Take him on a structured walk or jog, where your dog is walking on a loose leash. You can also play fetch, go for a swim, or play with any toy your dog likes. Tire your dog so he doesn't have the energy to pace and whine later. If you do that each time, your dear pet might not even recognize the noise anymore.
Dogs learn from positive association. The best way to help a shy or fearful dog gain confidence is to expose them to what frightens them at a low intensity. Pair this exposure with something positive, like a tasty treat.
Often fear comes from a lack of exposure. Dogs are naturally afraid of new things, and dogs that grew up in a deprived environment might be jumpier around “normal” things like traffic cones or men in hats. Even dogs that had a normal upbringing are often afraid of new things that we humans know are harmless.
The most common reasons for anxiety in a dog is abandonment, fear of being home alone, loud noises, traveling, and/or being around strange people, children, or other pets. We've also seen the anxiety in dogs that have been abused or neglected.
There are many reasons why dogs become fearful. It could be neglect, abuse, lack of proper socialization with humans and/or other animals, pushed too much at an early age, physical trauma, pain, emotional trauma, any trauma at a critical period of puppyhood, etc. Sometimes we know the reasons, but oftentimes we don't.
Whether your dog is fearful from past trauma or a lack of socialization, you can make tremendous progress in helping them face their fears. However, don't expect your dog's personality to entirely change. A nervous dog isn't going to become the life of the party, but they can become more comfortable in the world.
Many young dogs go through a stage of shyness during their adolescence, typically when they are four to five months old. Most of these fear-related behaviours fade as the dog matures, gains confidence, and becomes used to the triggering situation.
Repeated exposure and rewarding positive behavior can go a long way toward managing anxiety. You might want to contact a professional dog trainer to help you choose the best approach for your dog, as training an anxious dog is not always easy.
A fearful or tense dog will generally keep his mouth closed, and may pull his lips back at the corners (also known as a "long lip".) He may also be panting rapidly. A panting dog who suddenly closes his mouth in response to something in the environment may also be indicating increased stress.
But if you have a dog going through their first year of life, the most common ages where we see the signs of a fear period are between 8-11 weeks of age, and between 6-14 months of age. Both periods can be expected to last between 2-3 weeks.
For a dog who is acting out of fear or frustration (for example, a dog who is barking and lunging on leash), using the word 'no' to stop the behavior without helping to alleviate their fear or frustration will often lead to an escalation in behavior, such as growling, air snapping, or biting.
Any time you see the puppy get scared of something in the environment, like the wind, a loud truck, a person reaching over them, or a loud child, say “What's that?!” in a high, happy tone, give the puppy treats until the scary thing is gone or while you move the puppy away to a less-scary place.
In certain situations where our dogs get extremely fearful comforting them is the most humane thing to do, and if that's not possible by simply petting them sometimes removing yourself from the situation is the best choice. It's similar to the way we help our friends deal with scary stuff.
“In general, it is a very good thing for animals to sleep with their people.” Pets who share their human's bed tend to have a “higher trust level and a tighter bond with the humans that are in their lives. It's a big display of trust on their part,” Varble said.
Is It True That Dogs Can Smell Fear? The science is in, and the answer is a resounding YES—dogs can smell fear.
Indeed, it has been shown that dogs experience an increased heart-rate and show signs of stress when they sniff the sweat of fearful humans. So, it seems fairly clear that dogs can smell fear.