Five Helpful Tips For Living With A Fearful Dog

Written by Lauren Tsao, MS, CDBC, CPDT-KA

It can be heartbreaking to see your dog cower in fear or tremble with anxiety. Maybe you just adopted a new dog and they aren’t as outgoing as you hoped. Or maybe your shy dog has always been a little more reserved than others. Regardless of the reason for your dog's fearfulness, there are things you can do to help ease their anxiety and make them feel more comfortable in their home environment. Here are five things you can do if you find yourself living with a fearful, shy, or anxious dog.

1. Allow Your Dog Time to Decompress

If you've recently adopted a dog or welcomed a new puppy into your home, it's important to give them time to adjust to their new surroundings. Dogs are creatures of habit and routine, so any major change—like moving to a new house or adding a new family member—can be stressful for them. Give your dog at least three months to settle in before expecting them to show their true personality and behavior. In the meantime, take things slow and give them plenty of opportunities to explore their new home at their own pace.

2. Make Sure They Feel Safe

One of the most important things you can do for a fearful dog is to make sure they feel safe. Providing them with a safe space—such as a crate or quiet room—that they can retreat to when they are feeling overwhelmed will help them feel more secure. It also means keeping mealtimes predictable and decreasing loud noises or commotion that could startle them. And if you have young children in the home, make sure they know not to approach the dog when they're eating, inside their crate, or playing with their toys—those are times when your dog needs some space.

3. Avoid Punishment

Punishing your dog—whether it's scolding them verbally or using physical force—will only make them more fearful and anxious. Dogs live in the moment, so they won't necessarily understand why you're correcting them and may just assume it's because they did something wrong at that moment. That can increase their fearfulness and prevent them from learning what it is you actually want from them. This unpredictability of what will be punished can make their environment even more stressful and scary. It's important to be patient when training a fearful dog. Instead of punishment, focus on positive reinforcement techniques, like rewarding your dog with treats and praise when they display desired behavior.

4. Don't “Socialize” Your Fearful Dog

You might think that getting your fearful dog used to the things that scare them is the best way to help them overcome their fears. But forcing your dog into situations that make them anxious will only serve to make their anxiety worse in the long run. If your dog is afraid of other dogs, don't try to “socialize" them by taking them to doggie daycare or the dog park where there are many dogs. Overwhelming the dog with their fear to show them it is “safe” will generally have the opposite effect.

Adult dogs are well outside of the critical socialization period after 12-16 weeks of age, so your time to simply positively expose the dog to people, other animals, and items has ended at this point. A different approach must be taken with adult dogs to help them better understand what is scary and what isn’t. Your goal should be to get your fearful dog to a point where they're no longer terrified of whatever it is that's causing their anxiety; not to force them to play with other dogs or meet people immediately. However, that takes time, patience, and professional help (more on that below).

5. Seek Professional Help If Needed

If you've been working on helping your fearful dog for several months but haven't seen any improvement (or the behaviors have worsened), it might be time to seek professional help from a certified professional dog trainer or certified dog behavior consultant who specializes in treating fearfulness in dogs. They will be able to assess your individual situation and recommend specific training exercises or behavior modification techniques that can help ease your dog's fears.

Fearfulness, shyness, and anxiety are common behavioral issues in dogs—but that doesn't mean there's no hope for improvement. By creating a safe and supportive environment at home and avoiding punitive training methods, you can help ease your furry friend's worries and give them the happy life they deserve. If you need some assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to me, a certified dog behavior consultant and certified professional dog trainer who serves students in the Jackson, MS metro area and worldwide through virtual services, who can help you create a customized plan for your pup.