Do dogs get spooked? A Complete Guide

Meet dogs who think, problem-solve, and teach humans a thing or two!

A reader asks:

People say you should ignore your dog when they get spooked by something, the reason being that if you comfort them, they will think that, since you are comforting them, there must really be something to be afraid of, or else you wouldn’t be comforting them. Are dogs capable of that kind of thought? What should I do if my dog gets spooked?

This is a great question, and if you ask a dozen dog trainers, you are likely to get about a dozen different responses. Here’s what I would suggest.

First of all, I do think that dogs are capable of the kind of abstract thought that you describe. Thousands of years of living and working together have taught dogs to pay close attention to humans’ responses to things and to our emotions.

So what to do when a dog shows fear or apprehension … That depends. No, I am not avoiding answering the question. But it depends on the dog’s age and on the trigger for the fear response.

When I trained service dog puppies, a huge part of the training was getting them out in public and exposing them to various stimuli. One thing I was looking for was whether a puppy showed fear and if so, to what. I carefully selected destinations, and with the youngest puppies (8-10 weeks old), I only took them in groups with volunteer handlers. We — the volunteers and I — also exposed them to lots of things in the puppy “nursery.” We’d put on hats and Halloween wigs or masks, play weird noises, show them movies, run the vacuum cleaner, open umbrellas, play with skateboards, walkers, bikes, toy cars, Christmas decorations … you name it, it showed up in the nursery at some point.

In these cases, the stimuli were things that a dog might encounter in everyday life and that there was no reason to fear. If a puppy spooked, we’d react cheerfully, going up to the scary thing and touching it or interacting with it in some way that made it engaging to the puppy. For a skateboard, for example, I might hold it still and pat it invitingly, offering a really good treat. I’d make sure to expose that puppy to the skateboard in positive ways several times before allowing him to see a moving skateboard again. For a statue (a common spook-inducer), I’d go up to the statue and touch it, make happy sounds, offer treats, etc. The idea was to show that this was not something to fear. Most puppies will approach after a startle response, especially if their human lets them know it is safe.

For an older dog who spooks at an everyday item, maybe a statue or a plastic bag blowing in the wind, I would ignore the fear response or respond with a cheerful voice, saying something like, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Let’s go!” and carry on walking. This is for the reason you describe; comforting the dog might reinforce his idea that this thing is really scary; you don’t want to encourage this fear response to ordinary things.

On the other hand, what if the dog’s response is to something that might be threatening?

There are different categories here. One is things or, more likely, people, who might be threatening to the dog or to you. If I’m walking with my dog and she has a negative response to an approaching stranger, I pay attention. Jana, whom I still miss every day, was a fantastic judge of people. If she took a dislike to someone, we got away. I would never question her judgment. Cali is a more typical golden. She loves everyone. I don’t necessarily trust her judgment. But if she spooked, I would definitely pay attention.

But those are rare incidents. What’s more likely is a dog’s fearful or anxious reaction to something that might or might not be threatening to him but is not threatening to you. And for these things, the response really does depend on the context. A few examples:

You’re at a dog park and a new dog comes in. The dog is rambunctious and high-energy. You don’t know this dog, and your dog seems nervous. There’s no reason to reinforce the fear or panic, but use common sense. The dog park should be fun for your dog, and if he’s nervous and afraid, he’s not having fun. This might be a good time to cheerfully tell him, “Time to go!” Without reinforcing or even reacting to the fear, just leash the dog and leave.

If you’re not quick enough and the new dog gets in your dog’s face, even if he’s only trying to play but is overwhelming for your dog, your response is different. Your dog needs to know that you’ve got his back. You have to be your dog’s advocate and protector, and this example is exactly when he needs you to step up. Again, the other dog might not be doing anything wrong, but dogs have different play styles. Cali finds large, exuberant dogs frightening. There’s no reason she has to play with them. I just get her out of there. Again, though, you are not comforting the dog or justifying his fear. You are respecting his preferences.

Your dog is afraid of thunder or fireworks. These are common triggers. In these cases, I wouldn’t make a huge show of comforting the dog, but I would make sure to provide a safe space for him to ride out the storm. A dog who’s afraid of thunder? Give your dog a den in an interior space — a crate can work or a cozy corner of a room with no exterior walls. Some dogs just want to cuddle until it’s over; that’s fine. Try not to leave the dog home alone when scary things are likely, and always make sure the dog cannot escape. A dog who bolts in fear and cannot escape the noise might run for miles and can get lost, injured, or killed. If the dog’s reaction is extreme, try supplements or even medications that can ease anxiety. I’ve used small amounts of melatonin (3 mg. for a large dog; be careful to get melatonin without xylitol) or DAP, dog-appeasing pheromone, in a diffuser. Different things work for different dogs, so experiment a bit with over-the-counter remedies like these or Rescue Remedy, etc. Consult a vet if the dog is extremely agitated; some vets will prescribe anti-anxiety drugs. For me, this is a last resort, but some dogs are so terrified by thunder and/or fireworks that it really is the kindest approach.

Your dog has a fearful (and possibly aggressive, which is related to fear) response to some people. It might be all men or delivery people or anyone who approaches your front door. You might not be able to figure out which people the dog will react badly to. If this is the fear trigger, call a trainer who specializes in working with fearful dogs and who uses positive training methods. This is not the time to double down on “showing the dog who’s boss” or any other common training nonsense. A professional, positive trainer will help you teach the dog that these people are not to be feared; the trainer will also teach you how to manage these situations until your dog is more comfortable. Be aware that, with some dogs, situation management will always be needed. If your dog finds children scary, again, this is a situation for a trainer and a lot of management from you.

This might be more information than you expected! But the bottom line is that it matters whether the dog is a puppy or an adult, and whether what’s triggering the response is a normal, everyday, non-scary item or something that really might be threatening. Above all, be compassionate. You are your dog’s advocate and protector. If he’s really scared, comfort him. If he’s in a situation that he feels is threatening or overwhelming, get him out of it. Let him know that he can trust you to take care of him. Then figure out whether this is a situation where you can teach him not to be afraid, where you have to manage the situation, or whether you need a trainer’s help.

Negative Experiences Tied to a Room

Rooms like the bathroom and laundry room can be unpleasant for your dog, and they might avoid those rooms or be wary of going in or near them. They might be reminded of bath time when they’re in the bathroom, an experience most dogs do not enjoy.

Similarly, the laundry room is full of loud noises and mysterious machines, so most dogs won’t relax and let their guard down there.

Another possibility is a one-off experience you may not even be aware of. We had a dog get frightened by a coat falling off the rack in the hallway, and it took us weeks to realize the source of his newfound fear when it happened again.

Sometimes you might never figure out what spooked your buddy. As long as the fear subsides with time, there probably isn’t anything to worry about.

Older dogs are more prone to age-related maladies, and sometimes unexplained fear can be a sign of cognitive decline. Unfortunately, our canine companions are not immune to brain diseases like dementia. Some dogs experience confusion or auditory and visual hallucinations that can be intense, frightening experiences for them.

If you suspect your older dog is experiencing age-related cognitive disorders, contact your vet. They will conduct a thorough examination and help devise a plan to help you make your older dog’s latter years comfortable and happy.

Without any apparent outward stimuli causing your dog’s strange, scared behavior, it could be a symptom of underlying illness. Many possible conditions could present as fear.

Aging dogs are more susceptible to vestibular disease, but all dogs can develop it regardless of age. Vestibular disease is a catch-all term for ailments affecting the body’s vestibular system. There are many facets to vestibular disease, but one rare symptom involves auditory hallucinations, which can be extremely frightening experiences.

The bottom line is any unexplained fear that doesn’t seem to have any cause needs to be taken seriously. If you think there is a chance your dog’s scared behavior could be due to illness, contact your vet immediately and schedule an appointment.

To prevent or stop attention seeking behaviours:

Make sure your dog is getting enough exercise, stimulation and interaction with you – every single day. For really ‘busy’ dogs (often working breeds and terriers), you can use interactive toys in the house to keep them stimulated and give them something to do.

Don’t ignore your dog when they are being good. Give them your attention when they are doing what you want them to. Reward good behaviour so they are very clear about the positive ways to get your attention. In general, if a dog is seeking your attention at the wrong time, it is because you are not giving them enough of it at the right time.

Once you are sure your dog does not have every right to expect more attention from you, if they do something you do not want them to, ignore it (if it is safe to do so) so it’s not being rewarded by your attention.

Most attention seeking behaviours consist of barking, jumping up, scratching you with a paw, pestering you with toys – in fact doing anything to try and get you to interact. If you ignore these behaviours, they will stop because they aren’t achieving the desired effect ie getting your attention.

When the behaviour stops you have to be very quick to reward its absence. As long as it is safe, reward what you like, ignore what you don’t.

If the behaviour is not safe to ignore (nipping guests, jumping on children, terrorising visitors, scratching people, using teeth), make use of a training lead to attach them to your chair until they settle (and then giving them a stuffed Kong or something to chew may help) or use baby gates to separate the dog from your guests or the situation with minimal interaction from you. Then contact an accredited behaviourist to help you with a behaviour modification programme to address the behaviours.

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If your dog is scared of literally EVERYTHING, then you understand that life with a fearful dog can be limiting.

Instead of greeting the world with a confident walk and a wagging tail, a fearful dog might shy away from anything new, or worse yet, react preemptively to avoid a new situation altogether.

It’s not easy for a pet parent to admit that their dog is scared of everything because trying to work through those fears can be overwhelming.

Fearfulness does have a place in the wild; it increases an animal’s chance of survival by keeping them away from danger. But when your dog is acting strange and scared in everyday life, it’s stressful for both ends of the leash and can even have long-term health implications.

Let’s take a look at why certain dogs are scared of everything, how to recognize fearful behaviors, which situations trigger fear, and how you can help your dog deal with their fear.