What dogs fear most, according to a rehabilitation trainer

The specialist told us about the problems owners most often come to her with.

Like humans, some of our dogs have an unreasonable fear of certain things. It is not immediately clear to the human eye, at least, what triggers the animal’s negative feelings. But like all behaviour, there are always compelling reasons behind fear. We asked Judit Sz. Látó, rehabilitation dog trainer and dog owner-mentored trainer, about the most common fears of dogs.

Anxiety, fear, phobia

Before we dive into the most common fears dogs have, it’s important to clarify what this means. The first and most important thing, says the expert, is to use the terminology correctly and not make the mistake of simply chalking up your dog’s feelings and behaviour to a phobia. Most of the time it is anxiety, fear and only rarely phobia.

In most cases, the right training can help dogs with their problems.

Anxiety is when a dog finds a situation frightening because it doesn’t know what will happen to it and has no way of changing things, getting out of it or escaping. For example, if he has had a bad experience and smells the same smell he associates with the event, he may have an alarm going off, and he may be on alert. Stress-reducing actions such as foot licking, chewing, chewing on objects, peeing in the pants or barking continuously are some of the things that happen at this time. Symptoms are also more pronounced when fear is more intense. For example, the dog shakes and whimpers – it’s obvious to the layperson that something is wrong. And phobia is when we can’t even necessarily pinpoint the cause, or the dog is in full panic mode in the situation. This is when the fear is extreme.”

The dreaded vet

Sz. In Judit Látó’s experience, dogs most often experience negative feelings towards the vet. One reason for this may be that something happened to the dog in the past that was not very pleasant for it, and having stored up this experience, it is already sceptical about the situation the next time. In a way, this is understandable, as we humans often go with a cramp in our stomach at the dentist. However, there is another reason why a dog may feel unwell at the dentist’s – even if nothing bad has ever happened to it.

“One very interesting thing about the vet is the information the dog can get from its environment. Because, just like in other areas of their lives, dogs in the practice communicate with each other using special scents called pheromones. One can give, or more precisely leave, a signal to the other, for example, »watch out, this is a dangerous place«. So it is not at all certain that our dog has a problem with the vet himself.

These specific scents cannot be smelled by humans, but it can be quite frightening for a dog to read a smell as a reason to run away because of the terror of what is happening behind the door.

Of course, we can’t skip the vet visits, so the most important thing we can do is to be there for the dog in difficult situations and not to waste time and energy on special training. However, the expert warns that we should not expect miracles from a single training session. It takes far more than a few sessions to really understand what is going on in your dog’s mind and to find the method that will be most effective for your dog.

Many dogs fear of travelling by car

Judit Sz. Látó also often encounters pets who are upset by car journeys. The expert says that in most cases the cause can be found and the problem can be treated. But the key is patience and consistency, and thinking with the dog’s head.

“Dogs have been observed to sometimes be frightened by certain objects. It could be a huge plush toy or even a person on a scooter. These are common things to us, but not natural to the dog. Because he doesn’t understand it, he interprets it as a threat and is afraid of it. This is also common with cars. There’s a huge metal thing you have to get into and it drives off on its own – at least that’s how the dog experiences it. Not all of them, of course, but I encounter this problem a lot.

The point is that there is always a reason for the fear of the car. For me, who also works in rehabilitation, my first priority is to investigate like an investigator, observe the dog and talk to the owner until I understand where the problem might be, what it is that has caused the animal problems.”

Dogs’ fear of being alone

According to the expert, fear of being alone is also a very common problem in dogs, most often manifested in separation anxiety. In this context, Judit Sz. Látó believes that the impatience and high expectations of the owner often play a role in its development.

“The dog has to adapt, it has to learn to live in the world of humans. It is not automatic to expect a puppy separated from its mother or a newly adopted dog to be able to stay at home alone immediately. We must teach him that if the owner leaves home, it does not mean that he will never come home again. And in many cases this can be a long process!”

In the trainer’s view, it would be much easier to prevent a dog’s fears than to treat them. It is important that owners do not only seek professional help once the problem has already happened. To prevent problems from developing, it is also worth taking the dog to classes and starting training from the moment it arrives home – which should include teaching the dog that there is nothing to be afraid of.