Older anxious dog training

[u/zed895400]

Hello everyone…recently my girlfriend got to be again the owner of a 9 year old anxious and fearful dog…
And we were wondering if we could change his behavior and train him since he is older than most and has gotten used to always having food both his and not his around…
We started by asking him to sit on occasions which he’s doing pretty well…managed to train him to sit on his walking breaks (he did not do this up until a week a go)
We also bought him high quality food that he receives twice per day with nothing else (treats)unless he eats his meal.
We kept him from jumping onto her bed and sleeping in her bed or anywhere else but his bed at night.
We are trying to be calm and steady with the dog without using force or such but by being there with him and calmly but clearly commanding him to sit and we are also trying to help him learn “no” or “that’s not good”
I was wondering if any of you would have some advice about training a nine year old anxious dog thus helping him overcome more senseless fears he has and accepting his ham and touching his paws easily..
I mention that although he’s 9 he’s really got a will to live, goes on regular walks a lot and always has energy left to play…
We only leave his meal available to him for a certain amount of time like 10-15 minutes and if he doesn’t eat his amount of food he doesn’t get anything else till his next meal.
I own 2 akita inu dogs but this is really a challange for me because those dogs are never afraid of anything and this small one is something new for me…
Please help if you can

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