Fear can manifest in a lot of different ways. Of course a fearful dog may hide, shake or tremble, lay down and hug the floor, avoid looking at you, and other common isolating behaviours. In some cases fear manifests as growling, biting, lunging, barking or resource guarding.
If your dog appears disinterested in interacting with you and it is showing any of these signs it is stressed, possibly due to fear.
- Excessively licking its lips
- Panting or drooling, even though it is not recently been exercised or it’s not very hot
- Excessive shedding
- Tucked tail
- Yawning
- Diarrhea
- Disinterested in food
Fearful dogs need a solid routine and patience. They need to know that people will not hurt them. Do not shout at your fearful dog and do not use your size to threaten the dog, even if they have an accident in the house or destroy a toy, bed or other item. Give your fearful dog time to get to know you and your home. Let her be, go about your day, and don’t force her to face her fears. She will watch you and learn.
