Effects of Fear and How it is Translated to Your Dog

Fido hates Bull Mastiffs. When he walks with his owner, Sally, he is a very friendly and well-socialized dog. Years ago, he was attacked by a Bull Mastiff with Sally. He escaped with simply a bruised ego and a couple of scratches. Now, when he walks with Sally, he lunges and snarls at Bull Mastiffs. Why doesn’t Fido like Bull Mastiffs and how does he differentiate breeds?

Sally’s adrenal glands are to blame.

When you feel anxious, your body reacts in ways unknown to you. When there is a trigger (Bull Mastiffs for Sally), you become anxious. Your mind races, your heart pounds and then your adrenal glands take over. They produce hormones in response to stress and in a stressful situation, they will raise your blood pressure, transfer blood from your intestines to your extremities, increase your heart rate, suppress your immune system and increase your blood’s clotting ability. They are responsible for our “fight or flight” reaction.

What you may not realize is that as soon as this anxiety hits you, you begin to produce a very different smell; not one that we can detect, but one that a dog certainly can. In response to that smell, dogs will react. If they have had a negative experience in the past with an anxious person, they will react accordingly every time until they are reconditioned. Some dogs will “fight” – lunging, barking, baring teeth, even attacking if necessary. Others will choose “flight” and try to run away.

In Sally’s situation, Fido can sense her anxiety immediately and chooses to “fight” as a means to protect her and himself.

What does Sally need to do?

Sally needs to do some breathing exercises in order to gain control of her breath. As soon as she can control this, she will be able to control her fear, which in turn, will cause her adrenal glands to rest and avoid producing said hormones.

Our adrenal glands don’t know the difference between imagined danger and real danger.

While it seems simple, it can take a lot of work and coaching. If you are experiencing something similar to Sally and Fido, contact us and we would be happy to work with you to help you learn to control your fears and keep your dog under control as well.