VETERINARY MEDICINE: Behaviors of Traumatized Dogs and How to Handle them.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: Behaviors of Traumatized Dogs and How to Handle them. Dogs feel happiness, sadness and all different emotions and sensations but triggered in a different way. Dogs response to trauma are all different and will respond to different situations in different ways. For example, some dogs can deal with trauma and seem completely fine, but some can’t, and sometimes with a situation not related to the trauma..the dog “loses it”. Same goes with the severity of the reaction, some dogs are badly affected, others just slightly affected and some dogs do not seem to be affected at all, there is no possible way that we can generalize and say all dogs respond the same. It is sad to say, but not all dogs have a good start in life, and for some, it can be more than simple neglect. It can be an abused dog or mistreated and this can have consequences dog’s behavior, social skills, and the way how interacts with people and other dogs. If you know up front your new pet has a traumatic background, you should make the transition as comfortable as possible. Try to create a routine with simple things like feeding it at the same time every day, giving it space for the most part and, if you have children, make sure they don’t overwhelm the dog… at first can make a big difference. Do the introduction to other pets slowly, not all at once, and if noises seem to upset him/her, keep the volume to a minimum until the dog adjusts. Animals adapt very easily to the external environment, so many will adjust with nothing more than a loving and supportive environment. But if the trauma is severe, it will be better to use the professional intervention of a certified animal behavior that can determine the best method to deal with a specific issue. Tips to deal with Traumatized Dogs. 1) Find a safe place for your dog in your house. A dog crate or his preferred spot for your dog with a dog bed will develop a clear structure of safety. This is the safe place for your dog, do not create a negative experience in that area, for example: don’t take a crate as a punishment to enclose your dog for something wrong that he/she made. 2)Avoid any situation that causes the dog fear A traumatized dog facing a stress situation can feel fear, and the fear is reinforced by the reaction to the trauma exposed, so then the fear to the same recurrent scenario can become stronger and so on. 3)Do not confront its fears or force the dog in any way If you feel you can’t manage how to help your dog the best way is to approach to a professional where he slowly and gradually can be desensitized to its perceived fears. A dog trainer specialized in dog behaviors and fear aggression will be very useful. 4)Have fun with your dog Do as much with your dog that he/she enjoy as possible. Having fun with your dog will help to increase the trust and confidence in you. 5)Never punish a fearful dog Sometimes we can misunderstand that the reaction to a trauma can be just fear and show obedience and behavior issues not listening commands. Remember, a punishment may up the fear for the dog and instead of just looking fearful it may start to react with aggression. 6)Watch your dog’s body language Dog’s body language Always take attention for signs of stress such as leash puller or pusher behavior, slower or faster movement, freezing, lip licking, yawning, etc.