7 Ways to Help a Goldendoodle Who is Scared of Everything
Goldendoodles are exciting and beautiful cross breed dogs with great personality and character traits. All are friendly and gentle, with some needing time to warm up to others. Some are easily scared of their own shadow and others not so much.
Goldendoodles are companion animals. Being a companion animal requires that they have certain character traits that make them good at what they do, being a furry companion. This makes them remarkable to be around and spend time with.
Aside from this, there are certain other qualities that a Goldendoodle may have that are challenging. One of those qualities can be that a Goldendoodle is easily scared of everything. Many of you may wonder what can be done about this type of behavior.
I did a little research on the subject and found some great tips for helping a Goldendoodle who is scared of everything, not to mention, help their pet parents cope with this type of behavior.
7 Ways to Help a Goldendoodle Who is Scared of Everything
Understand Your Dog
Understanding a Goldendoodle who is scared of everything is explicitly geared towards the pet parents. Understanding your dog allows pet parents to respond appropriately to life situations.
If their dog seems to be scared and climbs on their lap every time the doorbell rings, pet parents can disconnect the doorbell or plan appropriately with a distraction when it happens, such as a treat.
By understanding your dog, you can respond accordingly and manage their environment to minimize issues and prevent upsets. Understanding your dog occurs with time and patience, devotion to knowing them, and creating a trusting relationship, which eventually helps them be less scared of everything.
Just as we want to know our dog’s favorite treats or toys, understanding what motivates them or stresses them can help pet parents make the best choices for their fur baby while limiting fears.
Provide a Loving and Safe Home Life
Providing your Goldendoodle with a safe and loving home life helps if they’re scared of everything by giving comfort. A safe environment provides them with the comfort, happiness, and love we all need in life.
If pet parents create the right home environment, it can bring more peace to their dogs. The Goldendoodle has a warm place to sleep where no one will hurt or stress them. The Goldendoodle receives enough food and water to keep them feeling strong, content, and healthy.
They are played with and receive praise and attention to fill their emotional cup. The Goldendoodle feels cared for and loved. Therefore they are less stressed because the basic needs of life are provided.
If pet parents take the time to know and understand their Goldendoodle, they will offer a good home life for them that naturally minimizes stress.
Don’t Expect Just Love
Whatever the reason, the Goldendoodle is scared of everything. They should always be loved and not have expectations placed upon them. Expecting a Goldendoodle to behave or act a certain way, say less fearful and scared, is unreasonable.
It can be impossible to completely understand what motivates this fear that has now made them scared of everything. By loving them just as they are and providing them with physical attention, it can ease the fears and let them know everything is OK.
Some Goldendoodles might want to be held, and others might want to sit on a lap or something else, whatever it is they need, it is the pet parents job to provide so they can find comfort and with time be less scared of everything.
However, this love doesn’t relate to unreasonable behaviors such as eating barking non-stop if a Goldendoodle is scared of everything. Loving a Goldendoodle does mean setting reasonable boundaries, such as not barking all the time because a Goldendoodle is scared of everything.
Not having expectations implies that they can want to bark all the time. They just are not going to be allowed to bark all the time. Loving them while not placing expectations on them can go hand and hand, just as it does with human children.
Take Things Slow While Not Reacting
If a Goldendoodle appears to be scared of everything for whatever reason, it is best to slow things down a bit in their life and create a more carefree environment.
By changing their response to the fear, pet parents can restore balance. Provide some loving comfort to the Goldendoodle while maintaining are easy-going persona yourself can help if a Goldendoodle is scared of everything.
Have some playtime, share some snacks, cuddle a bit, and sometimes their fear will lessen, and they won’t be as scared of everything. Dogs are known for picking up on cues from those around them, especially their pet parents.
Sometimes we can react negatively to their being scared of everything or the situation as a whole and not even realize it. Maintaining a boring but everything is OK persona when they are scared can help send the message that all is still well.
For instance, they react by becoming fearful and scared of the child who comes to pet them. The pet parents can maintain an easy-going personality around the child, talking, laughing, smiling, and only acknowledging the Goldendoodle’s fear by petting and holding them for comfort.
The pet parent can instruct the child not to pet the Goldendoodle and eventually remove themselves and the Goldendoodle from the situation. The message here is, I am OK with this, so that you can be OK with this too. There is nothing to fear or be scared of. This can be a way to help a Goldendoodle that is scared of everything.
Provide a Break
If a pet parent finds themselves suddenly dealing with a Goldendoodle that is scared of everything, sometimes quiet time can help. Like kids, Goldendoodles can quickly become overstimulated by their environment and need a reset.
This reset can come in the form of a quiet nap in their dog crate or comfortable bed away from everything. When out, the reset can include removing them from the immediate environment and providing some soothing words, a few treats, and some rest.
If Goldendoodles are scared of everything, they might need some quiet time in a comfortable and dimly lit area with their loved one to help restore their emotional balance and desensitize them.
Limit Exposure
Some Goldendoodles will be scared of everything because it is a part of their personality. Perhaps it came from a problematic past in another home or a particular situation that made them hypersensitive to everything. Still, when a pet parent finds their Goldendoodle in this situation, it can reduce their exposure to known stressors.
If they become fearful when the mailman tosses the mail through the door slot, contact the post office and arrange for the correspondence to be kept there for a few days while you figure out how to manage the issue.
Reducing a Goldendoodles exposure to known stressors reduces their stress. This can put their emotions, mind, and body at ease. When the balance has been restored, pet parents can figure out how they want to manage the new situation to limit the stressors and reduce the potential that Goldendoodles are scared of everything.
Create a distraction
Sometimes if a Goldendoodle appears to be sacred of everything, the only thing that can be done at that moment is provide a distraction.
For the hypersensitive Goldendoodle and their pet parent that find themselves in sometimes stressful situations that increase fear distractions help get them through the moment.
A Goldendoodle being scared of everything around them can enjoy a favorite toy, some well-placed treats, or even a quick snuggle to reduce their fears.
It is a gentle way of reminding them, I am here, you are OK, we are OK, and I love you. This is another way to help Goldendoodles that are scared of everything.
What causes Goldendoodles to be scared of everything?
What causes Goldendoodles to be scared of everything varies from one dog to the next.
Fear is a normal and sometimes healthy way of responding to our environment for everyone, including Goldendoodles.
Like other dogs and humans, Goldendoodles have fears that make them scared of certain people, places, situations, and things. These fears and being scared are different for each of us, as unique as we are, even for Goldendoodles that are scared of everything.
Their fears can be caused by a noise outside, the new child that just entered the house, or the slippery surface they just stepped on. Possibilities for this trigger response is varied and can also change with time. Their response to each fear can vary as well, which is suitable for pet parents because it means we can help them find comfort and learn to respond differently.
In Conclusion
It is normal to want to help those we love learn to cope with life. As pet parents, it can be heartbreaking when we have a Goldendoodle that is scared of everything, but much can be done to help.
With a thoughtful mind and a compassionate heart, any situation you and your Goldendoodle find yourselves in can be managed through love!