Dogs cannot understand the language of us humans. That's why they scan us all the time, because they want to understand what is going on with their master and what is going on inside him. Does a dog behave more anxiously when you are stressed? Then it is because he senses exactly what is going on right now.
For example, if you have stress with your partner or at work, it can affect the behavior of your four-legged friend. The dog doesn't know that you can't give him your full attention, because your mind is completely elsewhere, because you might be about to lose your job.
Therefore, he becomes more anxious, seeks closeness to his owner and may bark at other people or dogs more often. There are a number of tips that will help to manage this problem.
1. do not let your own worries show
First of all, you should not let your own stress show. This is easier said than done, but you can try to focus on your beloved four-legged friend alone during the walk, so that you do not burden him with your own emotions.
2. care in confrontation with other dogs
If a dog likes to bark at his fellow dogs, this also often represents a behavior of fear. He prefers to attack the other dogs before he could be attacked by them. We humans are often very embarrassed by this behavior of our dog. We try to calm our dog, but he just does not listen to us, because he himself is also rather restless.
The behavior of us humans will always transfer to the dog. We see another dog and our body immediately becomes more tense because we are already afraid that our furball is about to bark. Automatically, we pull the leash a little tighter and thus restrict the freedom of our dog. But this is the wrong way. Instead of holding it tighter, we should try to let it looser.
3. avoid other dogs in an emergency
You can get the dog's attention by giving a light command, and then run an arc around the other dogs. After that, of course, you should reward the dog and then both of you will feel good.
4. always observe confrontation with strangers
Many dogs are also afraid of strange people and also here the behavior of the people plays an important role, especially in the greeting.
You must not allow strangers to bend over your own dog, pat his head, hug him, stare into his eyes and make any squeaking noises. Then it is no wonder that the dog barks and is afraid. You have to make sure that the people who are strangers to him approach him slowly. They should not make eye contact with him, nor should they turn their sides or backs to the dog, because that seems rather threatening. You should get to the dog's height and then gently stroke or pat him on the side, head or back.
5 Training with a fearful dog
When training with a fearful dog, it is very important not to deal with him in an aggressive manner. Yelling at him or pulling him away will not help at this moment. On the contrary, the dog may become afraid of its owner, even though it should feel attached to him. At some point, this can upset the dog so much that he would not even shy away from biting, because he may not see any other way out. So the training with a fearful dog should be guided with a lot of love.
