# Why is my 1.5 year old so nervous?



## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Beautiful puppy! 

Did you spend much time out and about when he was younger? Maybe take a small baggy of boiled chicken or his favorite toy and sit out front of a Starbucks on a Sat. morning. Be as calm as you can and if you see stress try and distract with goodies or toys. 
I took my timid rescue (she was 4) to Home Depot early in the morning (not so many people) but lots of noises. We got a basked and started walking through the store. She was stressed but we continued to calmly walk through the store. It took about an hour for her to relax, at that point I allowed people to approach her and give her a treat. If there were loud noises we walked toward it. We didn't talk, just walked. Do you know how hard this was for me?? To walk through home depot for this long with an empty basket?? And I didn't spend a dime. 

Not sure this is the answer but it helped us.


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## GoldenMom2015 (Dec 30, 2015)

puddles everywhere said:


> Beautiful puppy!
> 
> Did you spend much time out and about when he was younger? Maybe take a small baggy of boiled chicken or his favorite toy and sit out front of a Starbucks on a Sat. morning. Be as calm as you can and if you see stress try and distract with goodies or toys.
> 
> Not sure this is the answer but it helped us.




Thanks for the response! We did take him everywhere with us when he was younger. I wanted him to be as socialized as possible. I guess I just need to spend more time with him, reassuring him that everything is alright and there's no reason to worry. I really like the Starbucks idea!

I know how hard it is walking through a store and not be able to buy anything! Absolute torture!:bowl:


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## FosterGolden (Mar 10, 2014)

Behaviorists suggest that during the fear phase you do not try to work through it. Because it's a phase, not an issue, avoiding what the dog is fearful of in the first place is OK. And, allowing a dog to work out his own fears with your support is also OK. Sometimes, requiring a pup to face his fears when he is going through this phase is detrimental in the end as pushing the dog actually makes him fearful. I never try to mask fear with food or toys as it does not help. For example, I have a soft dog and I am trying to get him into competition. I am now realizing that I have been masking stress (and a few other things) with food and guess what, we are in a pretty tough place right now. I now have a dog trained to utility that can't actually trial! However, if you want to manage the fear versus trying to get the dog past the fear, that can be OK in certain circumstances if it works for the dog. 

There are certainly dogs with car issues, regardless of whether or not it was a fear phase issue. Does he become ill in the car? If he is feeling sick, that could increase his fear. Is he crated in the car? For some dogs a crate is a safe place, so if it is, see if you can crate him. Or, if he hates a crate and you are crating him, perhaps he really needs to not be crated? 

There is a great Fenzi Dog Sport Academy class you can look into (below) taught by a behaviorist (starts in April) or you can talk to and work with a local certified behaviorist. 

DEALING WITH THE BOGEYMAN - HELPING FEARFUL REACTIVE AND STRESSED DOGS

Sarah Stremming (Cog Dog) has great ideas and a super podcast actually discussing the fear period. Deb Jones teaches a Cooperative Canine Care class through Fenzi, but I don't see it on the calendar. 

I would not breed this dog unless he shows that he is special (competition, conformation, etc.) plus has excellent health and clearances. And, of course, the ideal golden retriever temperament.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Great info. My pup just turned 1 and gratefully if something frightens her she lets out a bark, if I walk up and touch it she sniffs then blows it off and ignores it after that. I didn't realize about the age thing, so glad my rescue was already 3 as I might have made things worse! Just love what you can learn on this forum. Thank you!


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