How Can I Get My Dog to Stop Being Scared of Dogs?

Not all dogs wag their tails happily and rush to meet others of their own kind. Some dogs, in fact, show signs of fear when strange dogs come around. Your dog may have had a traumatic experience with another dog and learned to fear them, or the fear may seem to have developed out of nowhere. When your dog is afraid, it may shake, pant, hide, salivate, snarl, growl or even bite. To help your dog live a life free of fear, use a process called "desensitization and counter-conditioning" to teach it not to be afraid of other dogs.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog treats
  • Leash
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Instructions

  1. Start in Neutral Territory

    • 1

      Prepare special dog treats for your dog. Don't use ordinary treats for this training, since you need your dog to start associating other dogs with a positive experience. Try hot dogs, chicken or cheese.

    • 2

      Take your dog for walks in areas that you know you will encounter other dogs. Ask a family member or friend with a dog to help by walking their dogs in the same area, if necessary. Keep other dogs at a distance at first. As soon as your dog sees them, speak in a happy voice and present a treat. Praise your dog and continue your walk. If your dog still shows signs of fear, move away from the other dog and try again later at an even greater distance.

    • 3

      Watch for your dog to start looking at you whenever another dog appears in the distance. This is a signal that it is starting to associate the sight of another dog with a treat. If it does this at least 10 times in a row, move closer to the other dogs on your next walk.

    • 4

      Repeat steps 2 and 3, offering your dog a treat and praise immediately each time it notices another dog. Gradually move closer and closer to the dogs until you can pass within a few feet without your dog showing fear.

    • 5

      Withhold treats for longer and longer periods once your dog can walk by other dogs without fear. Reward it after a few seconds instead of immediately.

    Practice Inside

    • 6

      Ask your friends and family members to bring their dogs over to visit. Advise them to keep their dogs on a leash at first, so that they don't overwhelm your dog. Have your dog on a leash as well.

    • 7

      Offer your dog a treat as soon as another dog comes into the house. Ask your dog to sit or lie down, and give it treats and praise as long as it stays calm. Keep the strange dog on the other side of the room at first.

    • 8

      Remove your dog from the room if the experience is too much for it to handle. If it begins to show signs of fear, such as cowering, shaking or aggression, end the session and try again later. Don't force your dog to interact with other dogs when it is feeling fearful, or you will make the problem worse.

    • 9

      Gradually move the dogs closer and closer together, always offering dog treats and praise when it stays calm and confident.

    • 10

      Take your dog off the leash when other dogs come over. Continue distracting it with treats as soon as it sees the visiting dogs. Allow it to investigate (or not) at its own pace. Don't coddle it if it starts to be afraid. Just ignore it or separate the dogs to avoid reinforcing the fear. Let the visiting dogs off leash only when your dog consistently stays calm and happy during meetings. Give your dog treats and praise as a reward if it shows no fear now that both dogs are free to investigate and greet each other on their own.