Ask Dr. Paola- Irrational Fears & Tail Chasing (December 2, 2024)

Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” series, where every Monday we bring expert advice straight from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to help our readers better understand their dog’s health and well-being.

Whether you’re a new pet parent or a seasoned dog lover, Dr. Paola is here to provide answers to your most pressing questions. From nutrition tips and preventive care to troubleshooting common behavioral issues, Dr. Paola is ready to offer insights that will keep your furry friend happy and healthy. Stay tuned for expert guidance on a range of topics that matter most to you and your dog, so you can make informed decisions and provide the best possible care for your canine companion. ‎Have‎ a ‎question? Send it in here!

Help! My Dog is a Afraid of My House!

“We had a repairman at our house yesterday and since then our dog is afraid to walk through rooms where the man was. My husband was there the whole time and Arlo was not on the rooms with the man. The area where the man worked were closed off to the dog so there was no contact.” – Michelle

Hi Michelle,

This is unusual unless Arlo is not used to seeing unknown visitors in your house. One possibility is that Arlo was afraid of loud or unusual noises from hammers or machinery used in the repairs. Arlo might also be reacting to specific scents used in different chemicals such as glues, oils, or paint. You did not mention Arlo’s history but there might be a negative association with these smells and since dogs rely on their sense of smell to navigate the world, scents can trigger fear responses.
Regardless of it, the best advice is to give him some time, and hopefully, this will pass. You will then need to try to figure out the exact trigger and start actively desensitizing Arlo so he can learn that novel stimuli (people, noises, scents, etc) are nothing to be afraid of. If the repair man is to ever return, take this as an opportunity and get him to offer Arlo a couple of treats while entering your home. You can also anticipate days with new visitors and use some calming techniques beforehand.

Best wishes!
Dr. Paola

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Help! My Rescue Dog Is Scared of Everyone!

“When Rosco, our one-year-old rescue, sees new people he shakes. With men, he runs away. The other day my nephew was let him out, and when he went to let him back in, Rosco jumped the 4ft fence. The dog will not come to anyone but me and my niece. We got him for her to help with her anxiety. We have one cat that will not come in the house any more because Rosco chases that cat, but not the other. He is getting along with my 4 other dogs. Thinking of giving he back to rescue, though we don’t want to. We have fallen in love with Rosco, but this behavior needs to change if possible. Waiting for help.” – Diane

Hi Diane, rescue dogs can be a challenge as their past might have scarred their perception of the world. The big challenge with these pups is to teach them to trust, and depending on the history of abuse, some of them might never be totally open to strangers, while others will eventually learn to tolerate them while being wary. Your advantage is you have identified the triggers, strangers, and men. You can start to slowly work on changing Rosco’s perception of men by creating a history of positive associations with men. Find ways to get a man to be familiar with and offer Rosco positive experiences, for example, you can have your nephew serve them dinner from a distance. This would be a great and easy starting point. Give him time to understand that this man means good news before you try to push more proximity.

It is important to note that a rescue dog needs help with his own fear and anxiety and it is not recommended as an emotional support or therapy dog. Those dogs need to be emotionally stable themselves.

Chasing one cat away is a different problem. But reading that he came to a household with other 4 dogs and 2 cats, I think he is doing very well for a rescue dog. You will have to focus on one problem at a time. And remember that rescues take some time to settle in.

Best of Luck!
Dr. Paola

Help! My Dog Won’t Stop Chasing His Tail!

“My dog has this hilarious yet somewhat concerning habit of chasing his own tail, especially when we have guests over. It’s cute at first, but he’ll spin around in circles for minutes on end, and sometimes he even barks at his tail and gets so intense about it we have to remove him from the room to snap him out of it. I can’t tell if he’s just bored, attention seeking, or if he’s trying to entertain himself. Is there something behind this ‘tail-chasing mania,’ and should I be worried, or is it harmless?” – Dale, dad to Border Collie Hal

Hi Dale! By the way you describe this as hilarious first, I think there is a possibility that Hal got reinforced for chasing his tail in the past. If you think about it from his perspective, visitors come in and remove his human’s attention from him. Tail chasing may have started as a way to deal with the anxiety, and then Hal learned that if he chases his tail, he can have his human and his visitors’ attention and laughs.

It is possible that visitors are his cue. You should start to use positive reinforcement techniques to teach Hal how to be calm with or without visitors. If you are willing to you may even teach him a few tricks to impress your visitors in a more positive way. After all, it sounds like he loves to be the star of the show!

Best wishes!
Dr. Paola