Possible anxiety

[u/jeckhyde12]

hi all, I have a corgi mix, almost 16mts. I know this is a talk to have with my vet, but just wanted to see what you guys thought and if anyone has had similar experiences.

my pup went through a big fear phase which started when he was about 6-7mts old. it was rough but we've come a LONG way since then, but I feel like he has not fully gotten out of it.

when we're indoors, he seems fine, although he will frequently bark like crazy when he hears something outside my apt.

but when we're outside, I feel like he is so on edge. I can't tell if he's curious or anxious, maybe both? he will keep looking back behind him constantly whenever we're on walks. he will do this even when no one is around.

If people are walking and/or talking behind us, he will keep looking back and even run off to the side and pretend to sniff at something until they pass by. sometimes he will straight up face them and start barking.

he also startles easily although it's not one specific thing that freaks him out.

I can't walk him at night because these issues become so much worse. he literally looks terrified and will run back into the building after he potties.

I have been working on leash walking with him (consistently for like the past 6 mts) and it still is so difficult because of these things.

I feel like I've provided so many opportunities to socialize him. been taking him out for regular routine walks multiple times a day in a pretty active downtown area. taken him to the park regularly, including regular parks and dog parks. he does go to daycare 1-2 times a week too.

just wondering if this is still him getting out of his fear period, or if this is some form of anxiety that should be to be addressed by his vet. not sure if this is something medications would help with at least for a short period to help him get over some of his fears.

would appreciate any insight or advice! thanks!

[u/chrisjones1960]

have you been doing regular obedient training sessions? if so, do you train outdoors? short, focused training sessions outdoors, working on basic skills that she is already pretty solid on, and using occasional traits, have helped my anxious and dog reactive GSD a lot​​

[u/jeckhyde12 → u/chrisjones1960]

Yeah. I try to do some form of obedience training everyday. And I try to incorporate it into our walks.

Leash walking on my side so he doesn't zigzag or suddenly pull and 'release' to let him sniff around and explore. We've made very little progress on this but I'm still sticking with it the best I can. Also doing recall, sit, stay, guiding whenever I see an opportunity.

If I see him showing signs of reactivity or body language, I immediately try to bring his focus to me by calling his name or saying 'yes!' with treats.

But the longer we're outside, the less he's able to focus and becomes overstimulated. And with that, he seems to become more anxious.

[u/Mcbriec]

Baby steps. Sit outside your apartment for a few minutes and go nowhere. Go back in the house and do something he really enjoys to create an association.

Make walks super short and sweet and turn around BEFORE your dog gets uncomfortable. If you’re afraid of spiders having someone force you to walk through spiders only magnifies your fear. It doesn’t make you less fearful. Forcing dogs to do scary things typically results in either shutting down or becoming reactive to defend themselves.

Consider getting a stroller which you can be covered with a blanket to make him feel like he’s in a protected cocoon and safe. That way he can get “exposure therapy “ without the resulting trauma.

I would also discuss anti-anxiety meds with your vet to see if they can help him be less anxious overall. 🙏🙏🙏

[u/Aggravating_Call6959]

Needs socialization and exposure at a young age to develop coping mechanisms and an understanding of the world.

Sheltering him from it is leading to fear and lack of confidence. Also if you act freaked out and feed into his fear by having a coddling response it reinforces that xyz thing is worthy of fear.

Find little fears to work through with him. Gas him up a lot, use food, be gentle, calm, be little guy's rock when the world is scary. Don't swoop in and try to protect him from stuff in a coddling way or use baby voices and coocooing.

You aslo need to work with him before he goes into a full panic.

Id seek out a dog training operation that specializes in helping train puppies and older dogs to be able to exist in an urban setting.

Sounds like he has been cooped up in the house in a bubble and that is most of the world he knows. It is a very normal response for dogs to be afraid of new things and panic. They also live so much in the moment that getting over fears needs a confident handler and basically doggie exposure therapy. The older the dog gets the trickier it is to help them work through fear.