There may be more causes of dog fear. And the first step to eliminate it is to find out its origin and cause.
Innate fear
The so-called innate deprivation is a form of fear which appears mainly in wild and semi-wild dogs. In everyday life, you encounter it most often in animals from puppy farms, which particularly the Eastern Europe is infamous for. Puppy farms are a world where the law of the pack applies, dogs breed here and grow up without any human oversight. In these individuals, an important role is played by the nature of the dog parents. Since shyness can be inherited even after several generations.
Dogs with innate deprivation are adapted to a life in a pack. They don’t care for human contact, they don’t know it, they shiver when touched by a human and they try to avoid it, often even by biting. They don’t respect humans and that’s why they also don’t listen. Even such dogs can be socialised under the hands of experts, but it’s a lengthy and a very stressful process for such dog, that doesn’t always work.
There are organisations around the whole world, that take dogs that aren’t placeable to families in to spend the rest of their lives there. They are put into a pack and they can live in peace in a fenced area outdoors.
There is a greater chance of socialisation of dogs with innate fear in puppies. However, you have to start early and the dog doesn’t always lose its fear completely.
Acquired fear
In addition to innate fear, dogs can also have acquired fear. That is such, that the animal obtains through torture, shock (a bad experience) or bad socialisation at puppy age. Between the sixth and twelfth week of age, the dog creates patterns of behaviour that it then uses for whole of its life. Therefore, it’s necessary to make it familiar at this age with as many things and situations as possible. If the dog is kept in isolation, it won’t get experience with people, other dogs and other animals, situations, smells, sounds and the like. In the future, it will react with suspicion, fear or aggression.
Fear can be acquired by a dog even from bad upbringing, unconscious behaviour. If the dog is, be it from any reason, timid, it needs a firm support from its master. That is a fearless and unquestionable leader of the pack. It’s important not to calm and stroke the dog in a situation in which it’s afraid. This would strengthen its belief, that it’s fear is justifiable. Such dog will most benefit from clear rules, training of basic controllability and a self-confident master.
Have you encountered fear in a dog? How did it look like and how did you handle the situation?
The trend of pets has been a matter of the past 150 years. But what will the next 150 years look like? With the evolution of our society and its values, circuses and zoos are on the radar, and the number of people who do not eat meat, and even vegans,...
Do you have a pregnant cat at home? Is this stage slowly coming to an end and you are starting to panic about the birth? Let me take you through it from the beginning to the end. Let's take a look at when it is necessary to intervene, when the help...
July is the time to prepare for autumn kittens. It's good to remind ourselves what cat pregnancy entails, when and how to prevent it and why.
Outside temperatures suggest that the boater season is just behind the corner. Many people take their family and children on a water adventure. Some boaters even take their four-legged friends along. What can you do to make sure your trip goes...
In the summer, most of us move to the garden, whether at our home or cottage. Of course, we also want to let our rodent friends loose, and simply bringing the cage out won't do it. How can we make a comfortable, safe outdoor enclosure?
Does your cat wander outside? Are you tired of constant meowing and scratching on doors, or constantly opened windows? Then it's time to get your cat a door.
The nutrient requirements of each dog varies depending on its age, physical condition, lifestyle and size. There are many aspects, and you need to take them all into account when choosing your food.
Cats can take a cold a lot harder than we do. For them it's a relatively serious and very contagious viral disease. A cat cold is a combination of diseases, whose symptoms include a cold.
What elements play an important role in cat nutrition, why do they need them and in what proportion should they get them? This is the alchemy behind the preparation of quality cat food.
Although traveling is fun, it can also be stressful. We have to make sure we don't forget anything and that everything goes according to plan. But what if you decide to travel with your little friend, a guinea pig? Let's take a look at what you...
It is a well-known fact about cats that they like lying in the sunlight. However, that doesn’t mean they are never hot and the risk of overheating is not real for them.
The fact that there are different cans and dry food for dogs and cats is not a marketing stunt. Both beasts have their specific nutrition needs which vary in certain aspects and if you give them the wrong food, they will start suffering quite soon.
