Advice welcome on nervous behaviour.

Hi, new member today and wondering if anyone has the same problem as we do and how they coped with it.

I have a white German Shepherd dog, adopted her at the age of two, (she is nearly 5 years old now) no previous history known. As with some 'whites' she is terrified of everything. She is distrustful of people and even when frequent visitors come to my home she hides upstairs. Walks are nerve racking as the tiniest noise terrifies her, in fact all she wants to do is complete the walk (she doesn't enjoy it) and then rush back home as fast as possible. She has fear aggression with other dogs. In the home she is brilliant, but I really want her to enjoy life more. We did have a lovely RAF dog behaviourist come out to see us and I completed his instructions, but i'm not progressing with her. The vet offered us the equivalent of 'tranquilisers' but this is not a path I wish to follow for her.

Does anyone else have a dog as nervous as this?

Hi, I think we need to be realistic about the chances of behaviour changes in a 5 year old dog who has been exhibiting these behaviours for at least 3 years.

I am not sure what a RAF behaviourist is, however if you have had her vet checked to rule out any underlying medical issues then a referral to a reputable behaviourist may need to be revisited.

By reputable I mean someone who has the required skills, knowledge, ability, training and experience verified by both theoretical and empirical testing and who belongs to a professional body such as

http://capbt.org/
http://www.apbc.org.uk/
http://www.ukrcb.org/

It may be that on consultation a product such as zyklene or Calmex may be recommended for temporary use in order to put the dog in a position to learn.

Anne Bussey is in Staffs and highly recommended.

You may also wish to consider something like Tellington Touch.

Marie Miller is not far from you, and this can be useful if appropriate for your dog.

http://www.pawsnlearn.com/

I would suggest that in your case at least a 1:1 with someone of the calibre of Anne (who is also a top notch dog trainer as well as behaviourist) would be the first port of call (after the vet) and the preferred course of action in order to determine the parameters within which you have to work.

Books are all very well but unfortunately "recipes" are inherently flawed as all dogs are individuals and so are the environments within which they live. And of course dogs do not read.

Best of luck, as this dog must be under constant stress with this level of fearfulness and i am sure that some help can be given.

Sometimes you need the perspective of someone outside your immediate circle to accurately gauge the level of the problem.

HTH

Yes, I do.
I have a dog rescued as a cruelty case who after 2 years is still afraid of me and the outside world. However he has improved, and today I posted a thread about him playing. (Search the site for Razzle).
With him, I took advice from others with fearful dogs (Rune on here has one) and the concensus is that you leave the dog alone basically.
I would provide the dog with a safe den she can hide in, ask visitors to not even look at her, and stop taking her for walks.
This sounds defeatist, but it isn`t. What you are doing is to give your dog a chance to progress at her own pace. It is pointless making her confront her fears because when she is afraid it proves to her that the world IS scary. Being afraid is self-reinforcing.
Two sites I would recommend:
one is shy k9, a yahoo group for owners of fearful dogs. It`s based in the US and the use of medication (not something I like) is a bit common but it has a lot of very good articles.
Another site (for when she grows in confidence a little) is the BAT site. http://functionalrewards.com/
But I would begin by backing off, and allowing her space to begin with. Let her come to you.

I too have a nervous dog - not quite to the degree of yours but nervous nonetheless. She exhibits similar behaviors such as fear aggression to people, jumping and panicking at small noises in the house, secreting anal glands, flat out panic outside of the house when we are near roads etc.

You have been given good advice so far.
The key is not to put the dog in a situation (where as far as possible) they feel nervous. To combat this, I leave sound on in the house at all times, I do not take her on roads where possible, we dont visit pubs, have guests over etc...

Before doing things like this you need to desensitize your dog to the problem stimulus at a low intensity - one where she notices it, but is not exhibiting too much fear.
Clicker training helps with this... Look up desensitization and counter conditioning

Suggested books to read if you have not already which cover DS and CC in more detail:
Culture Clash by Jean Donalson
Click to Calm by Emma Parsons
Dog Aggression workbook by James O Heare

In terms of not using medication I have spent time looking in to other calming aids - you may find this thread useful http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=153565 It talks about use of DAP collars, thundershirts and other herbal remedies.

If you have not had a full set of bloodwork I would probably suggest that too.. Most good trainers will want you to rule out medical causes as far as possible anyway..
My dogs came back clear so I am currently continuing my behavior modification and using a DAP collar.

There are loads of people on here with nervous dogs so you are not alone It is frustrating, slow, painstaking work!!

Thanks everyone. The Behaviourist I used is a highly qualified Head Dog trainer (with excellent references from friends of mine) for the Royal Air Force (he has top behaviourist qualifications) he gave me good advice and observed us at home for about 2 1/2 hours, also went on a walk with us, walking well behind. My girl has progressed since she first came to me (when I could not even get her outside). Please don't get me wrong here, I don't want a perfectly behaved dog, all I want is my girl to enjoy life, she does come to me for cuddles and comfort - and gets them. I will go through all the links so kindly suggested by you all, I have read 'Culture Clash',I have a very good friend who has three large dogs who recommends books to me, but I will re-read it in case i've missed anything. We didn't go for a walk today as they were cutting down the trees in the local park which would have terrified her. I have tried clicker training, unfortunately this doesn't work for us as my girl doesn't want any treats when she is in the 'fearful zone', she goes into a sort of panic mode where nothing distracts her, she simply wants to head home at an amazing speed.

I admire those of you who have (and are still) going through this, it's extremely difficult - and very sad at times, although one thing I have is endless patience with her, she is so sweet natured.

Thanks again for all the useful advice, I will start reading now

Meant to say, I did try Zyklene, but it didn't work for my girl at all.

Our new dog Izzy is 9 but we have had her for only 2 months and she is extremely nervous of unknown people. She was a cruelty case so understandable but sad when I think how confident and trusting of people my other Kerry Blue of a similar age is.

She will bark at people when she is on lead and if they approach her to stroke(despite my warning them not to!) she wil lunge and snap. Off-lead she will take the flight option and move away.

I am finding that using a head-collar helps her as she seems much calmer then and not so reactive but this may just be her response and not something you would find with your dog.

When she is calm and walking past other people I click and treat her but if she is getting very stressed I turn around and move away from the person or cyclist and go the other way. Hope this helps.

If she is not taking treats it seems as though she is already in too much of a fearful state. My dog will also not take food near roads - I have to be about 30 paces away from a road until she does not show fear...

Are there any situations where she will take food or play, and seems completely relaxed - in or out of the house? In terms of being outdoors, is she scared even in an empty field?

I think the key is to as far as possible not expose her to situations where she exhibits fear.
For example if she is scared of people or traffic:
Find a distance she is comfortable at - not showing too many stress siganls, will take food, or play, is able to watch you rather than the stimulus. This may be 30 foot or it may be further...
You would start by doing something very positive at this distance - ie eating chicken, playing with a favourite toy.
Over a long period of time, you would lower the distance, so much so that the dog doesnt notice. The idea is not to let the dog practice the behavior - be it fear or aggression that gets the dog through the ordeal.

Fear is reinforcing - I see person/car, I am scared, we move away, I survived and feel better, my fear was a correct response, item is scary.

Hope reading through some of the links above help.
Also the book by James O Heare does contain much more advice on training methods and has probably been one of the most useful I've read..

I *think* I have had some success with the DAP collar but it is early days, we have had ups and downs, and for many it has no effect.

My vet also suggested rescue remedy for nervous dogs.

He did point out that dogs that incredibly nervous cannot learn. No, you don't want to drug them up too much so you have a tranquilized dog, but at the same time, a dog that is in such an intense fearful state cannot learn and therefore cannot improve so you have to weigh up the pros and cons... I would always try natural remedies first - things like valerian were suggested on the thread I mentioned above - although it is a sedative..

I wish you all the best in your training for your girl..

The trouble is, books on fearful dogs start at a level some dogs haven`t reached yet. This is what I`ve found anyway. If your dog is too afraid to let people she knows approach if it`s done quickly or loudly, your dog is not ready to start a `normal` programme.
I do understand that a timid dog can be helped with clicker training and gradual desensitisation, but some dogs just aren`t ready for that step. They need to progress at their own pace and to learn they have choices. In other words they can choose the proximity, they choose the time, they choose the method of approach.
My GSD after a year crept up to me and nudged me with his nose. This, for him, was a massive step forward. A year later he will walk past me without scuttling, belly to the ground as he did up to about 3 months ago.
Sometimes we need to accept that this dog may never be `normal` but can at least be happy and let them set the agenda? For me to take my boy out would destroy the progress he`s made so far. So he doesn`t go out. He`s happy. I`m happy that he`s happy.
One day maybe he`ll want to go out (I hope so). But whose benefit is the walk for? If the dog is frightened by it, it`s not for his.