3 Reasons Why Your Dog is Afraid of Water Bottles

Has your dog developed a fear of water bottles or plastic bottles? Does he run away as soon as you start approaching him with a water bottle at hand? Here are a few common reasons that may explain your dog’s reaction.

1. Scared of the Bottle Sound

Your dog might be scared of the noise that plastic bottles make instead of the object itself. This could be the sound such as when the bottle “crunches” or when you are unscrewing the bottle cap. Your dog might have had a bad experience previously with a similar-sounding noise and that’s what is making him afraid of the water bottle.

Some water bottles may even make a faint hissing sound not long after they are opened and your dog could be scared of that specific noise. Ths could happen when pressures builds up inside the water due to the differences in the water and room temperature.

2. Bad Experiences with Water Bottles

Dogs might also be afraid of the water bottle because they had previous experiences where they might have been conditioned to think that a water bottle is associated with something negative. For example, a rescue dog might have previously come from a bad environment where plastic bottles might have been thrown at them. The dog could be associating the bottle with something they find scary.

3. Your Dog is Just Being Silly

Some dogs just exhibit behaviors that goes beyond logical explanation. Your dog might just be acting silly over a harmless object. That said, letting your dog continue to be afraid of a water bottle is not something you would want to encourage as it may lead to accidents later on, especially if the water bottle is being held by someone other than yourself. Through positive reinforcement, you may need to decondition your dog to not be afraid of the water bottle.