Why Is My Dog Scared of Other Dogs?

How Do You Know Your Dog is Scared of Other Dogs? 

Let’s start off by identifying behaviours so that you can tell when your dog is actually scared of other dogs. Depending on the dog, sometimes dogs hide fear well, and it can be hard to tell. 

One of the most important things to know is that most fearful behaviours actually look aggressive. This means that even if your dog is acting aggressively by barking and lunging at other dogs, he’s actually probably scared of other dogs. 

Here are some behaviours that indicate that your dog is actually scared of other dogs: 

• Your dog is barking and lunging at other dogs. 
• Your dog is growling at other dogs. 
• Your dog is licking his lips and turning his eyes away, exposing the whites of his eyes. 
• Your dog is shaking or whining. 
• Your dog is attempting to hide behind something.
• Your dog appears to not pay attention to anything else and won’t even take food.

What to Do If You Suspect Your Dog is Scared of Other Dogs

If you are worried that your dog may actually be scared of other dogs, it is important to keep your dog on leash at all times. You also want to ensure that your dog doesn’t have any negative experiences with other dogs. In most cases, it’s easiest to just limit close contact with other dogs altogether. 

If you happen to see other dogs while you’re out walking, it’s best to step off the trail and give your dog space. If you’re on a crowded city sidewalk, you can even use things like cars and trees as visual barriers by hiding behind them. 

You shouldn’t allow your dog to greet other dogs while you’re working on this issue. It’s important that your dog only has greetings with other dogs in a positive way and in a very controlled manner. Saying hi to another dog on a busy sidewalk street is not the best setup.

If someone is walking their dog up to you and acts as if they want their dog to greet yours, politely tell them that your dog is in training and can’t say hi. Similarly, if an off-leash dog is coming up to you and your dog, ask the owner to leash him. In extreme circumstances where the owner doesn’t leash the dog, you have a couple of options to deter the dog from running towards you and your dog: 

1. Use a pet deterrent spray like Pet Corrector or Spray Shield. Be sure to practice this with your dog at home in the backyard. It’s important to make sure that your own dog is comfortable with these sprays going off near them. 
2. Carry treats and throw handfuls at the oncoming dog while you and your dog get away. Hopefully, the food will be a big enough distraction to the oncoming dog. The oncoming dog will stop to eat the treats from the ground, and that should give you and your dog enough time and space to get away. 
3. Muzzle your dog. Muzzles are actually a wonderful tool that helps everyone be safe. As an added benefit, they often make other pet parents leash up their dog and steer clear of you and your dog. 

How to Help Your Dog Overcome their Fear

To get your dog to stop barking at other dogs, there are two main methods used for training: desensitization and counter-conditioning. These training techniques address the underlying deep-rooted emotional response your dog is having to seeing another dog.

1. Identify the distance your dog is comfortable and does not react in the presence of other dogs. For some dogs, this will be upwards of 20-50 feet and for other dogs it could be as little as 5 or 10 feet. It’s important to remember that every dog is an individual. The goal is to have your dog notice the other dog but to not be fearful or show concern. 
2. Once your dog notices the other dog, immediately begin rewarding your dog. You will be rewarding your dog frequently with small bits of high-value treats. When you’re working on this phase of training, think of a game called “Open Bar, Closed Bar.” Anytime your dog notices the other dog and does not react, you will be consistently rewarding your dog. If the other dog moves out of sight, you can stop rewarding your dog. Remember that the treats you use for rewards only need to be the size of a small pea! This helps teach your dog that the presence of other dogs equals good things. 
3. In the beginning phases of training, it’s important to note that you will remain in Step 2 for quite some time. Again, every dog is different. It could be a few weeks or a few months. Always remember to go at your dog’s pace and not push them. 
4. When you finally feel comfortable, you can start to decrease the distance between your dog and the other dog. Decrease this distance gap slowly and steadily. You’ll still want to reward your dog consistently as part of the “Open Bar, Closed Bar” game anytime that your dog can see the other dog. 
5. When you start to close the distance, you can start to wait a few seconds before rewarding your dog. If you wait a few seconds, your dog should naturally start to look back at you, which is exactly what we want! Mark that moment of your dog looking from the other dog back to you with a verbal marker, like “Yes!” and reward your dog. The entire goal of helping your dog work through their fear of other dogs is establishing that seeing another dog is just a sign to look back to you. 
6. If, at any point during your training, your dog reacts and begins barking and lunging, that’s a sign that he’s over threshold. In these cases, take steps back and off the trail and increase the distance to the other dog as much as you can. 

It’s Okay to Comfort Your Dog

In this particular case of your dog being scared of other dogs, reassuring him with words or treats does not reinforce his fear. Your dog is stressed and anxious, and it’s okay to reassure him. Think about it: If you’re afraid of spiders and are in a room filled of them, would it make it better or worse if someone is yelling at you? Probably worse. Even though your dog’s behaviour can be frustrating, you want to be patient and understanding. 

In this case with this type of training, practice does really make perfect! It’s frustrating to have a dog that doesn’t like other dogs, but with consistent training, you can conquer this. Remember to take your time and be patient and consistent. You want to teach your dog to feel happy and secure around other dogs.