All dogs communicate fear and aggression through their body language, showing signs like shivering, cowering, and averting their eyes. Dogs will often show aggression if they are afraid. While you might want to learn how to get an aggressive dog to trust you, that isn’t always possible–sometimes, it’s better to give a dog space to calm down and collect themselves.
One of the main ways you can help is by being extremely careful as you approach a shy, fearful, or aggressive dog because your body language is important, too. If you see signs indicating the dog might be uncomfortable or may bite, don’t approach it.
Get Down on The Dog’s Level
A great way to approach a fearful dog is to get down to its level. Don’t ever put yourself directly in the dog’s face, and keep in mind that towering over them makes you appear as more of a threat. Based on how fearful the dog is, you can sit or squat down to give them an added sense of comfort and relief. You may want to consider laying down a small distance away from the highly fearful ones to begin with, allowing them to grow more comfortable with your presence.
It can be hard to get down to some dogs’ levels like the little Cockapoo, whereas a Golden retriever or German Shepard is much easier due to their large size. No matter the dog’s size, if they’re too frightened to approach in a calm manner, you’ll have to find a way to not tower over them, which might mean that you have to lay down every time.
Turn Sideways
When meeting a fearful dog, turn slightly so your side faces the dog. We are all taught otherwise, which is to meet others face-to-face and make good eye contact. It is different for dogs; they might perceive someone as a threat when someone faces them head-on with direct eye contact.
Speak in a High-Pitched Voice
Deep, lower voices can be very daunting to a fearful dog. Try talking to the dog in a higher-pitched, cheerful voice. Men generally have more trouble with this, but they can still speak a little quieter, and it should work. A soft, reassuring tone of voice can go a long way in making a nervous dog more comfortable.
The tone of voice you use will affect any dogs or puppies in the long run, whether good or bad. Using a good tone of voice with smaller Cockapoo puppies prone to fearing large people and loud environments will help them learn quickly. Teaching your dogs to respond to happy, positive voices can start from an early age; having a fearful litter of small dogs like Cockapoos will be a real challenge if you’re not kind and gentle from the start. If you’ve done a proper job encouraging them to be outgoing and never evoke a fear response, by the time you list the Cockapoo puppies for sale, they will move very fast because everybody will see that character trait and want them.
Never Punish a Fearful Dog
It may be obvious to some people, but not everybody gets it. You should never scold or punish a fearful dog. Punishing a fearful dog will only make it more fearful, which can put you in danger because the dog’s anxiety levels will rise, increasing the chances of panicking or biting. It’s not worth it, dogs can carry all sorts of diseases, and if it bites you, you will be in big trouble.
Stay Positive
Training a fearful dog can make a huge difference in its confidence levels. Positive training can allow you to open the lines of communication with your dog without pushing it past its comfort level. The more your dog learns, the more confidence it builds, which will decrease if not eliminate their general fears.
Dogs are our companions, and we want to take care of them. As soon as you adopt a dog, it becomes family. And all of these tips are good, but it takes patience, and if you don’t have any, it won’t work. You’ve got to be very patient when approaching and be happy without giving up on your dog for it to overcome its fears.
