She is scared of everything!

[JayJay]

Greetings Everyone,

Long time to no see

I am back, because I would like to address an issue with our adorable BC. She is now ~ 2y/o, everything is awesome, except for one thing: she is scared of EVERYTHING, even her own shadow sometimes. From my understanding, she took it from me, I am often scared that things might go wrong (dog getting hit by car, etc) when we are outside and what not.

There  also was a slight situation change, we now have a second dog, a 6 m/o Pomeranian, who made herself the boss of everyone. But that didn't change anything for our BC.

 

Examples of what might scare her during a normal day:

- sudden noise in the house of something falling to the ground

- a trash can during a walk

- me getting close to her while she eats

- a kid toy, like a 4 wheel bike she never saw before, when out on a walk

She was never hit, mistreated or anything. The only time she got hurt by someone/something else is when she got hard bitten by a big german sheppard with behavior issues, more than a  year ago.

 

So, I was wondering, what can I do to help her get "over it" and be less scared of everything all the time? 

 

Regards,

JayJay

 

Picture of her taking a nap while we HW.

[albuquerquedan]

What a beauty.  Have you tried Karen Overall's Protocol for Relaxation?  

[D'Elle]

Has your dog always been like this, or is this a new or relatively new behavior?  Border collies are known to be quick to react to things, as they have the instinct to be hyper aware and react quickly to the movement of stock. What does your dog do when she reacts to something - what behavior does she exhibit? I am asking because i wonder if it is really fear or only a startle reaction rather than being actual fear.

What is it that makes you think that she is getting it from you? Are you fearful of things happening to her when you are out on a walk with her? Do you react strongly to sudden noises yourself, or do you suddenly pull her away from things or make a noise?

Does she seem to go around most of the time with a fearful attitude, tail tucked and ears back and so on? Or, does she only jump when something startles her?

Asking these questions to clarify the situation so as to offer my best advice.

[Juli]

She is so pretty.

Agree with D'Elle that some of the things that you describe are "normal'/ normal-ish startle reactions.  I have an anxious dog who tracks people walking behind her down the street to the extent that one day she will walk under a car if not on lead.  She also frets about "flappies" which is problematic because our main street often has flags out in high winds.

I have a very anxious collie who wouldn't leave her bed when she first arrived in my home.  I was taught to allow her time to get her brain around new experiences.  My dog pays attention to words, so I tell her about new experiences such as visiting other dog owners and their pets.  I set up recognisable repeat patterns so she feels somewhat in control of what happens in her daily life.  A morning routine.  A routine for leaving her while I pay in a pub or restaurant.  The same words for "upstairs", "garden", and different places that we visit during the day.  When it's her time then I allow her choices about what direction we walk, whether she wears a collar or a harness, whether we play ball or frisbee.  I've managed her vet visits so that they are recognisable patterns also.

My second strategy is to gently expose her to frightening situations but never to the extent that her fear becomes overwhelming.  She may shake during an unavoidable bus/ train journey but we limit the length of journeys so that her fear doesn't turn into overwhelm.  It's a balance.  She will have to face things that she doesn't like in life but I try to manage her life so that she builds confidence in herself and her world.

That's my thinking for what it's worth.  My dog is now 4 yrs old and more confident than she was at 2 yrs old is all I can say about it  - there is slow but continous progress.

I'm unsure how it will work with a young boisterous new dog in the home.  Could make her more fearful.  There are other fearful collies in my neighbourhood and the owners seem to accept that is how they will be.