No matter how many times you try to convince your pup that his fear of a certain room is unfounded, he probably just looks at you and thinks you have no idea of the terror that awaits him there. My dog hates the water, which made me think maybe it looks like water or a hole to her... Just in case, I did check the crawl space (or had my husband do it), checked for a gas leak, checked the attic, checked all the locks, checked all the closets, etc. When your dog steps onto certain hard flooring, it's possible that all the terrible memories of vet office visits are flooding back into his brain. He hides in another room away from it. Destructive Behavior Just as with other behavior problems of senior dogs, the underlying cause of destructive behavior needs to be determined in order to provide effective treatment. Some dogs are just afraid of new things. Up there on the list of "but seriously why" behaviors dogs engage in is the deep eye contact they seem intent on making… he will stand in a room or at the end of the hall staring in shaking and sometimes barking. My dog hates the water, which made me think maybe it looks like water or a hole to her... Just in case, I did check the crawl space (or had my husband do it), checked for a gas leak, checked the attic, checked all the locks, checked all the closets, etc. If your pet has earned privileges to roam the whole house, avoid shutting them in one place. A room may be too hot or too cold for your pup most of the time, so he knows that going in there will be uncomfortable. Increase the distance until he's comfortable traversing the entire area. Sometimes, dogs will even flee from certain parts of your home or bark at whatever is causing them stress. Many canine phobias are related to prior traumatic experiences and reinforced negative associations. The deterioration of the brain is progressive and results in various symptoms, including disorientation. I got my dog when he was just a pup he’s been around a lot of people and other dogs he’s is now 3 years old and very protective over a lot of stuff like for example we have four dogs in the house my dog my boyfriends dog and our roommates two senior dogs, the other day my dog was eating and one of the senior dogs come by and my dog started growling and then attacked him. She was happy to go outside, but is really scared of the kitchen. If your dog is scared of literally EVERYTHING, then you understand that life with a fearful dog can be limiting. The confusion which accompanies CCDS manifests in various ways. This is why there may be many reasons why your dog is scared. My dog has been acting scared,he wont come in my room any,i have to pick him up and then he wont get down. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor's degree in journalism. Dog Training Tips for Dogs Afraid of Doorways javier brosch/Adobe Stock. This process involves exposing your dog to the noise in a controlled setting. For example, being cooped up in an animal shelter for months may make something as benign as the smell of certain disinfectants intolerable for your pet because it reminds him of the long, unpleasant ordeal. I need some help. Something might have scared your dog in the room. She just started doing this occasionally last year, and has done it about a dozen times since then. She has been sleeping on it no worries for months but tonight she is terrified to go on it! You can help your dog deal with his fear once you figure out what exactly is causing his sudden behavioral shifts. It turns out my dog had been sitting by my door, scared because of the storm, and wanting me to hold him. If your dog is suddenly scared of a room used to ‘crate’ them while you’re gone, it’s probably because they know that means you’re leaving. This is if you have a regular schedule. Posted by 6 years ago. My dog suddenly started the same behavior (being afraid to come into or stay in the house)! All dogs bond with their owners. Copyright 2021 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. "But it is safest to work with a professional dog trainer or behavior specialist," warns Dr. Petryk. It shows that something is causing so much fear that your dog feels the need to protect itself. It could really be anything. ive done some reading and nothing has hurt him in the hallway to make him associate fear and pain with it. She has lived in this house for all her life except the first few months (got her from the pound as a puppy). 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Since dogs have such great hearing/smell then us, it's possible he hears a squeaky (sharp) sounding noise. This isn't a new dog, and he has lived in this house his entire life. My dog hates the water, which made me think maybe it looks like water or a hole to her... Just in case, I did check the crawl space (or had my husband do it), checked for a gas leak, checked the attic, checked all the locks, checked all the closets, etc. Some dogs are just afraid of new things. The scent of an animal, either dead or alive, inside the wall may also be bothering your pup. You can sign in to vote the answer. Instead of greeting the world with a confident walk and a wagging tail, a fearful dog might shy away from anything new, or worse yet, react preemptively to avoid a new situation altogether. She is happy to sleep anywhere else but not her bed. any ideas? Get your answers by asking now. Q:Why is my dog afraid of my oven?As soon as I turn it on, he bolts from the house and hides in the backyard. Still have questions? Starting to be afraid of hall. Remember, a dog that doesn't like you might actually just be kind of scared of you — and this fear can manifest itself in physical ways. Dog fears and phobias: fireworks and other loud noises. The other night he did suddenly jump up from a sound sleep and started zooming around the living room and running into the corners of the room and back out again. When you are home she will start to be comfortable. Sometimes it’s really odd. Certain smells, like potent perfume or air freshener, can be offensive to your pet's senses. 5 1 15. I thought at one point she didn't want to go to bed, but once she is past the hall, she is fine. All I see here is BS on ghosts and people trying to be funny. I've had people tell me it is everything from "she smells a recent visitor she didn't like" (like some child molester visited or something) to "she just wants attention"! Listening to these sounds may cause physical pain or arouse negative memories. Have you renamed your dog you adopted from a shelter? If your dog truly is afraid of a particular room in your house, begin to associate the room with something positive, like his favorite toy, his food or treats. The other night he did suddenly jump up from a sound sleep and started zooming around the living room and running into the corners of the room and back out again. Archived. Your dog may have had a negative experience in a particular room. Hi there. More than a third of pups with noise phobias also suffer from separation anxiety, according to the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation. Why are there no decent informative forums to find information for questions like this? How to Treat Separation Anxiety in Dogs If your dog’s frantic behaviors while you’re gone have you concerned for their safety, mental health, or even the wellbeing of your furniture, don’t worry. He came in from outside and suddenly jumped on the couch. recently he will become terrified of the hallway quite often. Having finally coaxed her through the kitchen, she is happy in the lounge and upstairs, but still will not enter the kitchen. He hides in another room away from it. maybe he is just getting a little senile and is just becoming cautious about spaces like a hallway. Being afraid is an emotional response that is triggered when the animal is exposed to a threatening stimuli. Develop a positive association with the room with treats and encouraging words. Most owners aren't around all day to keep an eye on their dogs. My sister's puppy is scared of the dark, which gave me that thought. Waste of time. The best I can figure is she is getting older, and not able to see as well, and is scared of the dark or thinks there is a hole there or something.....or there is a big hairy monster I cannot see LOL. Starting to be afraid of hall. We had a lovely German Shepherd who was afraid of nothing. I didn't change anything. Dog suddenly afraid of the doorway between hall and living room. My dog won't even go if I walk with her and freaks out if I try to carry her down the hall, I have to literally get her to the hall and push hard from behind, and she leaps into the hallway and is fine once she is halfway down and into the bedroom, it is just that first threshold. Desperately darts while panting from room to room and climbs on my head all night. Improper Socialization. There was nothing wrong, but it never hurts to check. This process involves exposing your dog to the noise in a controlled setting. Persistent, excessive fear of a specific stimuli (trigger), left unaddressed, can lead to phobias. If your pup is frightened by the new TV, persuade him over with a scrumptious treat. If your dog's personality goes from confident to fearful in certain parts of the house, he has probably developed a negative association with some aspect of the room. Sometimes a dog's fear is so strong, she needs a drastic change of scenery. Normal for dogs to strain as they get fatter or older? My dog has had 2 episodes where he is totally wigging out and really scared...which is so unlike him. Feeling trapped could be enough to make your dog avoid a room. He came in from outside and suddenly jumped on the couch. A very serious problem in the so-called sensory deprivation syndrome or kennellosis, in that the dog is afraid of practically everything around him. Washing machines, hair dryers and high-pitched sounds are not very pleasant for your pup. This is acceptable since the behavior causes your dog no unnecessary suffering, provided that your dog does not show signs of pain, fear, or discomfort while exhibiting the behavior. One particular change is a desire to seek out corners of a room. My dog gets angry and tries to ‘protect’ me every time my boyfriend slaps my butt. We have a border collie that went to stay with my parents for a few days and since she has come back she has be afraid of the kitchen, which is worrying as this is where she sleeps! If your puppy or rescue dog is afraid to go outside, it could be because they … Buster is a beagle mix (or at least we think he is) and he will be 8 yrs old in a few months. Start slowly by beckoning your dog to cross only a small portion of the room to reach the reward. It doesn't explain her sudden fear of the bed though. Keep the dog far enough away from the fire where he will take food, and feed the livin' life out of him whenever the fireplace is on. My dog Asher is suddenly scared of her bed it seems. While we know fireworks are nothing to worry … Your dog's phobia may not have anything to do with the room itself. There could be many reasons, and you may have to eliminate them one by one until you hit on the right one. He knows not to jump up there without permission. "If the dog is fearful, he may cower or crouch, pull back his ears, tuck his tail, hide, or tremble," Sueda told Insider. When approaching narrow spaces, some dogs will suddenly stop and refuse to walk forward while others will run through doorways quickly with their tails tucked and ears pinned back. Some pups will go to great lengths to avoid everything he associates with a negative experience. American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation: Noise Phobia in Dogs. He will lay in there and sleep while he is watching tv but as soon as he puts the light out he runs out of the room - he wants to sleep on our bed (not happening with a 6foot+ husband and a 175lb dog!). Athena has not bit or hurt Charlie or showed any signs of aggression from either dog but for some reason Charlie keeps hiding in the corner and when we walk Charlie she refuses to come back in the house even if Athena isn't bothering her . Whatever the cause, fear develops when your pup connects a certain room to unpleasant sensations, memories or negative feelings, like isolation or competition. Partnership for Animal Welfare: Scared of Stairs? August 30, 2017 By Fanna Easter. If the dreaded vacuum cleaner or another offensive object dwells in the area, it might be enough for him to loathe the entire room. Perfectly fine outdoors. He spent more tan 10 years nursing kittens, treating sick animals and domesticating semi-feral cats for a local animal shelter. Close. In my opinion, the separation anxiety is the leading cause of her fear. 3 Reasons Why Your Dog is Suddenly Afraid of the Stairs Your dog used to go up and down the stairs with ease but one day looks terrified as he approaches the stairs. Even if you hear nothing, unplug all of the electronic devices in the room and turn off the lights. Consult a behavioral therapist if your dog is afraid of the sight and smell of other people. For example, if your dog suddenly starts spending all of its time hiding under a couch when they normally roam free, that's a big red flag. My dog has suddenly gotten scared of my living room. He is 4 1/2 years old and has live in this house all these years. My Dog Is Afraid Of Walking Through Doorways. The dog can become scared and seeking shelter in the corner of a room allows them to feel more secure. But maybe he could just be scared of going into a dark hallway (if it is dark) or the hallway is just a narrow hallway (I don't like those sometimes :P), You said that your dog is "old"? Behind Closed Doors. Bring your dog into the room and see how he reacts with all of the sound sources disabled. He's a two year old rescue Australian Shepherd we've had for about a month and a half. How can I get him to understand my boyfriend isn’t. As strange as it may seem, the appearance or texture of the flooring in a particular room can terrify your pup, according to the Merck Manual for Veterinary Professionals. A room may be too hot or too cold for your pup most of the time, so he knows that going in there will be uncomfortable. I know the cause of why my dog suddenly started disliking the car, she normally travels in the boot and I caught the tip of her tail accidently when closing one time. She will scoot over to the door to go out but only by making a direct bee line for it. Sometimes it’s really odd. He is 4 1/2 years old and has live in this house all these years. As I was laying in bed, I heard my dad come down to my door. We had a lovely German Shepherd who was afraid of nothing. That's classical conditioning - fireplace starts to predict food. In other words, if you know your dog is terribly fearful of something but they keep getting scared by it, and they are exposed to that same thing over and over, their fear can develop into an extreme reaction. Quentin Coleman has written for various publications, including All Pet News and Safe to Work Australia. I know, it is like there is a big hairy monster behind you or something, creeps me out too! - Answered by a verified Pet Specialist We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. Remember, dogs can hear at much higher frequencies than humans. Now he refuses to sleep in my son's room. This emotion is not in itself negative, since it involves a survival mechanism that helps avoid elements that are hostile and allows one to safely adapt to the environment. Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. Dog suddenly fearful and restless in the house. An irregular schedule is a different story. Gradually,. You are the first other person have ran across with this issue! move an inch at a time closer and keep feeding until he can do it in the same room. 'S puppy is scared or stay in the same room has suddenly gotten scared of literally,... But it is like there is a desire to seek out corners of specific. Some reading and nothing has hurt him in the so-called sensory deprivation syndrome or kennellosis, in that the is. He will become terrified of the brain is progressive and results in symptoms... Outside and suddenly jumped on the right one be many reasons why your dog avoid a allows! Out my dog Asher is suddenly scared of the dark, which gave me that thought 's two. 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