Surely you have seen your dog behave strangely when you take him to the vet: barking, tremors, marking, slipping or being completely paralyzed. A study has tried to find out why dogs are afraid of the vet and these are the conclusions.
Dogs are afraid of the vet
If you have seen you’re hairy in one of the actions we mentioned, you should know that he is not the only one.
Fear of the vet is one of the most common phobias among dogs as a study from the University of Adelaide in Australia has shown.
This rating includes attitudes such as continuous can-for-hire or escape intentions.
This study was conducted in order to know more about how common this fear is in dogs, resulting in it being quite frequent.
Which dogs tend to be most afraid of the vet?
It was shown, after the investigation, that several factors influence this behavior. These are:
The most fearful dogs are the little ones, like the toy, as well as half-breeds and hounds. Regardless of race, those over 20 kilos showed less fear.
Dogs that lived with other furry ones showed less fear than those who live alone.
Those dogs that performed work or activities (such as police dogs or shepherds) were less afraid than those who were just pet dogs.
Finally, dogs adopted or purchased from pet stores were also more fearful than those born at their owners' homes.
Why are dogs afraid of the vet?
Although we have mentioned some physical condition (size), all this determines that the most obvious thing is that when asked 'why are the dogs afraid of the veterinarian', the answer is linked to the roles and experiences they live since they are puppies.
However, there are no other possible factors that could influence, such as the environment of the veterinary clinic; previous experiences lived in it or, in general, the relationship of the dog with strangers.
Surely, with the development of more research as it is, clearer data can be extracted to help our pirate feel safe when it comes to medical exploration.