Does your dog react with fear every time he meets a puppy? This behaviour of your pet is certainly not accidental. The dog certainly has a reason why the puppy evokes such negative emotions. Your task as a guardian is to help the dog cope with a stressful situation.
Relationships between two dogs can be different. Some adult dogs are afraid of puppies. The reason for your pet’s attitude may be fear of the unknown when your four-legged friend has never had the opportunity to be in the company of a small dog before. A dog may also be afraid of a puppy because of a very unpleasant experience in the past.
What you will learn from this article:
- An adult dog may be afraid of a puppy
- Fear may stem from fear of the unknown
- If a dog has experienced an unpleasant situation with a puppy, he may later become fearful of other small dogs
The dog is afraid of the puppy
Not every dog has to be very friendly and like to be among people and other quadrupeds. But what to do when the situation with your pet is even tenser? He dislikes other dogs, and they even arouse fear in him. How to handle when your dog is afraid of even a tiny puppy?
Our dogs can have all sorts of fears and phobias, just like humans. If the canine is afraid of all quadrupeds, the situation looks a little different than when only puppies arouse suspicion in him. First, you need to consider whether you have any guesses as to the reason for this behaviour in the dog. That will help you make different decisions.
Why is your dog afraid of a puppy?
Your dog’s fear of puppies can be due to several reasons. Thanks to my hints, I hope you can determine which one applies to your dog. Selecting the cause of fear will allow you to help your dog deal with this problem.
Trauma from the dog’s past
Your dog may be afraid of puppies because of unpleasant events that happened in the past. Consider whether your dog had not had a situation when a young dog behaved unfairly towards him.
Due to their young age, puppies are not yet familiar with all the rules. What’s more, they have large amounts of natural energy. The temperament of very young dogs can be perceived very negatively by an adult dog and a senior dog, causing anxiety and even fear.
Perhaps the young puppy wanted to encourage your adult dog to play, which he did not like. Too pushy behaviour of a small quadruped can cause discomfort and even nervousness in a mature dog. Maybe the puppy made your pup feel trapped in some situation.
The dog, remembering the unpleasant feeling after meeting the puppy, will be reluctant to look at other very young dogs. He will try to avoid him for fear of a repeat of the past.
Such trauma from the past may be one of the reasons why your dog is afraid of a puppy.
Puppy temperament
There is no denying that it’s widespread for puppies to be very vivid—no wonder they are curious about the world and have a lot of energy. For mature and senior dogs, this behaviour of puppies can be quite tiring.
An adult canine may be afraid of the puppy’s unpredictability and spontaneity. Your four-legged friend who appreciates peace and quiet, awakened by a sudden squeak or barking of a small dog, may feel anxiety and fear. He perceives loud, violent sounds as something disturbing.
Senior dogs don’t like overly emotional dogs. There is no denying that puppies indeed belong to this group. That may be the reason why your dog avoids contact with puppies.
Fear of all dogs
Or maybe your pet doesn’t like all dogs. Have you also considered this possibility? Perhaps he is afraid not only of the puppy but also of older dogs, but there was no opportunity for you to observe such behaviour in him.
A dog can only show fear towards other dogs if it must come into closer contact with them or stay in a tiny space. Therefore, if so, far in his life, there have not been many situations where your dog stayed with another four-legged friend in a closed room. You may not have noticed this character trait in your four-legged friend.
The fact that your dog reacted with fear to close contact with a young dog does not mean that he is only afraid of puppies. Perhaps a close encounter with any quadruped will be equally stressful and uncomfortable for him.
In this case, you should focus on socializing your dog. Of course, we cannot expect your pet to change how you see other dogs 180°. Don’t try to completely change his character because that’s not what this is about.
The goal of your action is primarily to help your pet overcome his fear of other dogs, not to make him suddenly the friendliest dog.
I refer you to the post where I talk about the dog’s socialization, among other things, concerning other dogs. There you will find tips on how the socialization process should proceed and what you should pay attention to. You can find this entry HERE.
Fear of the unknown
There’s also the possibility that your dog is afraid of the puppy because it’s an entirely new situation for him. Perhaps he has not had the opportunity to be in close company with such a young dog. That is a unique experience for him.
The dog’s reaction may, therefore, not be due to reluctance to the puppy, but rather it can be said that because of fear of the unknown. Your dog does not fully understand why a young puppy is so expressive and temperamental. He may perceive such behaviour as a symptom of something disturbing.
In his eyes, the behaviour of a little puppy is unpredictable. Your dog is not sure whether the met pet is not going to hurt him. That is particularly common when your dog belongs to a group of timid dogs. Any unfamiliar situation is a cause for concern for him.
How can you help your four-legged friend in such a situation? First, show your dog your support. He must feel completely safe if he faces something that makes him anxious. You can take your dog in your arms or hug him during the first meeting with the puppy. Your touch will soothe and calm him.
Never leave your dog alone in such a situation. That is very important, especially if you don’t want your dog to be offended by you or, even worse, stop trusting you. The dog will feel more confident having his favourite thing with him, e.g. the DEX toy from Bowl&Bone Republic. A familiar scent will give him comfort and confidence.
Dog toy |DEX
Can a dog stop be afraid of a puppy?
It is not said that the fear that accompanies your pet during every meeting with a small puppy will stay with him forever. Nevertheless, changing your pet’s posture is unlikely to change by itself. Your commitment will be needed, and above all, understanding what is behind your pet’s fear.
Unfortunately, there is also the possibility that the fear of puppies will stay with your dog for a long time. In this way, it saves him unnecessary nerves and anxiety.
And what about your pup? Does he like to contact young puppies, or is he trying to avoid them as effectively as possible? Please share your experience with me in the comments section below.
If you have any questions or want me to discuss a topic in the next post, share it in the comments section.
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