Why is my dog so fearful of everyday objects and even babies?

Poor Milo! He is afraid for certain. Don't panic; this is a very common problem I see every day in practice. If you're willing to work at it, you can change his response to being afraid. It is never to late to help him be better socialized with new people. Please go to this fantastic veterinary behavior website www.dogstardaily.com for really great free techniques to get your dog over his fear of strangers. Hope that helps!

Poor Jaxon! It does sound like he's quite fearful of many things, including sounds, the vet's office, and other dogs barking. The patch of hair that stands up is called his "hackles" - when you see the hair stand up like this, it usually means that the dog is frightened or upset. Since it sounds like his anxiety is fairly severe, the best option would be to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Jaxon in person. He/she can help you determine why he is so fearful, and will give you a detailed treatment plan for him including some training exercises you can do to increase his confidence and teach him to associate good things with people, other dogs, etc. He may also benefit from anti-anxiety medication. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org In the meantime, you could try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to help reduce his anxiety - this won't be as effective as prescription medication, but it may help to take the edge off of his fear in these situations until you are able to see the behaviorist for a more complete treatment plan.

Poor Brownie! You're right that this level of anxiety is not normal, and needs to be treated ASAP in order to improve his quality of life and prevent things from getting worse as he gets older. I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Brownie in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on his problem - this will likely include training exercises to help build his confidence with being alone, management suggestions to help him be more comfortable while you work on the problem, and anti-anxiety medication to make him feel better in the short term. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

It is certainly possible that Milo is experiencing stress and anxiety because of her recent surgery. Try getting some Adaptil from your local pet store. This is a pheromone product that helps dogs stay calm. Once Milo has recovered from the initial anxiety, you may want to habituate her to going to the vet by taking her there frequently (even if you don't have an appointment), so that she no longer associates the vet office with negative experiences.

It's not normal for a 4 month old to be scared or aggressive. I would recommend getting an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist (this person is a vet, not just a layperson) if at all possible -- your vet may have recommendations for someone nearby. It sounds like he could have been scared by the tackling incident, but it's still atypical for such a young dog to be aggressive. It would be like your 2 year old threatening to beat you up --- it's just not how their brains work at that age. The behaviorist can assess him and likely give you a pile of exercises to do at home and some medications. In the mean time, or if you can't take him to a behaviorist, avoid anything that makes him scared and hand feed him all his food as "treats" throughout the day as rewards for interacting with the family.

That is a very severe case, and very unusual for a puppy that age. I would highly recommend first taking Wilby to your vet to make sure he doesn't have an underlying illness or condition that could be causing this behavior. The next step would be to talk to a veterinary behaviorist in your area that can work with you to overcome this extreme fear with a combination of positive behavioral training and medication as needed. In the US you can use this site to find a behaviorist near you for more help: http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/

If only Milo could talk! This type of behavior could be related to something like anxiety or to pain/discomfort. I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian who will check for evidence of pain on the physical exam. Many times this type of sudden pain is related to intervertebral disc disease, discospondylitis, upper abdominal pain or a pinched nerve. They may also check a urine sample or the anal glands as well. Since he can't talk, it's best to play it safe. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.