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AAHA AccreditedFear Of: Veterinary Hospital | Automobiles | Loud Noises | People or Places | Other Pets
General Info
Fear and anxiety are normal responses to danger. When these defensive reactions are out of proportion with the actual threat presented by the situation, it is called a phobia. Physical changes that accompany phobias may be exaggerated, such as rapid breathing. Panic may be displayed by frantic attempts to escape. Fear-induced aggression may be directed toward anything or anyone approaching too closely or blocking a path to safety.
Phobias may develop gradually over time after several fearful experiences, or the initial experience may be so stressful that the phobic response may appear immediately during or after the first experience. When a pet has developed a phobic response to something, it rarely resolves without intervention.
[Top of Page]Fear of the Veterinary Hospital
It is exceptional that a pet does not develop some anxiety when it visits the veterinarian. If the visit is made because of a medical problem, your pet may sense your concern and anticipate an impending problem. An element of fearful anticipation is normal in unfamiliar situations. When the discomfort of an injection or postoperative pain, or anxiety from separation and confinement become associated with the veterinary hospital, subsequent visits can trigger a negative response. Your pet may express this conditioned fear by attempting to escape or becoming somewhat aggressive. Some pets become frozen by fear, displaying unusually calm and passive behavior.
When defensive responses exceed the expected normal range, they are classified as phobias. Phobic responses in cats and dogs are potentially dangerous to them and to the veterinary staff. An animal risks injury to itself as well as to those that are dedicated to its care. Additionally, a sick or injured pet may complicate its own condition if it fears visits to the veterinary hospital.
It is often helpful to make frequent short trips to the veterinary office that do not culminate in pain or discomfort. The cooperation of veterinary employees may be enlisted by asking them to spend time playing with or petting your pet during off hours. If your pet cannot reliably predict which visit may result in discomfort, its anxious anticipation may fade. If visits result in a pleasant experience, your pet's fear may lessen. The annual examination and vaccination may be the only time your pet is transported in the car or in a carrier, so it is often helpful to begin this process by getting your pet used to being in the car and pet carrier.
[Top of Page]Fear of the Automobile
Fear of car travel is related to several factors. A pet may be anxious because of confinement in a restricted space, the motion of the car or the anticipation of its destination. A pet that goes for car rides only when it is going to the veterinarian's office can easily make a negative connection with the car. Many young animals are instinctively afraid of unfamiliar situations. If they are gradually exposed to driving in the car for frequent short trips, however, most adjust well.
Your pet can become well adapted to car travel, using these steps:
Begin by spending time with the pet in your parked car, with the ignition off.
Feed your pet a few meals in the car, or simply interact with your pet in some other positive way, such as petting or brushing the animal in the car. It can be helpful to withhold these forms of interaction from your pet until you are in the car. If your pet is so afraid initially that it will not eat in the car, feed it at the most comfortable distance from the car and make each feeding progressively closer.
When your pet is relaxed and comfortable in the parked car, turn on the motor without actually driving anywhere. Open the window slightly to keep fresh air circulating.
Gradually extend brief trips, to the end of the driveway, around the block and then farther.
If necessary, your veterinarian can prescribe a sedative or tranquilizer to calm your pet for car travel. However, medication should not replace the slow, methodical steps to reduce the phobic response.
[Top of Page]Fear of Thunderstorms, Fireworks and Loud Noises
Fear of thunder and other loud noises may be instinctive in many animals, driving them to seek immediate shelter. In their attempts to escape to apparent safety, pets may damage property and injure themselves. Dogs, in particular, may scratch, chew, jump over or even throw themselves through barriers to reach a place of refuge. In response to a sudden and loud noise, the startled pet may injure anyone trying to hold it back.
Pets can be trained to not panic during thunderstorms by exposing the pet to recordings of the noise at low volume. Through a process called progressive desensitization, a pet slowly learns a more desirable response to thunderstorms and other loud noises. Commercial recordings of thunderstorms are available through music stores.
The desensitization process must be gradual to be effective. Begin by reviewing basic obedience skills, such as sit/stay and down/stay. Train your pet to sit or lie down in a secure place, such as in a comfortable corner of the living room or on a rug in your bedroom.
Once your pet responds readily to commands in this quiet situation, you are ready to begin playing the recording of the thunderstorm or other noise, at very low volume. Begin at a volume that is barely audible to you, remembering that your dog's ears are far more sensitive than normal human hearing.
While the recording is playing, review the obedience skills at the special location you have chosen. This will teach your dog to feel safe in a secure place during a storm and it may become less anxious about other threatening noises. Give generous praise and calm reassurance. You may wish to give a small food treat as the volume of the recording is increased in each training session.
Each training session should initially be brief, perhaps less than 5 minutes. Eventually, you can increase each session up to 30 minutes long. The recording may then be played independently of actual training sessions. For example, you can play the recording during your pet's regular mealtimes or during playtime. Also, gradually increase the volume of the recording. Medication to relieve your pet's anxiety may be helpful during the desensitization procedure.
Using sensitive recording equipment and high-quality tapes, you can record other noises that frighten your pet, such as fireworks, gunshots or automobile backfiring. The recordings may then be used as described above.
[Top of Page]Fear of Unfamiliar People or Places
Unfamiliar situations and people are unnerving to many pets. A pet's territorial and social nature, combined with past experiences in new places with new people, helps to determine its reactions. The ability to adapt to a variety of situations is, in part, a learned ability.
A dog that is confined or that has limited opportunity to socialize with others, particularly during the critical period of socialization to people between 6 and 14 weeks of age, may develop antisocial behavior later in life. This important developmental phase may occur even sooner in kittens.
Pets may respond fearfully toward certain people. This does not necessarily mean that the pet has had a past negative experience with that person or another person. A pet that is fearful of men, for example, has not necessarily been abused by a man in the past. A fear of men, common to many pets, is likely a reflection of inadequate socialization to males as compared with females.
A young pet should be exposed to a variety of social situations early in life to prevent problems later, but it should not be forced to endure any situation that makes it uncomfortable. Shyness in adult pets must be met with patience. The pet should be coaxed with food treats and gentle verbal praise.
[Top of Page]Fear of Other Pets
A pet that has had a previous negative experience may fear interaction with other pets. Cats or dogs that have been raised without exposure to other pets may react negatively in social situations with other pets. These fears do not often cause problems, however, unless another pet is introduced into the household.
When a pet exhibits an extremely fearful response to other dogs or cats, attempts can be made to desensitize the animal by exposure to the feared animal for gradually increasing periods, similar to the process used for loud noises.
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