My dog is so scared of everything and nervous ALL the time!!!plz help?

Question

I got this dog from some what seem to be nice people when he was 2 and a half years.Now he is 3,but since day one when i got him he would jump if anything happened,even if i got up to quick!Hes scared of every dog to even is its a really little one,and hes a big dog.Is there anyway to change him???Or why is he like this???

Answer 1

Give him some more time. Be aware of moving a little slower around him. Dogs have fears too, some he may get over, some he may not.

Answer 2

Working with a fearful, nervous dog how do I know the dog will never become aggressive? I don't. There is NO way to know a dog's limits. But, I will not allow a nervous dog in my household to be pushed anywhere near the possible limit. I KNOW from behaviors and body language that certain 'reactions' may very well trigger a fear based aggressive behavior. What is the right environment for a nervous dog to strike out and bite and/or attack someone? An environment in which the dog is pushed physically and mentally to defend itself against abuse which would be challenging the animal to the point it has no escape except for bite or flee. If the animal cannot remove itself from the situation the only option to protect itself is to bite OR let the human beat it to death. How do you control environments that could lead to this? I control my dogs environment. There would never be a situation in MY home where any of my dogs would be forced to bite or flee. ADD: I respect the Greek's answer but we differ on this subject. "Differences" make for good communication and debate.

Answer 3

Dog Scared Of Everything

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
My dog is so scared of everything and nervous ALL the time!!!plz help?
I got this dog from some what seem to be nice people when he was 2 and a half years.Now he is 3,but since day one when i got him he would jump if anything happened,even if i got up to quick!Hes scared of every dog to even is its a really little one,and hes a big dog.Is there anyway to change...

Answer 5

It is difficult when you adopt a dog and you do not know what his past was really like. He could have been mistreated or maybe even given no attention or care. Some dogs do not get the proper socialization when younger and only learn their daily life. So when they step outside of that its scary to them. A lot of people do not realize the full responsibility of owning a dog. Its not just giving them food and water. I have a young Lab who goes every where and he has always been well socialized but at times new things set him back until he adjusts. All dogs have their personalities and yours maybe timid by nature and made more so without the proper care and treatment. I would just spend a lot of time with him and constantly reassure him he is safe. He may never get over it but its worth the try.

Answer 6

Every dog has its own qualities. This might be a geanatic problem. As you have not mentioned the species of the dog. I think he must have a bad past with its earlier owners. But as you said he is living with you for more than 6 months now. This does not seem the case. The only think he needs is the security which he might not got from his earlier owners. I suggest you not to mix him up with the outsiders much. Give him more time. Try to give him the dog food rather than the food we eat. Only give him the diet twice a day. He might also have worm problems. Just check it out and give the medicines after consulting the vet. I think this should work.

Answer 7

Have you ever been REALLY scared of something? That's just how your dog feels when he encounters something he's not comfortable with.
Give him love & REASSURANCE. Slowly familiarise him with whatever it is that frightens him - wherever possible. Try & have the object near by & gradually bring it closer....but only when he's comfortable with the previous position.
Being frightened of something DOES NOT imply the dog was abused. I have a little French Bulldog who I adopted from a lovely couple who totally adored him. They discovered their son has Aspergers & decided it would be kinder to them both to have undivided attention. Bug was just 8 months old when he came to me & frightened of a multitude of things. At first I thought it was the noise, (the hoover etc), but he also scared of the sweeping brush, the mop & most bizarrely....my hair straighteners! He goes into defence mode & is literally in a frenzy.
I am VERY slowly trying to introduce these things into daily routine - which they should be any way - but at his pace. He needs constant reassurance that it's okay. I show him that the item won't hurt him, or myself & as soon as he reacts in a distressed manner, I remove the item - immediately.
He is still very young & I am fortunate to be able to be with him 24 hours a day. I don't mind how long it takes.....a dog is for life!

Answer 8

Something traumatic happened to this dog before you got him. Sounds to me like he was mistreated, not socialized, something.

You need to help this dog develop self-confidence. How is your relationship with him? Does he trust you? I would definitely NOT recommend obedience classes for him at this stage - he'd freak and if you go to a trainer with little understanding of dog psychology you could damage him more.

What I think you should do is train him yourself. You need to be very calm and patient at all times, give him lots and lots of praise, ttreats, and keep any training sessions short. If you train this dog only with positive reinforcement, his self-confidence should increase and if he trusts you and that you'll be there for him, he will improve. Don't push him if he seems upset, if he has bad days, don't train that day, and little by little, he'll get better.

When you walk him and he's afraid of some dog, keep him close to your side, talk quietly to him and keep on walking past the other dog. He'll learn that he's ok and doesn't have to be afraid.

Good luck with him!

Answer 9

Poor guy. It sounds like he's either been attacked by another dog or he just has had too much hyper people around him his whole life. I don't mean to get on the whole dog whisperer thing, but the man does know what he is talking about. You just have to be calm around him at all times, don't ever yell or hit him(i'm not saying that you do) don't talk to him like he's a baby..u know what I mean right? " oooh ur soo cute" etc. hight pitched voices make him nervous.

Make sure if you have alot of people around you to tell them to do the same, don't get him excited and stay calm and talk in a low tone around him. I think if you keep this up he will be calm if you are calm.

Answer 10

I have had many a dog like this. First you can try going to a GNC store and getting what is called "bach's rescue remedy" give the appropriate dosage daily. It will slowly (I mean after long many months) begin to calm him down.
Be sure never to hit him or yell at him. Of course lots of love. And what you need to start incorporating now that he knows you is some "tough love"
Take him to petsmart or out to the park. He won't like it at first. Make sure to give him lots of praise and treats and pet him gently.
He simply has to get used to people. It may take time but it will work! Also encourage strangers to pet him! Gently and slowly of course but getting him used to being handled by people he doesn't know will help him see that the world isn't out to get him.
Finally. If you still have access to the previous owners, get ahold of them and ask some questions. Good luck!