Can someone please help with my dog?

hethmar

I dont think you can take away that comfort in one go, it could make him even more anxious. You need to work with a behaviourist and build up his confidence over months.

supermezzo

Re: treats when you're out. Try using a the longer 'sticks' of treats, such as the bacon swizzle thingies, or meat strips, rather than the milk bones or smaller treats. Means he really has to work on eating it and will concentrate on that rather than being scared - strips of really cold carrot work well.

Just as an aside, has he been 'done'? Ours came on in leaps and bounds once his hormones had been dealt with (he was scared of traffic after some kind soul drove up the pavement and repeatedly revved their engine and beeped their horn behind him when he was about 3 months old - apparently they thought it was a good thing to do because he needed to learn not to be scared of things :eek::rolleyes:). It took us many weeks of reversing the fright they'd subjected him to and of getting him excited (again) about going out by putting his collar on and giving him a treat, lead on, treat, getting to the gate, treat...you get the gist. Then we simply stood for several times a day nearer and nearer the top of our main road with a really tasty treat, then moved onto the main pavement then onto even busier roads.

He's now in harness training at GDBA and coming on a treat and get this, is apparently the first one at the gate asking and desperate to get his lead on and go out, so I guess it worked!

If he hasn't been done, well I'd say chat to your vet but I'd do that once you've changed vet tbh. Which area are you in - maybe someone here can point you in the right direction of one near you?

I think the key to all this is routine (and getting his skin sorted but I wonder if that is a reaction in part to his stress levels?) which will give the dog a lot of reassurance - If he already has one, try keeping a diary of when he seems most stressed and what triggered it.

hethmar

Stress can definitely cause some skin probs. Our little border terrier came to us with bald patches all over him - I know he has a bit of an allergy - but Im sure a lot of it was due to being thrown out, wandering round a city centre scrounging, being put in a big noisy dog pound, moved again to another one and then to a rescue then home to us - a month of that. Imagine how scarey that must be for a poor little soul.

Good luck with your doggie - Im sure a lot of effort on your part could make both your lives much happier.