Dog trainer says you may be making your pet nervous ‘without noticing’

A dog trainer has shared how you might be making your pet nervous without realising it. Some dog breeds are known to be more prone to anxiety than others, but there are certain situations that make many dogs nervous, such as loud noises from fireworks, or separation anxiety. However, you might unknowingly be making your dog nervous with your words and actions. Thomas McCoubrey is a dog trainer based in Northern Ireland who shares advice and tips on social media. He shared a video from the McCoubrey K9 Services page on TikTok explaining how owners make their dogs nervous by how they react when their pet gets spooked by something.

The dog expert said: “The sad truth is you’re making your dog nervous without even realising it. Think of a time you were proud of yourself.

“It’s probably because you overcame something that you were initially unsure about. So why then…when our dogs get spooked do we rush into them and say ‘oh it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay’, any time they’re a little bit unsure?”

McCoubrey explained that, by reacting like this, all your dog learns is that “the world is scary”, they’re in danger and need rescuing. Instead of rushing to your dog when they’re scared of something, when it’s safe to do so, he advises to encourage your dog to check out whatever it is they’re unsure of and reward them for their bravery.

He added: “This is how we get a competent dog that’s able to overcome something they’re unsure about.” USA Dog Behaviour Specialists have identified other things owners can do to make their pets nervous.

The first is being “command-crazy” and giving too many commands, such as “sit, stay, look at me, come, leave it…” The dog specialists elaborated: “You don’t have to be a dog behaviorist to know the dogs on the receiving end of this don’t know how to respond to this banter from their owners.

“All of this non-stop chatter from the owners only serves to make the dog more anxious.” They recommend using cues or commands sparingly with your pet and saying them softly.

Another way owners can make their dogs nervous is by their body language. USA Dog Behaviour Specialists claim that one of the biggest cues pups look for is how “hard” or “soft” our bodies are.

They explained: “Think about it for a second; when people are uptight or nervous, their body movements become rigid and mechanical (i.e. hard bodies).

“Conversely, humans who are relaxed and confident have soft bodies. Most experienced dog owners know that dogs also have hard bodies when they are stressed and have soft bodies when they are relaxed and happy.

“When dogs see their owner with a hard body, it can make them nervous because they interpret this to mean their owner must be stressed.”