My Dog Is Afraid Of Other Dogs! What Should I Do?

Dogs are tremendously loyal, friendly, protective, and one of the best pet-human beings love to be surrounded by. They are very emotional, sensitive, and caring. Dogs can suffer from cynophobia. Dogs with cynophobia experience fear of barking and being surrounded by other dogs. Dogs are highly trainable and you can train them to overcome such phobia.

Dogs are very sensitive to their surroundings. They notice whatever happens around them. Dogs can show both fearful and aggressive nature towards the objects surrounding them.

If your dog is afraid of other dogs, then you must try to reduce his fear. Exposure therapy is the best among all treatments. You can cuddle your dog and praise him when other dogs are around. This will boost up his confidence. You can also socialize your dog by taking him out for a regular walk. Treat him if required to distract your dog from other dogs.

In this blog, we will focus on the dog’s fear and anxiety and what measures you can take to reduce your dog’s fear against other dogs.

How can I help my pup overcome their fear of other dogs?

You might have experienced that when your dog is afraid he will bend down his neck and will put his tail between his legs. This happens when your dog faces unwanted surroundings.

If your dog is repeating such behavior, then you should try to help him overcome his fear before it’s too late. Exposure therapy is one of the best ways to treat your dog’s cynophobia.  Exposure therapy can help in reducing the stress and anxiety of your dog. You can also follow some simple steps given below.

The following are the measures that you can take to boost up your dog’s confidence and help him overcome the fear of other dog’s presence.

Building confidence in your dog

The best way to make your dog fearless is to make him confront his fear by standing next to him. When it comes to building confidence, you must be spending proper time with your dog.

This will help in developing a bond through which he will start trusting you. This will prove very helpful and effective in the process of overcoming his fear. When you are standing by his side he feels protected, this eventually builds up his confidence.

Play some games with him which will help him in building confidence. While training him, make his training more interactive and stress relieving, which will help in boosting his confidence.

Always remember not to train your furry pal without a treat, because a treat will help him incline towards the training positively. This is known as positive reinforcement. Training will make his mind strong and fearless.

Socialization your dog

If you are thinking to make your dog socialize then that is not possible by making him stay at home only. It is very important to take him for walks daily.

Like us, it is very important for dogs as well to get exposed to new sights, sounds, smells, humans, and other animals. Don’t just surround him with your family members.

Make him come in contact with other people as well. It will help him to understand his surroundings and socialize more effectively by the time he grows fully and become mature.

Gradually, take your furry pal to a dog shows or park as this will also help him in overcoming his fear against other dogs. Always monitor his behavior when you’re exposing him to other people or animals and do not leave him alone at any cost in new surroundings.

Praising and cuddling your dog

You need to show your love and affection towards your dog. When dogs are exposed to the surrounding of other dogs they may get anxious and uncomfortable.  To overcome such a situation, you can try bending down to your dog and hugging him tightly. This will surely help him build his confidence.

Dogs try to understand human facial expressions, so while you are praising him, always rub your hand over his ears or head and treat him by calling his name enthusiastically and cheerfully.

As a pet owner, you must regularly praise your dog and cuddle him to keep him relaxed. Whenever he obeys you, never forget to praise him with a pat on his back and offer a treat. Even if your furry pal does something wrong, never harm or scold him, rather try to make him understand the commands and obedience.

Training your dog

Did it ever happen in your life that you went to a gathering or a place where you wanted to be at your best but failed? If yes, then it was definitely because of a lack of confidence.

Now assess the situation of your dog where he is in a place filled with other dogs and is not able to understand anything. In this case, either he will try to hide in fear or show aggression.

This type of behavior is seen due to a lack of confidence in your dog. Hence, it is very important to train your dog appropriately to make him confident.

Training should start by developing a healthy bond between the two of you, where he will start trusting you and enjoy your company. This will make training easier as well as interesting for both you and your furry pal.

Wrap up

By now you must have understood that if your dog is afraid of other dogs, then you need to boost up his confidence before it’s too late by following certain pointers stated above. We have tried to share a few simple as well as result-oriented tricks which will help your dog to be confident as well as overcome his fear.

It is very important to spend quality time with your dog as it helps your furry pal to build trust and healthy bonding with you. Another important thing is never to leave your pet alone in between other dogs and new surroundings.

If you do so, it will make him more cowardly and he will never be able to overcome his fear. Instead, stay next to him to make him feel confident and safe. Over time he will learn to conquer his fear and anxiety and stop getting afraid of other dogs.