Suddenly Scared of ... Everything (Long Post)

[BarbaraCT]

Hi everyone!

My Penny is going to be a year old next week (3/17) and in the last month or so she has gone from a sweet, outgoing, friendly, fearless bundle of joy to a bundle of nerves and growls - almost overnight.

There is literally not one thing that has changed about her routine, food or environment to cause such a change, she has even been to the vet twice and been given a clean bill of health both times. She gets 2 one-hour walks a day and plenty of playtime with my kids and me and loves her naps while I'm working from home. She does well in her obedience classes and is an angel in the house.

But....here are some of the problems we are having:

She goes everywhere with me and will eagerly jump into the car. But, as soon as she is settled in with her seatbelt, she starts shaking. At first I thought it was the cold, but no - she shakes even with her sweater on. It usually continues when we get wherever we are going too (i.e. PetSmart or the local coffee shop where dogs are welcome).

She doesn't want to explore the dog park anymore. She stays right behind me. She has never been there without me so I know that nothing has happened to her there with other dogs, she was always so happy to be there and play. Now she stays for a few minutes and runs to the gate to leave. Even when dogs she knows come up to her to play, she turns away towards me.

If anyone she doesn't know or know well tries to pet her, she cowers down and the more people use the "sing-song" voice to her, the lower she tries to get and she definitely will not take treats from them.

Last week, we were walking and a neighbor came up to us on his bike. I don't really know him and without warning he rode really close to her with the bicycle and reached down towards her (he had on a helmet, sunglasses and gloves) and Penny got low and then kind of lunged foward barking. She is usually very good on the leash so it surprised me how hard she can pull and I almost couldn't hold her back (she is 65 pounds) but I did.

Of course the guy got angry at ME and at Penny and said he was going to tell everyone on the block that my dog is "dangerous" and she isn't. If she knows you well, the only danger you are in is being licked to death.

The only place that she seems to be "herself" is at doggy daycare. I watch her on the webcam (2x a week, for 1/2 day each time) and she is her usual playful, happy go lucky, loving up all the people working there boxer self. I've talked to them extensively and they don't see a difference in her and there have been only 5 new dogs they have approved to come into the same play area as Penny in the last month and she gets along well with all of them.

Anyway, my question is, is there anything else I should be doing for her except to continue taking her places and meeting people even though she is scared? Do dogs go through another "fear" stage? My vet said it's possible, but she doesn't think so. I don't want to stress her out to the point where she may snap at someone (even though she never has) but I don't want to isolate her in the house either.

Thank you for reading and I'm sorry it's so long.

Barbara

 

[Althea]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure this is the time for her next fear period. So I'm not sure why the vet wouldn't have considered that. What was his/her explanation?

the guy on the bike is a nut. Don't give her behavior with him a second thought. Some moron gets close to my dog, on a BIKE, full gear, and reaches out to pet MY dog without so much as a by-your-leave? My dog better lunge for him. He needs to learn better pet manners.

I'm sure you'll get some other great ideas, but off the top my head, I think the 8-14 month period is when another bout of fear issues can crop up. Good luck.

 

[Althea]

Try a google search on the topic, but here's one of the better layouts on the puppy stages I found.

Developmental Stages

 

[BarbaraCT]

Thank you!

The vet's explanation was that her fear period was when she was much younger and because she was so well-socialized from early on, that she couldn't imagine why Penny would be afraid of anything.

Since Penny knows the vet and the office, she wasn't showing any signs of anything but chronic kidney-beaning and lick-itis!!

I'll defnitely do more Googling, thanks for the link.

 

[LILYLARUE]

Some vets feel that there is only one fear imprint stage and that's in puppyhood. Sigh.....if only more would learn about their clients breeds and be more specific to them instead of generalizing. Every patient is different.

Lily hit this stage at 11 mos.......hasn't outgrown it yet and she's now 3! This is because she was badly attacked by another dog and she hasn't been the same since. I am her wing girl. Without my direction she goes into fight or flight mode.

With thinking this is that fear stage, I would be more diligent in her training and your training in being calm and relaxed so the pup can rely on you. It can be a couple of months til she's out of it, so it's a short time to be 110% in it for her. She will need constant direction from you. How you react will teach her how she will react.

Get her out and about, but keep her leashed. Be calm and in control. When she looks to you for direction, smile and praise and keep going. If she starts to get nervous, don't praise, talk to or touch her. This will only reinforce her reaction. Just say, "it's ok" and keep moving. If she starts to shut down, like her hind goes to the ground or she starts excessively licking or drooling, then back off. Go back to the point she was comfortable and take a few moments. Again only praise her at this point when she is relaxed, laying down would be ideal. Then when you are ready, try the walk again, but only go a little bit then back off again. You can praise her if you go past the last point of anxiety. The idea is to desensetise her each little bit you gain without forcing her to endure the anxiety.

 

[Caney Creek]

I agree, probably just coming into her second "fear period." Caney did the same thing at around 11 months old, and it took her 6-8 months to get over that phase, but she did eventually. Just keep going about your normal routine, don't coddle her by telling her "it's okay", as that will translate to her as praise for acting fearful. And of course never punish her for acting fearful, and never force her to confront situations that she's not comfortable with because she could feel the need to react.

The guy on the bike is a wacko!! He OBVIOUSLY does not know a darned thing about dogs, approaching a dog he's never met before on a bike with all that gear on, and then calling the dog "dangerous" for not acting friendly towards him. That's ridiculous!!

 

[BarbaraCT]

Thank you for such great information. I have to re-train myself to remain calm. I do try but I get so amped up that she is going to react that I'm on edge with her.

We just came from the dog park and I stopped in because it was empty so I figured she could use a good run. We weren't there 5 minutes when a couple came with their Pug and of course came into the large dog side. I didn't want to "leash and run" but I should have because as soon as the people came in, they walked right to Penny and tried to pet her and she barked at them.

I would never and never do approach someone's dog - I always let the dog come to me but some people just don't get that and then get annoyed when barked at.

Of course, I got upset she was barking and I made it worse by grabbing her and going.

I really have to watch myself as much as I watch her and next time I'll know better and try to calmly get her leashed and leave.

Some vets feel that there is only one fear imprint stage and that's in puppyhood. Sigh.....if only more would learn about their clients breeds and be more specific to them instead of generalizing. Every patient is different.

 

[BarbaraCT]

The guy on the bike is a wacko!! He OBVIOUSLY does not know a darned thing about dogs, approaching a dog he's never met before on a bike with all that gear on, and then calling the dog "dangerous" for not acting friendly towards him. That's ridiculous!!

Thanks - I do have to be careful because I want to shush her and baby her and I know it's wrong, but sometimes I can't help it and I have to stop.

I'm so annoyed at Bike Guy and I know that he is telling people on the block that she's a mean and nasty dog since I have neighbors that like to "share". It's bad enough that there are one or two ignorant people who think she's a Pit - I don't need them calling Animal Control on her.

 

[Althea]

Introduce her to some neighbors and let her get to know some folks nearby. It will die down over time. Do you have anyone who has small children that she plays really well with? As the weather warms up, have them over and let them play on the front lawn together.

I do understand your fear. My roommate had a pitbull, and when people came to the house, they'd look at MY white boxer and ask if she was a pit!?!? Ugh!! But people don't know what pits look like...if they did, they'd probably be less afraid of them, as they are so adorable.

Good luck and hang in there. She'll soon be back to her old self. And if no one suggested it yet, maybe take her to some advanced training lessons (assuming she's already done the standard puppy training). It will strengthen your bond and maybe help with working her through her fear. Also, the more disciplined she is, the less problem you'll have in your neighborhood.

 

[BarbaraCT]

It's amazing how many people think every dog breed they aren't familiar with is a pit. Penny's trainer has 4 of them, she should bring them to my house and take a walk down my block so that people can tell the difference!

We are in group training and one-on-one (for recall training) and now that she's being a "tween" - she needs it more than ever so we will keep on keepin on!

Thanks for the advice.

Introduce her to some neighbors and let her get to know some folks nearby. It will die down over time. Do you have anyone who has small children that she plays really well with? As the weather warms up, have them over and let them play on the front lawn together.

I do understand your fear. My roommate had a pitbull, and when people came to the house, they'd look at MY white boxer and ask if she was a pit!?!? Ugh!! But people don't know what pits look like...if they did, they'd probably be less afraid of them, as they are so adorable.

Good luck and hang in there. She'll soon be back to her old self. And if no one suggested it yet, maybe take her to some advanced training lessons (assuming she's already done the standard puppy training). It will strengthen your bond and maybe help with working her through her fear. Also, the more disciplined she is, the less problem you'll have in your neighborhood.