One essential contributing element to your pet’s phobia might be the unintentional or perhaps even intentional reinforcement that is done over a long period. When an animal is scared, the natural response would be to either flee or fight. A dog that is experiencing fear could realize that he must run and hide so that can be safe and that this is the best method to deal with the fear.
If the dog is successful in extricating himself away from the situation, then the animal’s fear of that situation becomes reinforced. It is possible that a dog could learn that being aggressive can help him to deal with the situation, making the fear trigger go away, thus resulting in the animal learning fear aggression.
Then there are dog owners who may not realize that they are reinforcing their pet’s fear behavior. If you comfort your pet when a certain trigger happens, it may actually add to the dog’s fear instead. Owners who mean well could perhaps offer extra attention or food, but these seemingly kind gestures that are thought to soothe or console their pet will only send the opposite message, that is, it is perfectly fine to display a fear response. In effect, this gesture reinforces your pet fearing the trigger event, thus only exacerbates the situation.
Any concern you may have about your pet’s behavior should prompt a visit to your veterinary hospital Bourne, MA. Learn more here.
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