There's a common accepted belief that says the right way to get rid of your fears is to face them head on. But is the same true for our dogs and should we be making a fearful dog confront their fears?

If your dog is fearful of people for instance, should you be making sure they come across lots of folk everyday in the hope they're going to get used to them or learn how to be brave? What about a dog afraid of fireworks, should you take them to a display every year to get them use to intense noises?

The way we tackle the issue of dog fears is vital, as we risk compounding the fears and making our dogs even more anxious if we take the incorrect approach.

A Productive Approach to Helping a Fearful Dog

All evidence indicates that encouraging or making a dog to tackle their fears isn't a productive one, neither is it sensible. Some dogs coming head to head with a scary experience will lash out with fear aggression. Imagine the effects if that was a kid they were frightened of. Infact repeated exposure to a fear is more likely to increase the anxiousness each time they experience it.

Naturally, we cannot protect our dogs from everything they are worried about. We can not stop thunderstorms; or folk coming to the house or having to leave our dogs home alone now and then. Nor can we disregard the problem because that will not make it disappear either, so what can we do?

The Best Way to Help When Your Dog is Afraid

When your dog is showing fear, the way in which you react is extremely important as they will frequently be looking to see what you do in the situation. If you show that you are anxious, it will confirm they're right to feel this way. So it is really important that you stay calm and show your dog this is nothing to be anxious about.

Avoid comforting your dog a lot or making a big fuss of them when they show fear as this isn't very helpful for your dog. Either your dog could see this as a reward for their afraid behaviour and it will encourage them to continue to behave in this fashion; or it will confirm they are right to be fearful.

Now that does not imply if your dog wants to curl up with you in a thunderstorm that you shouldn't let them, just that you should stay calm, not make a big fuss of them and act like there is nothing for them to be fearful of.

The Way to Help Your Dog Get Over Their Fears

There are three ways in which you can help reduce dog fears. The 1st is by utilising desensitisation training which involves exposing your dog to their fear at a stage they can cope with and in tiny incremental steps continuously increase their exposure, using treats and praise to aid the technique.

The second's for you to discover how to show your dog that you're the pack leader as this is thought to be very beneficial for anxious dogs, particularly for those suffering from separation anxiety. The 3rd is to ask your vet about the use of medication for really extreme cases, though you will still have to use training alongside it.