9 Surprising – But Common – Things That Scare Your Dog!

9 Common Things That Scare Your Dog

You’ve probably experienced your dog being scared during a thunderstorm, or perhaps it’ll go completely mental when you bring out the vacuum to clean a bit. Both of these things are completely common phobias for dogs.

Here’s our list of some common things that scare your dog.

Thunder

A phobia of thunder, or astraphobia as it’s also known, is a very common behavior and phobia among dogs.

It can vary from dog to dog how severe it is. Some dogs only show mild symptoms where they might shake a bit or tuck their tail between their legs, whereas other dogs will react much more with destructive behavior, or perhaps even a loss of bladder control.

Some dogs are also able to sense a thunderstorm is coming even before it has begun, so if your dog shows signs of fear and anxiety for no apparent reason, this might be why.

Fireworks

Being scared of fireworks is another classic and very common phobia in dogs. As with thunder, the source of the fear is the loud and unpredictable sounds and flashes of light that scares your dog.

In some dogs, this phobia can be overcome by gradually exposing the dog to the sounds so they get accustomed to them. If this doesn’t help, you can consider treating the anxiety to help the dog.

Being Left Alone

Dogs are prone to separation anxiety, which can ultimately lead to destructive behavior when their owners leave them alone. Other symptoms of separation anxiety can be excessive barking, or the dog peeing all over the house.

If your dog suffers from this phobia, you can try and change your habits when leaving the home. If you do things differently before leaving, and then finally leave without much hassle, it can help with the dogs’ anxiety.

It is also recommended that you gradually train your dog to be left alone, before actually leaving.

The Vet

Dogs are rarely happy about seeing a vet, and the cause is often that the dog arrives in a new environment with strange new odors, ways to be handled, and the fact that the dog will often be restrained to receive vaccinations.

All of these reasons make it no surprise that most dogs don’t enjoy going to the vet, but you can actually help the dog with going for visits to the vet, just for the sake of a visit.

This will allow your dog to get acquainted with the vet clinic and start seeing it as a positive and fun place to visit.

Riding in Cars

Some dogs absolutely love riding in cars and will stick their head out the window as soon as they get the chance, but for other dogs, riding in a car is a less pleasant experience.

This is usually due to the fact that the dog hasn’t been trained in riding in cars from a young age, or perhaps the dog had a bad experience with motion sickness while driving.

A dog will often be able to get over this phobia if you supply it with different treats, and praise it for entering the car.

Perhaps avoid taking the car to the vet for a while, as your dog might associate those two things if you usually only use the car to drive the dog to the vet.

Stairs

The fear of stairs is normally always because the pup hasn’t been trained to walk on stairs as a puppy.

This is why you should train your dog from as early an age as possible, but if you already have an adult dog, try finding a method where you turn the stair-practice sessions into a fun game.

Strangers

This phobia can be quite difficult to overcome, due to the fact that you can’t really teach your dog to feel safe around and accept every single person it meets for the first time.

That’s why it’s important that your dog gets proper socialization with new people, and that it happens at a pace where the dog feels comfortable, to avoid any unwanted behavior.

Children

If there aren’t already any children in your home when you bring a dog home, it can be difficult for it to get accustomed to them. If you rescue a dog, there’s also a risk that it’s already had bad experiences with kids, and the dog might see the children’s joyous sounds and play, as a threat.

If your dog is afraid of children, it’s a very good idea that you find a professional dog trainer and work on this specific issue.

Random Objects

A lot of dogs are scared of everyday random objects, such as vacuums, children’s toys, or some other decoration in your home.

This type of fear isn’t usually all that serious, as you can just move most of the objects in question, to somewhere the dog won’t notice them.

If you still find this to be a problem, try showing your dog those items in a calm manner, and introduce your pup to them to allow him to get better acquainted with them.