Surprise Versus Fear

Yes, both of them are emotions.

Yes, both of them are hence spontaneous and short.

Yes, both of them bring about hence physiological reactions.

But no ! They are not alike.

Too often I keep noticing they are mixed up.

A startle, a scream, and at once one thinks Fear. The poor one is blamed for many reactions that should not be attributed to it.

😳 Surprise

It gets the body ready for what comes after an unexpected event. The following reactions are linked to the experiences. In itself, it has nothing but a  subjective neutral value.

Several reactions can then be seen : startling, opening the eyes wide, screaming.

The following reactions depend on the emotion that comes after the surprise (if there is an emotion) : joy, fear, anger, relief, etc.

😱 Fear

It leads to get protected from a real and immediate danger, to get sheltered from it. The following reactions aim at getting the danger away. It is considered as having a subjective negative value (even though its lack in some contexts is risky ; for instance, you overlook the hazard of putting your hand in bushes despite the acknowledged presence of a rattlesnake).

Fear appears as soon as an element is identified as dangerous. That can be after being surprised, or not.

Several reactions are then possible :

✦ flee : your dog runs off to the opposite direction ; you turn your back on what frightens you and walk away

✦ freeze : your dog becomes a statue, at times it seems to be looking into oblivion, straight in front of him ; you are paralyzed and wait for the danger to end thinking it is the least bad strategy

✦ fight back : your dog barks, growls, shows his teeth, shows himself bigger to scare away, is ready to attack ; you push the person away so that she goes further

✦ pretend to : your dog seems to be sniffing but the significant sound cannot be heard ; you stop and act like you are window-shopping while you are interested in nothing in there apart from letting a person pass you.

Experience

Lately, I was walking one of my students in the forest. It was evening. I was lost in thought. As long as T. doesn't have to get into a car or be brushed, she is extremely "easy". So I let it go, all the same vigilance I have with other dogs. We were alone on a path. We had only seen birds so far. T. was busy sniffing around. I was taking advantage of this moment to prepare my brain for what was coming next: going to bed… when I heard a gallop behind me! I screamed!! I turned around… and saw a dog with a pretty friendly body language who was very eager to interact with T.; her owner was much further away.

What emotion took hold of me ?

Surprise !

I was not expecting it and my next reaction was an adaptation to my experiences as a canine behavior consultant: my brain started analyzing the situation and its different parameters (I admit to also thinking that luckily it was T. with me and not another dog).

You will see me react exactly the same way when a insect (whatever it is) suddenly flies by me really fast.

The issue is I will and/or would be labeled fearful by a lot then.

Fear would have led me to walk away, or to push the other dog away, or to remain still until the other dog has left. But I didn't feel the need to take shelter or protect myself.

Why distinguish surprise and fear ?

To my mind, being able to tell the two emotions apart allows you to guide your dog towards appropriate behavioral modification work.

If he is surprised and then indifferent, or cheerful, and shakes it off as soon as the effect of surprise has passed, I will consider that I have little to do, or even that I do not need to intervene.

If he is surprised and tense, if he doesn't release his feelings and remains focused on the source of the surprise, or stays on high alert, I will analyze what surprised him (a sound, a gesture) and associate it with something pleasant so that the emotion following his surprise becomes one with a subjective positive or neutral value. I may also guide him through relaxation exercises and help him better regulate some of his emotions.

If the context brings no surprises and he is indifferent or joyful, I would just think "Let him make the most of it!".

If the context brings no surprises and he is afraid of some elements, it will be a priority for me to identify these elements, the degree of fear he shows, the strategy he uses, in order to then consider how to best guide him and to evaluate the most reasonable objectives possible.

➢ Reminder :

Surprise is an emotion in response to the unexpected.

Fear in an emotion in response to a danger.