery. Because dogs are unable to live in the past as we do, it is highly unlikely he or she thinks ''Oh, this is where that Doctor spayed me or where my Rabies shot was given a year ago.''

More likely that not, the dog smells the ''fear'' in the office. This is because when dogs are under stress, they keep their anal glands open releasing a distinct smell dogs can perceive even if various feet away. Sensing these smells often causes tension in other dogs that perceive the place to being ''not quite friendly''.