# Retriever Anxiety



## AGirlNamedScout (Apr 3, 2018)

My 9 week old, Scout, has started running at the sound of barking dogs. I'm looking forward to socializing her once she"s had all of her shots. 
What kind of socializing did your boy get as a pup?

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## AlexinBK (Dec 11, 2017)

When he's scared, will he eat? Every time Emmy get's scared I just feed her nonstop with treats I keep in my pocket. I've noticed it's helped. Loud noise and she jumps? Feed, feed, feed, feed, "good girl, good girl" head scratch, feed, & repeat


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

I have a more fearful and less confident pup (she's about to turn 2). We did a lot of socialization and desensitization when she was a puppy, and it got MUCH better. She's much more confident now, but I do notice that its a continual work in progress, because if she's not exposed to something for a while (ie, people wearing hoods and big hats), she will get a little anxious again. So its always something we work on, and I'm always trying to continue socialization to new and different things and experiences. Even though she's more anxious than some other dogs, she's also naturally very curious, so I really try to reward that. It has really helped her come into her own. I work with her a lot to make sure these things become positive experiences, and she's become very brave as a result. 

It may be worth taking your dog to the vet to ensure that there aren't any health issues that could have led to a change in behavior. You also may want to enlist the help of a trainer and/or behaviorist, who can help teach you to read your dog's body language and how to work on what is going on. Read up on desensitization and counter-conditioning. For example, if there is an anxiety provoking stimulus (like, there is construction nearby, or a flapping flag etc), to sit with your dog at a distance where he can hear/see, feels safe, and isn't past the threshold of maximum anxiety, and reward him with yummy treats and lots of reassuring words and pets just for tolerating being near the scary thing--and work up as he becomes more tolerant. 

Obedience training can also be helpful. If your dog has been trained to keep his attention on you, or knows a cue to look at you (ie, watch me), it can help distract him from a scary thing and focus on something safe (you). A dog who is able to watch you on a heel is much more likely to be able to walk by something scary. 

You may find that when outside, or in distracting areas, that normal training treats or kibble aren't enough to keep his attention. You can try things like pieces of chicken, steak, liver, or string cheese are more high value for things like desensitization. 

I really like "The Other End of the Leash" and "The Cautious Canine" by Patricia McConnell. The first book is more about dog behavior and learning to effectively communicate with your pup, and the second has a lot of great information about desensitization and counter conditioning. There are a ton of threads on this forum where people have experienced similar things, which my may find helpful. You can also check out Fearfuldogs.com.

Good luck! There are a lot of people on this forum who have been through similar experiences, who are more than willing to share what has worked for them.


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## FosterGolden (Mar 10, 2014)

I agree that going to the vet first for a good once over and maybe a blood panel is in order first. At three years old, a behavior change such as this would concern me and I'd want to check hearing, eyes, thyroid, among other things that a vet can help you with. It might be good to see a veterinary behaviorist first so they can help you decide what tests are good as not all vets know what to test for when it comes to changes in temperament without physical changes or issues. 


Also, not all dogs require walks. If the dog doesn't like them, why take him? Unless, of course, this is his only opportunity to go potty or exercise, like if you live in an apartment or something.


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## overmyer24 (Oct 27, 2014)

Morning,

Thank you all for the responses. As an FYI, he's always been a little special, we had to train him for resource guarding as a little puppy. I think it's partially our fault because we don't typically take a lot of treats on our walks, which I know we need to do. He loves walks and socializing with people and a certain group of dogs that he knows. Other than that, we avoid dog contact, because he typically just growls. We've had him to the vet awhile ago for a "once over" and everything looked good, so I'll wait again until we have to go for something, but he's generally a very good dog that has no issues. It's typically loud noises (Fed Ex, UPS, Semi's, etc.).

I'm going to take the common sense approach and take more treats along on the path instead of giving him cheese after walks and see how we progress. Thank you guys again for the feedback.

RO


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I purchased a 4yr old golden from the breeder. Sadly this girl is a basket of fear. I worked really hard with exposing her to new sounds, sitting down next to trash containers as they frightened her. We just sat down and sat there giving treats until her body language showed she was ok. The next day we worked on something else.
Long story short.... she is now 9.5 and still frightened of lots of things including the wind  it's not really the wind, it's all the leaves falling and movement. She is like an autistic kid that gets overwhelmed with excessive movement, she just can't process the overload of noise or movement. She just doesn't handle change well.

When I got my now 2yr old it was like a switch went off. My pup was bold, confident and calm. It was love at 1st sight and brought such peace for the older girl. Since I moved to a quiet little town and no longer have a doggie business in my house I can see such a difference. She is finally at peace.

Guess what I'm trying to say is we don't take her on walks, she is happy and confident in her own space. She loves to ride in the car .. for short trips anyway but we board her for longer trips. She can only handle so much "change" before the anxiety over takes her. 

Basically at this age I'm grateful to see her at peace in her environment so now I have a dog to take with me to the trails, to work with in various venues and possible therapy dog in her future and this sweet girl can consider herself retired. I've been working with dogs for decades and sometimes you just have to accept and love your dog and accept their limitations.


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

I’ve got a leash reactive dog and I buy a Small bag of one of the fancy flavors of Fromm kibble. They are tiny little bits and just about every jacket and pants pocket I have ends up filled with kibble. 
Gotta be careful to check everything before washing. I take some higher value stuff out if I think we are going to run into a lot of triggers but having the kibble means I almost always have something on hand.


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