What’s Causing Your Dogs Phobias

Our pets share the same instinct that we as humans have. We have an innate reaction to a threat that we have been born with. It’s a flee, flight or fight reaction to a dangerous situation; real or perceived.

An automatic reaction to a fearful situation is a trait we are born with. Our dogs are the same and they experience some of the same reactions as we do. Abnormal behaviors displayed in your dog, over time, can be changed.

There are a few ways to know whether your dog is suffering from anxiety. Excessive barking or licking; loss of bladder control or whining are some of the most popular symptoms. Separation anxiety tends to be the most common stress for dogs.

Constant and unwarranted fear of a certain sound that can cause your dog to react such as fireworks or thunderstorm is considered a phobia. These are the most common fears that are associated with a phobia for dogs. They may have experienced something in the past and are associating that with a memory causing a response.

As dogs get older, they may experience more separation anxiety then in the past. This can be caused by the decline in memory and thoughts. Anxieties and phobia see their onset around the beginning of social development which is about 12 to 36 months. Between 8 to 10 months they may experience a fear or withdrawal which is normal.

Some signs that your dog might be suffering some phobias or anxieties can vary. Tails tucked, withdrawn behavior or trembling can be identified as signs of mild fear. Some fears and anxieties are hard to diagnosis due to no identifiable stimulus.

There are many reasons for the development of such phobias and anxieties in our pets. Being locked in a crate can cause a phobia or panic due to the inability to escape or get out. Also for puppies the lack of exposed to social interaction for the first– weeks of their puppies’ life can manifest a fearfulness in your puppy.

If you adopt a dog that came from a prior abusive situation, they might suffer some form of anxiety. Separation issues can be the cause of a previous abandonment experience. Whatever the issues are, be sure that you continue to nurture the dog and work on positive affirmation when you see efforts being made to curb the behavior.

Most dog’s phobias and anxiety issues can be helped with medications and by modifying the behavior. However, medications can take up to 2 weeks for results and not all dogs will respond to modifications. Giving your dog a lot of love a happy home can be some of the best medicine.

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