08 Mar How to Make the Timid Puppy Brave?

The fear in dogs can be annoying in many cases; there are different ways to make a fearful dog brave. In this article, we have introduced some methods to eliminate the fear of a dog and explained some techniques to make them bold. Stay tuned to the end to learn more.

Dog’s fear

Usually, people like to train the dog so that he will protect the family in many cases and be a brave dog, but there may be fears in the dog that make him vulnerable and start barking or biting. Now the question is how to eliminate the dog’s anxiety and train a timid dog to become brave. 

Common dog phobias and fears

Four basic categories of fears and phobias are commonly seen in veterinary and public places:

Fear of sound

According to Dr Klein, herding breeds are highly susceptible to a noise phobia, perhaps because they are so attuned to their environment. Many dogs fear loud noises such as fireworks, lightning, gunshots, and firecrackers. There is even research that shows that fear and phobias can be hereditary.

Fear of injections

Many people have a fear of injections, commonly known as a fear of needles. Some dogs experience similar anxiety when visiting the vet. Dogs don’t understand that a visit to the vet is in their best interest. Many circumstances surrounding these visits, such as feeling sick, in pain, car rides, new places, strangers, and the presence of other stressful animals, can turn this feeling into fear.

Fear of strangers

Some dogs develop a fear of strangers after a negative experience. Dogs rescued from abusive homes often suffer from this fear, which can lead to reactive behaviour. This phobia and anxiety can also include fear of people wearing hats or bulky clothes and can even be fear of other dogs.

Dealing with a scary dog

Living with a fearful dog can be stressful and exhausting. Treating fear requires patience, time and repetition. It may seem impossible, especially when your dog annoys neighbours and landlords by barking excessively. Perhaps the most stressful factor is the risk of an accidental dog bite from a fearful or rabid dog. Fortunately, there are steps pet owners can take to help their dogs cope with phobias and fears, and see your vet or dog trainer as soon as possible. Fears and phobias may worsen over time and rarely resolve on their own.

Vets and dog behaviourists recommend behaviour modification techniques as a first line of defence. These techniques, like desensitization, help dogs manage their fearful behaviour. In some cases, dogs can even lead to new phobias and fears, so the sooner you act, the better. There are medications to relieve these distresses. However, most drug treatments work best with behaviour modification and aren’t immediate cures.

How to make a timid dog brave

Many dogs are inherently fearful, so they are called vulnerable dogs, but some dogs’ fears come from past experiences, such as being abused or punished by humans. Sometimes the dog’s fear is accompanied by behaviours such as long-term biting and barking or running, which annoys his owner.

Symptoms

Among the signs that indicate the dog’s fear of the environment is:

• Digging
• Sweaty feet
• Dog drooling
• Pulling the body back
• Showing lips and teeth
• Raising the tail or trying to hide the tail
• Shaking
• Increasing heart rate

Causes and roots of Dog fear

The fear of dogs stems from various factors. Sometimes you may see unusual behaviours from your dog and not notice any fear factor around you. For example, he may feel scared in an unfamiliar environment or by sudden sounds and show abnormal behaviour. Some dogs fear specific devices and objects such as bicycles, mobile phones or similar devices. Sometimes dogs are afraid of animals stronger than themselves, but one of the most common causes of fear among dogs is the fear of lightning.

Removing dog’s fear of thunder

The easiest thing to do is to move the dog away from that place. As you know, the sense of hearing of dogs is powerful, and as the dog’s age increases, his sensitivity to sound increases, so hearing sounds like thunder or fireworks are scary, and they feel dangerous. One way to make the dog brave in such a situation is if it gets scared by hearing such sounds, call him with a tone or desensitize the dog to these sounds by repeating them. For example, play the recorded sound of thunder or any sound your dog fears. First with a low voice and gradually with a louder voice so that he gets used to hearing those voices and realizes there’s no danger threatening him.

Courage is a timid dog when he is afraid of things

To eliminate your dog’s fear of objects such as bicycles or brooms or stuff in general, slowly approach your dog and talk to him and show him that there’s nothing scary. Another way is to encourage the dog to go to the desired object by placing objects that your dog is interested in next to what he fears.

Training a timid dog to go up and down the stairs

Stairs are one of the factors of fear for some dogs, and your dog may start running away when he sees them. This fear may be caused by something that happened to the dog on the stairs in the past, or because the dog is unsocial, so you should practice climbing the stairs with your dog to make it normal for him. Sometimes, the fear of stairs is due to joint problems that must be treated.

Eliminate the dog’s fear of being alone at home.

If your dog is restless and afraid when you go out, the best thing is not to react to your dog’s behaviour when you go out so that his anxiety decreases and he learns to be a little braver!

Eliminating the dog’s fear of riding in the car

Many dogs love going out in the car, but if your dog is afraid of getting in the car, or he’s related to the dog’s past and has a bad memory of the vehicle (such as going to the vet by car or being left in the car) or that he isn’t familiar with the environment of the vehicle. To eliminate this fear in the dog, you should go by car to places your dog likes and choose short routes so that he gets used to it and becomes brave.

Eliminating the dog’s fear of the vet

Going to a veterinarian isn’t pleasant for many dogs and makes them feel afraid. Being among strangers and treated with the vaccine and ampoules or odours that the dog gets in veterinary medicine scares them. Suppose the veterinary environment is strange to your dog, and he is afraid. In that case, it’s best to take him to the climate several times without being treated and prepare foods he loves to communicate with the veterinary space.

Dog’s fear of strangers

If your dog gets scared and starts barking when facing humans or strangers, there may be reasons for the dog being unsocial or harassed by humans. To make a timid dog brave in front of strangers, it’s better to let your dog free to meet people because if you force him to meet strangers, his fear will turn into anger, and he will show aggressive behaviour. Another way to train a shy puppy when dealing with people is to gradually introduce your dog to new people and progressively increase the number of times so that your dog becomes more social and less afraid. Also, never let strangers touch your dog. Consultation with an animal behaviourist is also very beneficial. With the reaction they show when they are scared, they make their owner aware of the danger, but after feeling fear, dogs become aggressive and show different behaviours. 

How to make a puppy brave

For the dog to become brave, you should socialize with your dog regularly from the age of two months and walk with him. Patience and caressing are among the things you should use to train a timid dog so that he can be sure that there’s no danger towards him. When preparing a shy puppy, avoid inciting your dog’s fear. If the dog becomes aggressive when scared, ignore it because it will reinforce his fear. Identify the cause of the dog’s anxiety and take action to fix it. Show your dog that his fear is unfounded. To make your dog brave, gradually introduce him to things or people he is afraid of and encourage him to be brave.

To wrap up

Therefore, we must look for ways to train a timid dog. Entrusting the dog to a behaviourist who works with several training dogs effectively encourages shy dogs. In the training of a nervous dog using a training dog, he learns from the training dog how to behave and how to react when faced with danger. To have a healthy and lively dog, you must pay attention to nutrition, activity, health, grooming, etc. You can prevent the disease and have a healthy dog in this case. In all these steps, you can count on the specialized team of MishkaGrooming. Our experienced and precise groomers have carefully and accurately groomed your dogs, so they trust the moments before the next session.