Helping a Scared Dog
Want to understand what your Boston Terrier might be feeling? Our advice helps answer your questions.
Just like us, our dogs experience a wide range of emotions and feelings. Some are positive, like excitement, anticipation and contentment. Others aren’t so positive, like fear, anxiety and panic. How they feel will influence their behaviour.
Knowing how your dog is feeling will help you respond appropriately and keep everyone safe. You’ll also be able to avoid situations they find challenging.
Quick wins: what to do if your Boston seems scared or overwhelmed
- Stop and think – Consider what’s causing your dog to feel this way and how you can help them feel better.
- Create space – To help your dog calm down, increase the distance between them and whatever is frightening or overwhelming them. This might mean moving or turning away from someone or something, ending your interaction with them, or leaving a stressful environment.
- Stay calm – Gently reassure your dog and keep your own movements slow and steady. Avoid telling them off or forcing them to meet people or dogs.
- Help them calm down – Allow time for your dog’s stress levels to reduce in a quiet, safe environment. Try scattering treats on the floor for your dog to sniff out or offering them easy, enjoyable enrichment.
What emotions do dogs feel?
Just like us, our dogs experience a wide range of emotions and feelings. How your dog feels will influence how they behave. Dogs who feel excited and content may want to get closer to something they want, like a toy. Dogs who feel anxious or fearful may want to move away or create distance from whatever’s scaring them.
- Contentment – A positive emotional state your dog experiences when they feel safe, calm and happy. A content dog will show relaxed body language.
- Excitement - A positive emotional state that happens when your dog anticipates or experiences something rewarding or stimulating. It often increases energy and activity. A joyful and excited dog might be playful. In some cases, excitement can tip into over-arousal or frustration.
- Fear - An unpleasant emotional and physiological response to the presence of an immediate, perceived threat. Fear is highly adaptive. It plays a vital role in survival and helps dogs to escape, avoid or defend themselves against danger. Remember that what a dog perceives as threatening may not always be obvious to us. This can include everyday things like bins, hairdryers or new environments.
- Anxiety - A more generalised emotional state involving anticipation of potential threats. It’s a heightened state of worry or vigilance about what might happen.
- Frustration - An emotional state that happens when your dog can’t do something they want to, is prevented from behaving how they want, or their expectations aren’t met. Frustration is largely unpleasant to experience, but could be brought on by a positive emotional state. For example, if your dog is excited to say hi to another dog on a walk but their lead is stopping them, this could lead to frustration.
Emotions can be conflicting, too. For example, your dog may feel anxiety because they’re too close to a person they’re nervous of, but that person is also offering them a treat, which they want. Your dog may feel conflicted because they want to approach to get the treat, but don’t want to be near the person they’re worried about.
If we can recognise how dogs are feeling, we can take steps to avoid bad feelings and keep them feeling good. For example, if you can identify when your dog is feeling fearful, you can take action to help them feel safer and calmer. This can help to avoid behaviours like snapping or biting.
Signs your dog may be feeling scared, stressed or struggling
Dogs use their whole bodies to show how they’re feeling. It’s important to learn how your dog communicates so you can recognise when they’re feeling confident and relaxed, or when they're worried, frightened or frustrated.
Below are some common signs of stress, fear, anxiety and frustration.
- turning their head or body away
- lip-licking (unrelated to food)
- yawning (unrelated to tiredness)
- pupils dilating (getting bigger)
- ears pulled back
- eyes narrowing or whites of eyes showing
- sudden stillness or freezing
- looking for reassurance
- tension in the body and face
- acting strange, appearing “quiet” or “sad.
If you see any of these signs, think about what might be making your dog behave this way. What can you do to help them feel better? And remember, they’re not being “naughty”, they’re simply telling you how they feel.
How to help your dog build confidence gradually
To help your dog feel calm, safe and secure:
Build a daily routine
Building a daily routine helps dog know roughly what to expect and when. Include time for play, training, rest and walks.
Always go at your dog’s pace
Try to avoid things your dog finds scary or overwhelming. If they seem unsettled or unsure, give them the choice to move away, and space to calm down.
Introduce your dog to new people, dogs and experiences slowly
Never force them to interact if they don’t want to. Getting your dog to “face their fear” could make things worse. If they can’t leave a scary situation, there’s a risk they may use aggressive behaviour.
Reward your dog for calm choices and investigating
If your dog is a little nervous but comes forward to sniff something, or they hear a noise they usually react to but remain relaxed in their bed, this is the perfect time to reward them with praise and extra tasty treats.
Have fun with your dog!
Engage your dog in things they enjoy to build up lots of positive, confidence-boosting experiences.
Creating a safe, calming environment
A safe and calm environment will help your dog feel more relaxed.
Make a cosy den or safe space for your dog. This will give them the option to hide away for some quiet time when they need it.
Manage your dog’s exposure to stressful or scary things. This could include loud noises or visitors to the house. Think about what can be avoided and how. For example, if your dog is frightened by the hoover, could you hoover while your dog is outside the house? If they feel anxious or frustrated by noises and people outside, can you block your dog’s view out the window or muffle noises by having the radio on?
Provide your dog with options. This includes lots of comfortable resting spots, different toys and other things they need and enjoy.
Everyday habits that help
Meeting your dog’s physical, mental, and social needs will help them feel calmer, cope better with stress, and reduce the likelihood of unwanted behaviours.
- Provide appropriate daily exercise. Walk your dog in both familiar and new environments, allowing plenty of time for sniffing and exploration.
- Engage in positive play. Play builds bonds, provides an outlet for energy, and supports emotional wellbeing.
- Offer regular enrichment. Activities like treat trails, likimats puzzle feeders, snuffle matsand toys help keep your dog mentally stimulated and satisfied.
- Support enjoyable social interactions. This might include walks with other dogs on lead, appropriate off-lead play, or spending time with people if your dog prefers human company.
- Prioritise rest and sleep. Getting enough good-quality sleep is essential for emotional regulation. Overtired dogs are more likely to struggle with frustration and impulse control.
- Maintain physical health. Have regular vet check-ups and stay up to date with parasite prevention and vaccinations.
- Reward calm, positive behaviours. Rewarding behaviours you want to see more often will build confidence and increase the likelihood they’ll be repeated.
- Allow time for your dog to relax and recover. After a frightening, frustrating, or overwhelming experience, give your dog time and space to rest and recover.
Managing your own feelings
Sharing your life with a dog is one of life’s greatest joys. But that doesn’t mean it can’t also be challenging and frustrating at times. If you’re worried about your dog’s behaviour or feel guilty because you don’t know what to do, you’re not alone.
Common situations that can trigger emotional responses
Just like us, our furry friends can have a strong emotional response to different situations. Here are a few common responses, with links to our experts’ advice if you need it.
- Fear of loud noises : like fireworks and thunderstorms, is very common.
- Visiting the vet is a fact of life for dogs and their owners. Some dogs may not enjoy the experience, but it doesn’t have to be traumatic for them.
- Being handled or groomed can make some dogs feel worried, confused, excited or frustrated.
- Having Visitors can bring about feelings of excitement, anxiety and frustration.
- Being Left alone can cause dogs to feel anxious and frustrated, especially if they haven’t learnt that it’s okay.
- Travelling by car can make some dogs feel excited, worried, frustrated or even car sick.
- A lack of routine can cause dogs to feel unsettled.
- A new pet in the home is a big change for everyone. Careful and positive introductions can set everyone up for success.
- Reactivity to other dogs or people can cause feelings of anxiety, excitement or frustration.
When to seek professional help
Vet check
Changes in a dog's behaviour are often influenced by their physical health, even when there are no obvious signs of pain or illness. Some medical issues are subtle, develop gradually, or are masked by dogs coping well, so even very attentive owners may not notice anything wrong.
You should seek veterinary advice if your dog:
- behaviour has recently changed
- shows signs of fear or anxiety, which can include avoidant and aggressive behaviour
- is withdrawing from activities and interactions or appears low in mood
- seems agitated, restless or you notice them acting strangely.
A visit to your vet is a supportive first step. It could rule out any medical causes or fix the behaviour. Knowing your dog is healthy will make any behaviour support and training clearer, fairer, and more effective for you and your dog.
To help your vet assess your dog's behaviour, it can be helpful to bring along any videos, diaries or notes you have to your appointment at the vets. Speak to your vet when booking if you think it'd be useful to have a detailed conversation before the physical exam.
Source: Dogs Trust