7 Reasons Why Your Dog Is Acting Scared All of a Sudden
One of the worst things for any dog owner is to see their pet cowering in fear without having any clue what’s going on.
Unfortunately, dogs can’t tell you what had made them so scared, until someone invents that dog-to-human translator.
However, if you know how to read your dog’s body language, you might be able to make a pretty accurate guess.
Let’s see what usually makes dogs terrified all of a sudden.
One of the most common reasons why your dog is acting scared all of a sudden is a phobia.
Dogs don’t form memories as we do, but they tend to remember negative/positive experiences strongly.
Phobia of noises is very common in dogs and often involves fireworks and thunderstorms. The bright lights, the flashes, and the ear-piercing noise freak dogs out of their minds.
Usually, a dog with a phobia will pant, whimper, pace, and show signs of anxiety and stress.
In addition to noises like thunder, sometimes dogs develop a phobia of objects or places.
For example, Rover might be reluctant to step into the kitchen or approach the TV. I have a friend with a dog who is terrified of baby gates!
So something must have startled your pooch so badly that he is afraid to go near the object or the place.
A fearful experience during your daily walk also might make Rover refuse to leave the house and act scared whenever you grab the leash.
In these situations, fear is a learned behavior. So you can desensitize your dog to whatever is frightening him with enough patience and tasty rewards.
Desensitization (also often called counter conditioning) is a science-backed behavior modification technique that uses positive reinforcement training to help your dog learn to associate that which they fear with something good instead.
For example, if your dog is acting weird and scared due to fireworks or thunderstorms, you can try to get him used to loud sounds by giving him a special treat while the negative stimuli (the noises) are happening.
To put it in simpler terms, when the 4th of July fireworks start, give Fido a tasty new bone to chew.
You could also try to drown the noise with other familiar sounds or relaxing music (like in the video below), but behavior modification really does work best long-term.
Related: My dog yelps when touched. Why is that?
Usually, a sudden change in behavior is a red flag for most dog owners. Since dogs can’t complain that they’re sick or in pain, they act strangely.
When dogs are not feeling well, they tend to hide until they start to feel better. It’s most likely a survival instinct throwback to their wilder days when being sick or weak could leave them vulnerable to predators.
However, some pooches might act scared all of a sudden when they are in pain because they don’t know what’s happening to them. You’d be afraid in a similar situation too.
For example, when my dog sprained her ankle, she didn’t go into hiding. Instead, she came hopping over to me as fast as her hurt paw allowed and gave me her biggest and wildest “I’m really freaked out right now” expression. Whenever she gives me that look, I know she’s not feeling well.
Observe your dog for other signs of illness such as lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or lack of appetite.
It’s not always a serious medical condition that makes your dog afraid, but you want to get to the root of the problem asap.
Take a look at some of the other symptoms and warning signs that your dog may be sick:
All dogs bond with their owners. But some pets form such a tight bond that they can’t stand it when their human is away.
This condition is called separation anxiety, and some breeds are prone to it.
Some dogs with separation anxiety bark, howl, and pace whenever they’re left alone.
Others become extra clingy and seem genuinely in distress when it’s time for their human to depart.
Often, dogs with separation anxiety act destructively when the owner is away.
That’s why owners often overlook it as a behavior problem. Some even resort to punishment (which you should never, ever, ever do)! But your dog is really suffering and can’t help his actions.
So, if your pooch is acting scared all of a sudden when you’re about to leave the house, it might be due to separation anxiety.
You’ll have to teach your dog that being alone is not a bad thing. Again, counter-conditioning and desensitization techniques come in really handy with that.
Professional trainer Zak George has great tips on dealing with separation anxiety, so check out his video below.
The Difference Between Fear, Phobia, and Anxiety in Dogs
Why Scared and Shaking Occurs in Dogs
There are so many reasons your dog could be acting scared and shaking. If this is normal behavior for your dog, you may want to consult a canine behaviorist or a professional dog trainer to learn how to boost your dog’s confidence and teach them how to deal with their anxiety and stress.
Anxiety
If this is something that just started, you will need to do an assessment of your dog and their environment to determine if the cause is medical or if it is environmental. Strong storms, loud noises or strangers in the home can be environmental factors that can cause your dog to be anxious for a time. Do not feed into your dog’s anxiety, but do reassure them that all is well.
Toxic Poisoning
Dogs that are suffering from toxic poisoning may exhibit signs of being scared and shaking. Dogs cannot reason as to why they feel bad and therefore may seem scared when they are ill from a toxin to which they have been exposed. Common toxins that dogs get into include xylitol, chocolate and nicotine.
Pain
Pain can also cause your dog to act scared and shake. Pain in their back, neck or abdomen can be especially scary for them as can pain that limits their mobility. Joint and muscle pain, such as degenerative joint disease or arthritis can cause your dog to shake and act as though they are fearful. Some dogs will lash out when they are in pain because they fear that they will be hurt more by those trying to help them.
Neurological Conditions
Neurological conditions such as seizures, viruses (such as Distemper) can cause your dog to act scared and shake. Neurological conditions cause involuntary shaking and seizing which can be very scary for your dog and cause them to show fear and to shake uncontrollably.
If you suspect your dog is suffering from a medical condition that is causing them to act scared and shake, you need to contact your veterinarian for an appointment.
Sound To Scare Dogs
The fear of loud noises is a normal evolutionary response that has helped humans and dogs alike survive by running away from or fighting off threats to our existence. However, some dogs may develop a severe irrational fear or phobia to certain sounds in their lifetimes.
Noise phobias in dogs are actually pretty common. Based on a recent study, an estimated 39 percent of dogs show some symptoms of noise fearfulness (1). Noise phobias are also commonly seen together with other behavioral disorders such as separation anxiety and general anxiety disorder.
Read below to find out why a fear of loud noises is so common in dogs, how to recognize noise phobias in your pooch, the most common sounds that scare dogs, and what you can do to help your frightened pup.
Noise phobias in dogs are abnormal, intense reactions to one or more sounds. Some of the most common examples include fireworks and thunder. What causes some dogs to develop noise phobias while others have no reactions to loud sounds is not yet completely understood, but environmental and genetic factors are thought to play a role.
Dogs that were poorly socialized as puppies are thought to be at an increased risk for noise phobias. Puppies have what is called a “critical socialization period” which ends at about 12 to 14 weeks of age. This means that if puppies aren’t exposed to certain sounds, sights, animals, or places in a positive manner by that age, they may develop an abnormal fear response to those things when introduced to them later in life.
Traumatic events can also lead to a fear of certain noises in dogs. For example, a dog that is left at home with a chirping smoke alarm all day or with a noisy construction project going on next door, may associate these noises with separation, fear, and loneliness. These events can traumatize a dog and induce a severe reaction to those noises and similar noises in the future.
Dogs do have much more sensitive hearing than humans and this may be partially to blame for their noise reactivity. A sound that is loud to us is experienced at a much higher volume by our dogs. Dogs can also hear sounds at higher frequencies or pitches than humans. We humans can only hear at frequencies up to 20,000 Hz, while dogs can hear frequencies up to 45,000 Hz (2). This means that sounds and noises that are at very high pitches aren’t even detected by the human ear but are heard loud and clear by our canine companions.
Certain breeds of dogs are overrepresented when it comes to noise phobias, strongly suggesting that there is an inherited component to this condition. It is thought that German Shepherds, Australian Shepherds, and Border Collies are genetically prone to these phobias.