Insecure Dog Symptoms: How Can You Help?

Can dogs feel insecure? Actually, yes. Dogs might feel insecure due to many reasons. So, is your canine friend at home insecure?

Are you wondering how you can find if your dog is insecure? If you find out that your dog is insecure, how can you help it out to bring back to a normal life?

To know if your dog is insecure, you can look out for the strange behaviors in your dog. The insecure dog symptoms seen among dogs include hiding under furniture, snapping for no reason, frequent urination, and many more. You can help your dog overcome its insecurities by proper socialization, being a good master, and yes, medication if required.

So, here are all things you need to know about the insecurities seen among your canine friends. W e will discuss everything about the canine insecurities, including its causes, symptoms, and treatment.

Causes for insecurities in dogs

Dogs can insecure for a variety of reasons. Different dogs are actually insecure for different reasons.

Dogs usually feel insecure when they go through an uncomfortable situation. And as a result, you might have seen some dogs being insecure by the sight of strangers, large crowds, or other dogs.

The root of the insecurity of the dogs can be their upbringing or how some people or animals treated them.

Here are some common causes for the insecurities in dogs.

Abuse

Dogs are abused by humans for various reasons. Abuse develops shyness, fear, and suspicion in dogs.

If you bring home a dog that has been abused or traumatized, you will see it fearing the presence of people at home. Such dogs will seem too shy in front of people.

Improper Socialization

Do you know why socialization is essential for dogs? Socialization helps dogs understand the world and people in a better way. It will make them understand that not all creatures and places are to fear.

So, improper or lack of socialization might make a dog vulnerable, anxious, and insecure.

Separation

Some dogs would feel insecure due to separation anxiety. Dogs are pack animals, and it is normal for them to miss their pack and pack leader.

Dogs that feel insecure due to separation would act normal when they are around people, but when they are left alone, they will start showing the insecure symptoms.

Outside Stimuli

Dogs might also feel insecure due to various external stimuli. Most dogs would feel insecure at the onsight of a specific thing. That is quite normal. It is just like we humans are fearful of certain things.

Some dogs fear thunderstorms, large vehicles, and loud traffic.

Anxiety or Depression

It is quite normal in dogs to born with anxiety. Or to undergo a stage of depression due to something that happened in their life. They are just like humans.

You can medicate your dog and take them for behavioral therapy by seeking the advice of a veterinarian if you see the signs of depression or anxiety.

Medical Conditions

Some medical conditions develop stress in dogs. It can be due to the mental or physical pain or discomfort it undergoes in the medical condition.

Dogs would often feel insecure in highly stressful medical conditions. Such insecurities may fade out once they regain their physique and health. If not, you can seek the advice of a veterinarian.

Age

Some dogs will start to feel insecure as they age. It is true and inevitable that loss of eyesight and hearing occurs once dogs start aging. The aging of dogs is often coupled with various chronic diseases.

Loss of eyesight and hearing and, of course, other diseases might trigger insecurity in your canine friends.

Insecure Dog Symptoms

Now let us look at some of the common symptoms exhibited by dogs that show us their insecurities.

• Hiding or covering under furniture and beds.
• Dog cringing into a corner.
• Snapping without any particular reason.
• Tail always tucked between the legs.
• Submissive behaviors, including hanging their heads low always.
• Yawning indicates stress.
• Frequent urination is a symptom of fear.
• Panting can be a sign of anxiety.
• Aggression and bullying without any due reason.
• Separation anxiety also indicates the insecurity of your dog.

How To Deal With The Insecurity Of Your Dog?

It is definitely not easy to help with the insecurity of your dog. However, there are various things you can do yourself for your dog to bring back its life. You can seek the help of a behavioral therapist or veterinarian if you feel things are out of your hands.

Here are some ways in which you can try to help your dog get out of their insecurities. You may not always succeed. But, it would give them relief somehow.

Remove Triggers

The first thing you can do after knowing your dog is insecure is to find the cause. Knowing the cause of insecurity helps you remove the triggers intently.

For example, if your dog is insecure about large crowds, you can stop taking them to the crowds. If they are scared of traffic sounds, don’t take your dog into the city during peak traffic hours.

You can avoid whatever makes your dog anxious or insecure. That will slowly help your dog come to a peaceful state of mind.

Don’t make the symptoms worse

You should not play around with your dog’s insecurity symptoms. It will only make things worse.

Try to calm down your dog when you see it feeling insecure rather than playing with it.

Be a pack leader

Sometimes dogs would feel insecure due to the absence of a pack leader. Dogs are pack animals and are naturally accustomed to living with a pack leader.

Try to be a good leader who stands along with them in everything. However, don’t be a rude and aggressive leader.

Proper socialization

Socialization has an essential role in every dog’s life. The root cause of insecurity in most dogs is a lack of proper socialization.

Socialization can be done at any age. No matter how old your dog is, if it shows the symptoms of insecurity, you can start helping out your dog by socialization.

Start socializing your dog with people and other animals slowly and gradually.

Never punish

Punishing your dog for its insecurities will only make things worse. Therefore, don’t ever punish your dog for its insecurities.

You should know that your dog has no control over its insecurities and nothing happens if you punish the dog rather than worsening the situation.

Caring and patience is the key to deal with the insecurities of your dog.

Medication

Medication cannot be avoided in some cases of the insecurities of your dog. There is nothing wrong with medicating your dog for its insecurities.

You can seek the help of a veterinarian if you are done dealing with the insecurities of your dog.

Stress-relieving items

Several stress-relieving items are now available in the market for dogs. They include Thundershirts, Pheromone diffusers, and Dog Chews.

You can study more about these things and find the right one for your dog to deal with its insecurities efficiently.

Training

Training also can help your dog come out from its insecurities up to an extent. You can seek the help of a dog trainer to find out the efficient training techniques to deal with the insecurities of your dogs.

Conclusion

Now you know how to find the cause and deal with the insecurity of your dogs. As said earlier, caring and patience is the key to deal with the stress and insecurities of your dogs. So, be brave and act wisely.