When a dog is contented, it’s usually cheery, happy, and affectionate, especially to its owner. However, as they also have complex emotions, they are affected by changes in the environment. For this reason, their moods change depending on what surrounds them, and hence they can be happy, sad or fearful. Unfortunately, when a dog freaks out or gets scared for no reason, it’s something to be concerned about. Below are some reasons why your dog is scared and freaking out.
Separation Anxiety
One aspect that is quite common among dogs is separation anxiety. Often, this characteristic manifests itself when you, as the owner, leave the house. Usually, the dog barks and whines to communicate its fear of being left alone. However, as this is quite common, it’s only a concern when the dog acts scared and starts shaking. Usually, the fear leads to destructive behavior like ripping the couch cushion and smashing various things in the house.
Pain And Illness
Just like humans, dogs tend to get irritable and lethargic when they are sick. However, because they do not communicate with words, they tend to get agitated or scared and freak out. To figure out why your dog is acting weird all of a sudden, try and have someone on one time to scrutinize it. The best time to do this is when you are grooming your dog. Fortunately, just like cats, most dogs like being groomed. Make it a point to invest the equivalent of a high-quality cat hair brush for your dog. The closeness allows you to check every part and determine if your dog is in pain and needs medical attention.
Socialization Anxiety
When dogs have socializing anxiety, they will outrightly refuse to be out of your sight. The fear builds up when you want to take it out for a walk or to the vet. Sometimes this fear manifests itself when you have visitors in the house. The reason for freaking out might be that other dogs are mean to them in the park and hence want to be far away from them. Another reason might be they have had a recent traumatic experience like visitors continuously stepping on its tail, and they are still reliving that moment.
Phobia
Sometimes, your dog might freak out due to the excessive fear of something. When the fear of the stimuli is left unaddressed, this leads to phobias of things that are otherwise harmless. An example might be the fear of insects because it has suffered continuous painful stings from them, fear of cat that has attacked them, or fear of the vet because of painful injections. When this happens, try to reassure your dog that the fear is unwarranted and it’s something to get over.
Sensory Anxiety
As dogs react to sensory stimuli, it’s not a surprise that they respond to sounds. However, they usually get scared and freak out when it comes to unusually loud noises. Loud music, the sound of a food processor, vacuum cleaners, fireworks, hairdryers, and thunderstorms are the most likely culprit of why your dog suddenly gets scared of something in the house. As expected, they are frightening because most of the time the dog does not spot the source of the loud noise.
Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome.
Sometimes people get concerned that their longtime friend doesn’t fancy their company anymore or avoids them. If you have ever asked yourself, “why is my dog suddenly scared of me?” then you should factor in its age. As a dog grows old, they suffer from cognitive dysfunction syndrome; the equivalent of Alzheimer’s disease. For this reason, they become anxious, uneasy, and nervous for no apparent reason.
Conclusion
To fully understand why your dog is scared and freaking out, you have to be patient to get to the root cause of the problem. Take deliberate steps to reassure your dog that he is safe with you. Additionally, get rid of the trigger causes to ensure that they don’t relapse into their fearful state. Above all, to be sure you are doing the right thing, it’s best to visit your vet for in-depth medical diagnosis and advice on how best to help your dog.