Human beings have survived for thousands of years by assuming the worst. Show Not every sound in the forest is a saber toothed tiger, though. And not every dog that flinches has been abused.  3 Things That Make A Dog Flinch (Besides Abuse)1. Clumsy OwnersWhen I walk into a room carrying an awkward or heavy object, Honey clears out. I can assure you we have never hit her with anything. But I’m as graceful as a stripper wearing seven-inch heels playing rugby in the mud. I stumble. I drop stuff. And I fall on my a$$. When I enter a room with a big box, Honey has found her best defense is to yell “Timber” and flee the scene. 2. Poor or No SocializationIf a puppy has happy experiences with objects, experiences, and people when they’re young, they’re less likely to fear them when they’re older. Just like children, puppies gain resilience by learning how to handle new situations in a supportive home. A puppy raised in a home with people who never go for a walk won’t have that base for resilience. So you’ll find a dog who is perfectly comfortable with the Real Housewives or Duck Dynasty (hmmm, maybe that is abuse after all) but knows nothing about joggers, bicycles, or large trucks. 3. A Shy PersonalitySome people are daredevil adventurers. Some people get scared riding the bus. Dogs are the same. One person jumps out of her skin when a car honks. Another keeps texting while two taxis, a bicycle, and a rickshaw collide in a cacophony of sound after trying to avoid the mindlessly texting pedestrian crossing against the light. One dog flinches every time a person makes an unexpected move toward his head. Another just wags when you nuzzle him with your face, turn him upside down, and blow raspberries on his belly (don’t try this at home). Some of us startle more easily than others. Was This Dog Abused?A few kind-hearted people commented at A Day in the Life of a Foster Dog that it sounded like Titus had been abused. And that’s why he preferred not to have me reach over his head. Maybe. But the folks at the SPCA didn’t tell me that. And I have no reason to believe his fear is caused by abuse and not any of the other things that can cause a dog to flinch. I suspect that many more people are ignorant toward animals than cruel. Not that ignorance doesn’t do a lot of damage. But I don’t want to live in a darker world than I have to. Two years ago, I wrote Telling Stories About Your Rescue Dog in which I talked about the problems we cause when we assume every rescue dog has a horrible past. And as usual, the comments were even better, confirming that we all have a tendency to create stories when we don’t have much information. I’ll avoid making up stories for Titus and just work with the behavior he’s showing me. After all, telling myself he doesn’t want me to put drops in his ears because someone mistreated him doesn’t get those drops in his ears any faster. But patience and a few bits of liver might. Thank you to everyone who commented on yesterday’s post about our new foster dog, Titus. I really appreciated the well wishes and good advice that I’ve already started to use. You’re the best! Your Turn: Have any of your dogs flinched or cowered without being abused? What do you think caused it?
Pet Dog Owner is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. If your dog jumps or flinches whenever you try to pet it, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you common causes and what you can do about them. So, why does my dog flinch when I touch it? Possible reasons why your dog flinches when you touch it are that previous owners mistreated it, you approach it too boldly, it was not expecting you to touch it, you might have encouraged the behavior or that it has an injury. There are many possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and it could be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main reason and there are a number of things you can do about it. Why your dog jumps when you pet itBelow are possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and what would make them more likely. Previous ownersThe cause could be that previous owners mistreated it. This would be more likely if your dog has never liked being touched, if you adopted it as an adult or if you know that it had previous owners that mistreated it. In this case, it would help to interact with it calmy, to reward it when it shows signs of not flinching and to have patience with it since it should begin to get more comfortable as it begins to realize that it is safe around you. You get emotional with itAnother possible cause could be that you have been petting it too boldly. If you tend to pet it with a lot of force or you do it quickly, it could be the case that the way you have been petting it is what has been causing it to flinch when you pet it. Instead, it would help to pet it calmly and from the front or side where it can see you doing it. It was not expecting itThe cause might also be that it was not expecting you to pet it. This would be more likely if it only jumps when you pet it from behind when it cannot see you and if it does not jump when it can see that you are about to pet it. Encouraging the behaviorIt could be the case that you have been encouraging the behavior by giving it things it wants when it does it. If you tend to give it things such as treats, toys or extra attention, when it gets scared, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards. Instead, it would help to avoid rewarding it when it behaves in a way that you do not want and to wait for it to clam down before rewarding it. NatureIt might be the case that it is naturally timid. This would be more likely if it has always behaved that way and if it has been timid in other ways as well. However, even if it does seem to behave that way naturally, it would still help to encourage it to be less timid as discussed below. InjuryIt might be the case that an injury has been causing it to flinch. This would be more likely if it has started doing it suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of being injured such as limping. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet. Things to considerBelow are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been doing it. If your dog has always flinched when you touch itIf your dog did not always flinch when you pet it, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to getting an injury but it might also be the case that there was an event that caused it to start being fearful. What is different when it does not do itIf it does not always flinch, it would also help to consider what is different when it does not do it. For example, if it does not do it when it can see that you are about to touch it, the cause would be more likely to be that it flinches when it does not expect to be touched. What to do about your dog flinching when you pet itBelow are some options you have when getting your dog to stop doing it. Positive reinforcement trainingPositive reinforcement training is where you encourage your dog to behave the way you want it to by rewarding it when it shows signs of behaving that way. To use it to get your dog to flinch less, you could do something such as:
Avoid encouraging the behaviorAs mentioned above, it might be the case that you have inadvertently encouraged it to flinch by rewarding it when it does it. Instead, it would help to reward it whenever it does not do it and avoid rewarding it when it does. Interact with it calmlyIt would also help to interact with it calmly so that it does not feel threatened by the way that you interact with it. Get help from a vetIf it seems like it could be doing it due to being injured or you are unsure why it has been doing it, the best option would be to take it to a vet. Get help from a dog behavioristIf you are unable to get your dog to stop doing it or it has been very timid, another option would be to get help from a dog behaviorist. By doing so, you should be able to see what has been causing your dog to behave that way and how you can get it to stop.
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Why does my dog flinch when I raise my hand
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