[Mel]

Hi all 

I have a yellow labrador-"BunBun" whom was given to me around 18 months ago,she is better than she was,however,she is still so incredibly nervous.As I understand she was badly treated beforehand and obviously it has taken it's toll on her.

She is terrified of my Geese,worried about the chickens-except two or three,jumps out of her skin at any fast movement inside the house,we cannot swat flies as she sits and trembles uncontrollably,terrible road sense and would run into the path of any vehicle-so I have to drive 5 miles away to walk her in a huge park.

If I was to raise my voice at anyone-even say if on the phone,she shall again tremble,so I have to mind myself and tiptoe around for her sake.It breaks my heart to see her trembling like this,I always assure her and cuddle her saying I would never harm her.she has had the odd accident in the house and I am not the type like someone I know whom punishes her dogs and waves a rolled up newspaper sellotaped together at them! -She also has one of those electric shock collars-and we were friends for 16 years until she bought that!
I would never scream at Bunbun-(Honey),I know she loves me so much,everyone can see she is Mummy's girl,she is very nervous around Men,However,she is now used to Chris and is a lot better than she used to be.

Oddly enough,she was given to me by a local gamekeeper whom told me how he came by her,however,every time they turn up-his wife and him,Bunny races to the paddock and hides...mmmm,makes you wonder what really happened to her.

Anyway,any advice would be appreciated,I do not feel she is living life to the full due to her fear and would do anything to have her completely relaxed All of the time-and not just when she is close to me-she has slept with me since she came and will not go to bed without me!

[doganjo]

First things first - your reaction may be making it worse.  I have a nervous dog too - he is scared of other dogs, but absolutely 100% with people.

I was told to IGNORE any negative behaviour and PRAISE even the smallest slight positive behaviour.

I was also told to take him off any foods that are high in E numbers, additives and colourants.  And a long time ago an old breeder told me to get bakers yeast for a nervous spaniel I had then.  I haven't tried it this time as I don't know where to get it.  It came in a cube and was like a sort of putty, she was given a knob of butter sized bit every day.  I managed to get her from being a total wreck to performing and winning well in the show ring, where it is noisy, there are loads of people and loads of dogs - so it must have worked. There are various herbal products as well but I must admit I'm not 100% convinced about them.
Hope that helps?

[HappyHippy]

I'd suggest trying reiki too 
I've been working with the dog's trust, giving reiki to some of their long term residents (dogs who aren't coping with kennel life & are incredibly scared/stresses) and the staff are all noticing a difference in the dogs' behaviour.
I know it's kinda hocus pocus sounding, but it is worth condidering.
I can have a go at 'sending' some to him if you want ? You'll need to email me a photo of him (kkjmckay@aol.com) and tell me his name, age and location (town or villiage, don't need house number or postcode lol!)
Karen 

[kaz]

Is bakers yeast the same as active yeast as that can be purchased at a supermarket.

[Mel]

First things first - your reaction may be making it worse.  I have a nervous dog too - he is scared of other dogs, but absolutely 100% with people.

I was told to IGNORE any negative behaviour and PRAISE even the smallest slight positive behaviour.

I was also told to take him off any foods that are high in E numbers, additives and colourants.  And a long time ago an old breeder told me to get bakers yeast for a nervous spaniel I had then.  I haven't tried it this time as I don't know where to get it.  It came in a cube and was like a sort of putty, she was given a knob of butter sized bit every day.  I managed to get her from being a total wreck to performing and winning well in the show ring, where it is noisy, there are loads of people and loads of dogs - so it must have worked. There are various herbal products as well but I must admit I'm not 100% convinced about them.
Hope that helps?

Hi Doganjo,
I'm not sure what you mean by my reactions are making her worse? I don't tell her off,I am always giving her praise,even when she eats all of her dinner.When she has had an accident in the house,I Have to calm her down because she already knows or acts like she has done something wrong.example.I woke up and she was hiding with her head behind the sofa-shaking uncontrollably,I already knew something was up,found a poop next to the back door,if I do not"pacify" her,she would shake for hours,I have to hug her and tell her it is ok!-it is almost like she is expecting to receive a beating or something horrid!

[Mel]

Thought I would add,she tends to squint her face up a little when she feels is unsure.
Pic below in the paddock last weekend.Though she is quite relaxed here!

[little blue]

bless her, sounds alot like our dog when we got her.

the thing with "accidents" is really to ignore them totally - I mean, ignore the dog while you clear it up .... then change the activity to something the dog can be praised for.
giving her any attention can reinforce the behaviour, including the shaking etc.  she needs distracting then praising.

what do you feed her?

give her a hug from me!

[Sudanpan]

It's very difficult, but if you cuddle her when she is trembling then you are reinforcing that behaviour..... have you ever seen any of the Cesar Dog Whisperer shows? - some interesting stuff in them on dog behaviour
Good luck
Tish 

[YorkshireLass]

Not to ruffle feathers, but I find Mr Milan to be a vicious bully. And that's putting it mildly.

Have a look at www.dogpages.org.uk , they have a section on the forum for behaviour.

I know it sounds harsh, but the "reassuring" is reinforcing the scared behaviour. Almost as if.... you're telling her that she's right to cower and hide?
Have you heard of DAP diffuser/spray? It's a copy of the pheromone that bitches secrete when suckling pups. The pheromone pomotes a feeling of relaxation and security. I've used this with success when moving house and getting my collie used to a different vehicle/crate. It could be useful to take the edge of the panic and allow you to train?

My collie is a timid wee soul - nothing like as scarred as yours - but I find a general calm approach, ignoring her completely while I fix mistakes, and giving her room to go and hide if she feels the need (e.g. if "big scary men" are nearby) are good.

Will she just sit with you on the floor? Watching TV or something? Stroking my dog's head quite firmly, from almost the nose tip up between the eyes, seems to be almost hypnotic for her - not sure if that's an individual thing though!

Another side note - when I feed raw, she is generally more laid back when needed and "sharper" when needed. On dog biscuits - even wheat free etc - she is more hyper-but-distracted.

Good luck! 

[Mel]

I have not heard of the spray but shall investigate tomorrow-Thank you for that.I understand what you are saying regards telling her it is ok to run for cover,I shall try this and see if it helps.My only problem is she is 8 years of age,I do not know if this is too late to teach her otherwise.

What do you all do regards Thunder and lightning?I would say she is at her worst then,almost convulsing with fear!Same if a tractor or combine goes by the house!

Yes she is happy on the floor,we do not have a telly! Though she does like calm music.She has been laying down in the paddock over the last weekend-which I was surprised at as she does not like it all that much due to the Geese etc.

[Old Shep]

In addition to what Doganjo and others advise, I would get the book Calming signals by Turid Ruugaas and it will really help.  Dogs calm each other down by yawning, turning sideways etc and you can do it too - teaching your dog to stay calm using their own language.  I used the techiniques along with other stuff to help my dog reactive dog - we can often be seen yawning at each other !  It really works and is fascinating especially if you have more than one dog and you can see them "talking" to each other. 

You could try a thunder shirt for noise phobia but they are a bit expensive and don;t work for every dog.  Best if you could borrow one first.  You can get cd's with firework and thunder sounds so you could do some positive associations with the sounds - starting with very very low volumes.

Sounds as if she didn't have the best start in life but is lucky to have you now because you sound as if you will do your utmost to help her.  Well done.

[SallyintNorth]

I wholeheartedly agree with what everyone says about completely ignoring her fearful behaviours and finding her something else to think about.

I also think that the dogs in Mr Milan's shows look as though they've been brutalised between shots.  Maybe his 'positive energy' is delivered in watts?

Re: thunder and lightening, and fireworks too, I've never found any behavioural ways to calm some dogs (until they get older and start to go deaf!)  We used to get ACP from the vet, which sedated them to the point of not minding - ok for 5th November once a year, but not very practical for all thunderstorms.  Some people say Rescue Remedy works - I haven't tried it on dogs myself.

[Tilly]

..... bless
you have got a big task on your hands leghorn, My only suggestion is you need to be Pack leader and be confident and positive for her when she is scared, so not to show you are upset if she gets worried by any situation.
good luck
Tilly

[Oddbod]

Hi, I remember seeing some one with an X gun dog that was the same or similar, then I remembered a dog I used to own years ago, we could never shout around her as she would run off and  hide, we never hit her or had any reason to punish her in any way as she was as good as gold, no accidents but the odd wee when she was small. My point being, it does sound like she has had a bad start but sometimes, like some people, dogs can be more anxiouse than others, although our old Lab did not stress at gun shot or thunder etc, just humans shouting!!! I suggest you just keep things as calm as possibe and keep talking very gently to her and letting her sit by your feet, with a gentle stroke of her ears as they find that calming too, maybe she would feel better in a crate covered over with a warm comfy blanket in!!! I do not post on here much as I just like to read but, just felt I needed to add my experience, you are doing a grand job!

[Penninehillbilly]

Gosh Leghorn, and I thought I had problems with my new girl!
I too have been worried about Nov 5th, I remember a lab x collie my parents had, she would crawl behind an armchair in the corner, or under the television somehow, looking back, and reading current advice, I realise we probably reinforced the behaviour, thinking we were reassuring her, but maybe putting it into her head that there WAS something to be scared of, because we seemed to be worried too!
I'm planning on putting lights and music on and closing the curtains, we are lucky, we generally only get the local town and the local pub (so 2 nights of fireworks), but I realise some places can go on for a week or so.
I can't give better advice than you've already had, I do find being fairly casual seems to be relaxing my girl, so good luck with your boy.

BTW - whats a 'thundershirt'?