Scaredy Dog

[Gibson's Mommy]

So, I've had my Bulldog since he was 10 weeks old, and for as long as we have had him, he's been afraid of EVERYTHING! He's scared if I am holding my purse, an umbrella, anything that is of a larger size. He's scared if I open and close my DVD player, almost everything you can think of, he's scared of it. I thought that maybe he has bad eyesight and that is why he's afraid of things, but he's been checked out and the vet said he was fine. Does anyone know of any ways to break this scaredy cat behavior.

[Karen]

Have you ever watched The Dog Whisperer show? Cesar Millan has covered this several times.

How do you react when he is afraid of something?

How old is he now?

[Glacier]

What do you do when he acts frightened? The more reinforcement he gets, the stronger the behavior will be. I have several very timid dogs, some who where untouchable when I first got them. I have found it highly effective to completely ignore the behavior. They act scared; I act as I normally would.

I like Patricia McConnell's approach. Her booklet, The Cautious Canine, is full of great info for helping timid dogs. (available on dogwise.com)

If he's still a puppy, socializing him will be much easier. If he's an adult, be prepared for slow progress, but it can be done. One of the most timid dogs I've ever owned now likes to sleep snuggled up to.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Do you ignore him when his is scared or do you make a fuss of him? The latter will make him think that there is something to be scared of.

If you can ignore him when he is being scared and immediately praise or treat him when he stops it may make a difference

[Gibson's Mommy]

Well, we've always ignored this behavior, but at the same time, I would stop whatever is scaring him, or put it away. I'm always afraid that people are going to think that we beat our dog with things, and that is why he is scared of everything! He's not timid or scared of us by any means, he's very very loving towards us, but if I come home with a bag in my hand, his fur stands on end (like a cat), he puffs up, and he starts barking like crazy! I have tried rewarding him and it doesn't faze him one bit...I've even tried setting the item down on the ground to let him smell it and get use to it, and sometimes he gets use to it, but as soon as I pick it up again, he goes NUTS! It's the strangest behavior I've ever had to deal with...it doesn't cause a problem at home, but out in public, if someone approches him with something in their hands, he scares them...and nips at them. We can't take him into Pets Mart anymore because he was barking and nipping at people who were pushing carts! I want to expose him to the public more, but I don't know how I can with him scaring everyone...Do you think he may have some sort of anxiety or something else that would be causing this?

[Pawsitive Thinking]

He's learnt that if he makes a fuss the nasty thing will go away (which in his mind makes him think he was right to be scared). He has to relearn that if he makes a fuss nothing happens but if he doesn't make a fuss then he will get something nice.

This is going to take a considerable amount of time and patience on your behalf but as you seem to have his trust you will get there in the end.

Tobey does the same when we are out but I put him on a short lead, tell him that it is just a bag or whatever and keep walking. I sometimes make him sit and wait for whatever it is to go by and explain to the person that he might jump up - this deters them from coming over to say hello

[Gibson's Mommy]

Thanks so much for all of your help!! I will start practicing!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Good luck!

[Willow Oak]

My Clyde is afraid of "funders" and a whole lot more. I deny him nothing, so when he gets scared like that I just hold him and love him until that ol' bad thing that is scaring him goes away!