Pet Anxiety and Fears.. how to treat or what to do? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

celstu1 · 07-17-2008, 07:57 AM

Well I gotta be serious for a bit here.

I'm having some issues with my Fletcher. He is almost 3 years old. He is afraid of EVERYTHING. Its heartbreaking! I slap at a mosquito he goes running to hide himself either on someone else or his bed. I NEVER hit him, no clue why he is afraid of me slapping myself. I'll have a cup of coffee and he's afraid of the mug, or a bowl of cereal and hes afraid of the bowl. He's soo petrified of my dishwasher Ive resorted to running it only once a week IF THAT, because it breaks my heart to see him SHIVERING so hard in a corner. (but at anyone else's house he does even notice the dishwasher is running) He's afraid of running water also, so its getting hard to wash my dishes! (haha) He's started barking at airplanes, motorcycles and kids on bikes. When a kid or person runs by him and startles him he goes ballistic. He is afriad of trashbags when I need to put a new one in the barrel. There are a million more things hes petrified of. The vaccuum, the AC compressor outside, the lawnmower are a few more.

On top of this fear he has, he has anxiety or OCD. He gets fixated on something or sees something and never forgets it. he saw a cat in BFs yard last week, it took off so fast and for HOURS Fletch kept going back to where it was and where it went sniffing and whining. I know that this weekend when I let him out at BFs house he'll go straight to where the cat was FIRST thing, he does not forget anything! He obsesses about things actually. He will bring you a toy, and you can only play with him with THAT toy. No other toy will do.

He used to lay with me at night on the couch to snuggle before we went to bed, but lately he's been laying all by himself in his bed in the kitchen. Whether BF is there or not he won't come over. If I call him over he just stares at me. If he gets up to check out something and I call him over he goes right back to his bed. If I go get him and bring him back to the couch with me, he won't stay with me, he fights me and then when I let him go he goes right back to his bed. Once we go to bed though hes my loving little boy again, plenty of kisses and snuggles. Just not on the couch like he used to be. This is just in the last 2 weeks.

I know I need to take control of my dogs and be the pack leader. I want to start really buckling down with training but Im afriad that his mentality is fragile right now. I don't want to put more things for him to be afraid of in his life right now.

BF and I joke about how he's such a wimp, but in all honesty Im genuinely upset at how nervous he is. I don't want him to get neurotic and out of his mind!

Ive tried holding him in front of the running dishwasher and talkign to him, touching it, making him touch it.... doesn't help. Ive tried holding a cup or bowl against him so he sees it won't hurt him, doesn't help. Ive exposed him to these things in hopes that he'll realize they won't hurt him, but nothing has helped.

Any other ideas at this point. My poor baby is going to have poor qualitity of life if he stays sooo afraid of everything!

yorkieusa · 07-17-2008, 08:09 AM

The only suggestion I can make is that he needs constant reassurance that something won't hurt him. Don't let him go and hide if he is scared of something. Pat him on the head and tell him, "It's all right." He should eventually not be such a scared little boy. Use the same wording every time and he will eventually understand. Just be nonchalant and go about what you are doing. Maybe this will help some. I hope.

pookiebear · 07-17-2008, 08:10 AM

Gosh...where do you start. This is definitely over my head. Just want to tell you I feel your pain. Soooo sorry for the little freaked out Fletcher. Hopefully he'll come out of this soon.

chachi · 07-17-2008, 08:15 AM

I have one that is afraid of noises. Shes not afraid of normal household stuff except for the sweeper though. I dont shield her from noises. They are doing work on our gas lines outside and I took her outside and petted her and told her it was okay. When I get ready to vaccuum I pet her and tell her what I am going to do. The same thing when people are letting off fireworks.

mscat · 07-17-2008, 08:16 AM

Goodness , I feel bad for Fletcher, and his family. Has he always been like that? He is 3 yrs old, and could be set on his ways . But, a behaviorist might be able to ease his fears. Yes, I think he may benifit from professional intervention.
Perhaps there is someone on YT that can guide you or suggest a good behaviorist in your area.

Nancy1999 · 07-17-2008, 08:27 AM

I think you may need more help than most of us can give, I do know that you are never to baby them when they act anxious, this just reinforces their feelings of fear. Since this goes against our natural way of behaving it takes some real effort on your part to overcome this, and the OCD definitely complicates matters. We do have a member, who is a behavioral training specialist, and she offers specialized training for your pets, her YT member name is scootiebootie, and this is her profile page. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/mem...tiebootie.html
Desensitivity training can be very helpful, but it does require specific steps in order to be effective.

ckuz13 · 07-17-2008, 09:25 AM

There was an episode on The dog Whisper about a yorkie that had the same issues. One thing led to another, first she could not vaccum,next it was her iron board, etc..Cesar seemed to help her..so it can be treated..good luck.

celstu1 · 07-17-2008, 10:58 AM

Thank you all. I will talk to scootiebootie. I have noticed some very positive posts from her on training ... that must be why!

Thank you again nancy for the advice.

Yeah he's always been a fearful pup, he's just getting worse. Its like he has anxiety to everything basically and Im afraid of his quality of life. I hate to see him so fearful but you know I do baby him. He just shakes sooo hard and it breaks my heart.

Nancy1999 · 07-17-2008, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by celstu1

Thank you all. I will talk to scootiebootie. I have noticed some very positive posts from her on training ... that must be why!

Thank you again nancy for the advice.

Yeah he's always been a fearful pup, he's just getting worse. Its like he has anxiety to everything basically and Im afraid of his quality of life. I hate to see him so fearful but you know I do baby him. He just shakes sooo hard and it breaks my heart.

I am so glad you're going to try and help him, it probably won't be easy, but when you are clear in your mind the steps that you need to take to overcome these sorts of problems, it really can make a huge difference. First it has to "click" in your brain, and then you can teach it to him.

celstu1 · 07-17-2008, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

I am so glad you're going to try and help him, it probably won't be easy, but when you are clear in your mind the steps that you need to take to overcome these sorts of problems, it really can make a huge difference. First it has to "click" in your brain, and then you can teach it to him.

Oh yes, I definately want to help him. It really breaks my heart. When I slap a mosquito and he won't come near me for hours because hes afraid of me, well... that makes me want to cry. Its not a laughing matter or a joke anymore, but something to take seriously. I don't want to a bundle of nervous energy who is too afaid to live! I love him to pieces and want him to enjoy life!

bren4bears · 07-17-2008, 02:24 PM

I so feel your pain. I have a one year old little girl that is a lot like your little guy. She isn't afraid of inside noises (except vacuum cleaner) , but , is terrified of all outside noises. She is terrified to the point that she WILL NOT go outside. She will go outside after dark , but , only goes outside the door and just sits there. If while out there she hears a car , dog , train, etc. BLOCKS away she immediately starts jumping on the door wanting to go in. I have a fenced in backyard , so , it is not like something or somebody has scared or threatened her. And I am ALWAYS outside with her if she will go out. I have a three year old poodle (both of my dogs have been fixed) that will go out anytime I open the door for them. She follows him everywhere except outside. If anyone comes in the house whether she has seen them before or not she is IMMEDIATELY gone. Never to be seen again until it is just us here again. She wasn't like this when I first got her at 14 weeks. She was very well socialized with kids , adults and the outdoors. But , for the last several months she has been this way.
This is why I say I DO feel your pain. Hopefully we will both find answers to this problem.

ScootieBootie · 07-18-2008, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkieusa

The only suggestion I can make is that he needs constant reassurance that something won't hurt him. Don't let him go and hide if he is scared of something. Pat him on the head and tell him, "It's all right." He should eventually not be such a scared little boy. Use the same wording every time and he will eventually understand. Just be nonchalant and go about what you are doing. Maybe this will help some. I hope.

Constant reassurance will only make it worse. The worse thing you can do is to stroke him, talk to him, or try to console him when he displays these behaviors.

If you have been babying him or trying to make him "feel better" about something he is afraid of, it may very well be the reason why his fear is getting worse and encompasses so many things.

I just pm'd you back, so let me know what you want to do.

yorkieusa · 07-18-2008, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScootieBootie

Constant reassurance will only make it worse. The worse thing you can do is to stroke him, talk to him, or try to console him when he displays these behaviors.

If you have been babying him or trying to make him "feel better" about something he is afraid of, it may very well be the reason why his fear is getting worse and encompasses so many things.

I just pm'd you back, so let me know what you want to do.

By constant reassurance, this is what I said and what I meant:

Pat him on the head and tell him, "It's all right." He should eventually not be such a scared little boy. Use the same wording every time and he will eventually understand. Just be nonchalant and go about what you are doing. Maybe this will help some. I hope.

LAD · 07-18-2008, 12:20 PM

I have the same problem with Star. She is 2 years old and I brought her to the city from the country breeder at 6 months old. Also, she seems to have gotten more fearful over time.
She is afraid of the traffic noise and we live in NYC!
I don't know what to do?

charmed239 · 07-18-2008, 05:25 PM

I agree with the others that have said..you NEVER NEVER want to give them affection when they are acting fearfull! they will think you are rewarding them for acting afraid if you do...I have a yorkie babie that was not socialized at all and was scared to death of humans when we got him..and I never pet him and say "its ok" when he is acting scared..I have found that Riley loves cheese..so I will sit by someone that he will not go to on his own and i have them hold out the piece of cheese and if he approaches them WITHOUT acting afraid than i let him have the cheese and pet him and tell him good boy..this seems to be working wonders so far..he is much less afraid of people now..mabey you can try something like that with yours. but the key is you yourself can not be nervous,,or he he will sence that too..if you expect him to be scared he may be picking up on that..try to visulize the out come that you desire when you are working with him..if you stay calm and dont say much to him while you have him in ffront of what scares him he may pick up on your energy and calm down as well and if he does THEN pet him and tell him what a good job he has done..hope this helps

07-17-2008, 07:57 AM	#1
celstu1 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 10,534	Pet Anxiety and Fears.. how to treat or what to do? Well I gotta be serious for a bit here. I'm having some issues with my Fletcher. He is almost 3 years old. He is afraid of EVERYTHING. Its heartbreaking! I slap at a mosquito he goes running to hide himself either on someone else or his bed. I NEVER hit him, no clue why he is afraid of me slapping myself. I'll have a cup of coffee and he's afraid of the mug, or a bowl of cereal and hes afraid of the bowl. He's soo petrified of my dishwasher Ive resorted to running it only once a week IF THAT, because it breaks my heart to see him SHIVERING so hard in a corner. (but at anyone else's house he does even notice the dishwasher is running) He's afraid of running water also, so its getting hard to wash my dishes! (haha) He's started barking at airplanes, motorcycles and kids on bikes. When a kid or person runs by him and startles him he goes ballistic. He is afriad of trashbags when I need to put a new one in the barrel. There are a million more things hes petrified of. The vaccuum, the AC compressor outside, the lawnmower are a few more. On top of this fear he has, he has anxiety or OCD. He gets fixated on something or sees something and never forgets it. he saw a cat in BFs yard last week, it took off so fast and for HOURS Fletch kept going back to where it was and where it went sniffing and whining. I know that this weekend when I let him out at BFs house he'll go straight to where the cat was FIRST thing, he does not forget anything! He obsesses about things actually. He will bring you a toy, and you can only play with him with THAT toy. No other toy will do. He used to lay with me at night on the couch to snuggle before we went to bed, but lately he's been laying all by himself in his bed in the kitchen. Whether BF is there or not he won't come over. If I call him over he just stares at me. If he gets up to check out something and I call him over he goes right back to his bed. If I go get him and bring him back to the couch with me, he won't stay with me, he fights me and then when I let him go he goes right back to his bed. Once we go to bed though hes my loving little boy again, plenty of kisses and snuggles. Just not on the couch like he used to be. This is just in the last 2 weeks. I know I need to take control of my dogs and be the pack leader. I want to start really buckling down with training but Im afriad that his mentality is fragile right now. I don't want to put more things for him to be afraid of in his life right now. BF and I joke about how he's such a wimp, but in all honesty Im genuinely upset at how nervous he is. I don't want him to get neurotic and out of his mind! Ive tried holding him in front of the running dishwasher and talkign to him, touching it, making him touch it.... doesn't help. Ive tried holding a cup or bowl against him so he sees it won't hurt him, doesn't help. Ive exposed him to these things in hopes that he'll realize they won't hurt him, but nothing has helped. Any other ideas at this point. My poor baby is going to have poor qualitity of life if he stays sooo afraid of everything! __________________ “Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer.” ― Dean Koontz

07-17-2008, 08:09 AM	#2
yorkieusa Crazy about Kacee! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 21,173	The only suggestion I can make is that he needs constant reassurance that something won't hurt him. Don't let him go and hide if he is scared of something. Pat him on the head and tell him, "It's all right." He should eventually not be such a scared little boy. Use the same wording every time and he will eventually understand. Just be nonchalant and go about what you are doing. Maybe this will help some. I hope. __________________ Karen Kacee Muffin 1991-2005 Rest in Peace My Little Angel

07-17-2008, 08:10 AM	#3
pookiebear Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Brunswick, Georgia. On the beach! Posts: 1,016	Gosh...where do you start. This is definitely over my head. Just want to tell you I feel your pain. Soooo sorry for the little freaked out Fletcher. Hopefully he'll come out of this soon. __________________ Bernie, Baxter, Bella and Blazer

07-17-2008, 08:15 AM	#4
chachi I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 37,147	I have one that is afraid of noises. Shes not afraid of normal household stuff except for the sweeper though. I dont shield her from noises. They are doing work on our gas lines outside and I took her outside and petted her and told her it was okay. When I get ready to vaccuum I pet her and tell her what I am going to do. The same thing when people are letting off fireworks. __________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431 Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427

07-17-2008, 08:16 AM	#5
mscat YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hanford, CA Posts: 4,895	Goodness , I feel bad for Fletcher, and his family. Has he always been like that? He is 3 yrs old, and could be set on his ways . But, a behaviorist might be able to ease his fears. Yes, I think he may benifit from professional intervention. Perhaps there is someone on YT that can guide you or suggest a good behaviorist in your area. __________________ "No matter how little money & how few possessions, you own, having a dog makes you rich."

07-17-2008, 08:27 AM	#6
Nancy1999 I ♥ Joey & Ralphie! Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Arizona Posts: 25,396 Blog Entries: 2	I think you may need more help than most of us can give, I do know that you are never to baby them when they act anxious, this just reinforces their feelings of fear. Since this goes against our natural way of behaving it takes some real effort on your part to overcome this, and the OCD definitely complicates matters. We do have a member, who is a behavioral training specialist, and she offers specialized training for your pets, her YT member name is scootiebootie, and this is her profile page. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/mem...tiebootie.html Desensitivity training can be very helpful, but it does require specific steps in order to be effective. __________________ NancyJoey Proud members of the CrAzYcLuB and YAP! ** Just Say No to Puppymills – Join YAP! Yorkshire Terrier Club of America – Breeder Referrals Last edited by Nancy1999; 07-17-2008 at 08:28 AM.

07-17-2008, 09:25 AM	#7
ckuz13 YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Sunny Arizona Posts: 351	There was an episode on The dog Whisper about a yorkie that had the same issues. One thing led to another, first she could not vaccum,next it was her iron board, etc..Cesar seemed to help her..so it can be treated..good luck.

07-17-2008, 10:58 AM	#8
celstu1 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 10,534	Thank you all. I will talk to scootiebootie. I have noticed some very positive posts from her on training ... that must be why! Thank you again nancy for the advice. Yeah he's always been a fearful pup, he's just getting worse. Its like he has anxiety to everything basically and Im afraid of his quality of life. I hate to see him so fearful but you know I do baby him. He just shakes sooo hard and it breaks my heart. __________________ “Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer.” ― Dean Koontz

07-17-2008, 02:24 PM	#11
bren4bears Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2007 Location: Indiana Posts: 247	I so feel your pain. I have a one year old little girl that is a lot like your little guy. She isn't afraid of inside noises (except vacuum cleaner) , but , is terrified of all outside noises. She is terrified to the point that she WILL NOT go outside. She will go outside after dark , but , only goes outside the door and just sits there. If while out there she hears a car , dog , train, etc. BLOCKS away she immediately starts jumping on the door wanting to go in. I have a fenced in backyard , so , it is not like something or somebody has scared or threatened her. And I am ALWAYS outside with her if she will go out. I have a three year old poodle (both of my dogs have been fixed) that will go out anytime I open the door for them. She follows him everywhere except outside. If anyone comes in the house whether she has seen them before or not she is IMMEDIATELY gone. Never to be seen again until it is just us here again. She wasn't like this when I first got her at 14 weeks. She was very well socialized with kids , adults and the outdoors. But , for the last several months she has been this way. This is why I say I DO feel your pain. Hopefully we will both find answers to this problem.

07-18-2008, 12:20 PM	#14
LAD Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: new york Posts: 100	Fearful Star I have the same problem with Star. She is 2 years old and I brought her to the city from the country breeder at 6 months old. Also, she seems to have gotten more fearful over time. She is afraid of the traffic noise and we live in NYC! I don't know what to do?

07-18-2008, 05:25 PM	#15
charmed239 YT Addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: w.leisenring pa usa Posts: 381	I agree with the others that have said..you NEVER NEVER want to give them affection when they are acting fearfull! they will think you are rewarding them for acting afraid if you do...I have a yorkie babie that was not socialized at all and was scared to death of humans when we got him..and I never pet him and say "its ok" when he is acting scared..I have found that Riley loves cheese..so I will sit by someone that he will not go to on his own and i have them hold out the piece of cheese and if he approaches them WITHOUT acting afraid than i let him have the cheese and pet him and tell him good boy..this seems to be working wonders so far..he is much less afraid of people now..mabey you can try something like that with yours. but the key is you yourself can not be nervous,,or he he will sence that too..if you expect him to be scared he may be picking up on that..try to visulize the out come that you desire when you are working with him..if you stay calm and dont say much to him while you have him in ffront of what scares him he may pick up on your energy and calm down as well and if he does THEN pet him and tell him what a good job he has done..hope this helps