Scared little boy!
 

Maybe you guys can help me.

I've had my 2 boys since they were 9 weeks old. They are 3.5 years old now.

My Fletcher is afraid of EVERYTHING. This morning broke my heart though. Last night he was sitting on my lap and I found out I got a really good grade on a midterm exam. My boyfriend put out his hand to high five him, I did and Fletcher gets soooo anxious and nervous and afraid of the slapping noise. He leaves and won't come near us, he tucks his tail between his legs and slinks off to the kitchen to his bed and won't come out. I don't know why he is so afraid. This morning my boyfriend jokingly threw his arm up and Fletcher cowered in the corner of the bathroom and flinched big time and laid down, he looked TERRIFIED. This dog has NEVER been hit! NEVER! My Dexter is oblivious to it, he does not care about the slapping noises and all that, but Fletcher acts like he is a beaten animal. I hate it! :( It makes me sad, but it also makes me wonder WHY he does this. He is not ever hit. He may be yelled at once in awhile when I catch him marking in the house but never hit. Boyfriend spoils him rotten and would never hit him either.

Any ideas? How can I build up his trust/confidence? How can I figure out why he acts this way?

My Yorkie is really afraid of the vacuum cleaner. To get him over his fear, I hold him while I'm vacuuming...maybe for five minutes or so. I talk to him in a calm, low tone, and this really seems to help. He doesn't run and hide anymore, but he still doesn't want any part of it. Maybe if you hold your puppy while doing a (quiet) high five, he'll get used to it.

Thanks!! I have tried things like that with him. He is terrified of the dishwasher and I try to hold him near it and speak softly and comfort him but in 3 years it has not made any difference. :( He is not afraid of things outside MY house, just in my house(his house). A running dishwasher or open one in anyone else's house does not bother him. Its so bizarre!

Anyone else have any other ideas?? How about ideas about WHY he acts like I beat him?

I dont know why they do it but My Jewels is the same way and we have never even spoken harshly to her

Its heartbreaking... but its also unacceptable if I can get him to stop. I mean people will think I beat my dog if they slap at a mosquito and he turns into a whimpering coward in the corner!! :(

I have a Scardy Cat also. Pablo is scared of his own shadow...He goes out side for a second does his buisness and if I close the door and leave him out for a second he his at the door crying...He sleeps under my chin. What a baby. Oh well I guess I baby him too much...

Could your boyfriend ever have hurt him on accident? Maybe dropped something or tossed something that bumped him on accident or stepped on his foot ...? Anything?

I ask this, because I have a pit bull that my little girl had accidently hit with a sneaker while flinging her shoes off at the door one day when she was a pup and she would get scared everytime anyone would pick up a shoe for the longest because my daughter had hit her on the head and hurt her when she flung it off. After a while she realized the shoes weren't a danger anymore lol but she is also a 60 lb dog not a fragile Yorkie.

Could that be the problem maybe?

My daughter swears that these animals had past lives and that is why they react the way they do. I am not sure about that :rolleyes:... I do think it is just part of their personalities just as our children come into this world with their own little personalities. Some are more passive, some more aggressive, some can take on the world, while others are afraid of their own shadow.

awwwwwwwwwwww thats soooooooooooooooooooooo sad...:( Im sorry I dont know why he would do that... but I was thinking about what you said about building up his confidence... and I was thinking have you tried agility? I heard it does wonders on their confidence levels!!! Ive been looking into it and where I live I have yet to find a dog agility classes...:( just a thought ;) good luck and I hope you can figure out why!

My Suzi is a tough little girl, however she does not like sudden movements. Perhaps your Fletcher is frightend by unpredictable movemenets and 'loud" sounds. Many dogs are. Suzi and my high functioning autistic son hates it when the fire alarm goes off, A high beeping sound, not even loud, just the noise of the sound pitch.
I was cooking dinner , and all of A sudden ran to my son on the couch shaking like crazy. OMG i thought something horrific happened to her. I could find nothing wrong physically. I felt so bad for her. I wish These little guys could talk to us, and say what made them so scared .
I believe that because of their little size and us being "huge" to them they get very spooked quickly by sudden hand motions and our fast movements. Especially when it is an "all of A sudden" gesture. They just do not understand , and feel threatend . ANd I believe all Yorkies are different and some are a lot more sensitive . It is the temperment of the dog. Try to explain to Boyfriend to move slower so Fletcher does not feel like he is in "danger" .
Suzi also hates the noise of the vaccume, she runs off, so does my son. LOL .

Thanks so much for the replies. Yes, I think Fletcher does get scared of sudden movements but some of them seem to freak him out more. Slapping noises scare him to death. He acts like a beaten dog when someone slaps at something, high fives, mosquitos, etc... He is afraid of almost everything at my house, but has NO fear at other people's houses.

Agility training would be fun. I would need to make more money and have a yard. Right now Im in a townhouse with no yard :( BF has a yard but Im not there often enough to keep him going with it. hhhmmmm I'll have to look into it though!

Thanks again! TGIF!!!

the dog whisperer had a show on a yorkie who was real scared. He de-sensitized him by doing positive things while doing the activity (like giving a treat). He said not to coddle them because this is a human behavior, so we are sending off an image that there's something wrong.
I love that show!