My dog fears my husband. What can I do to reduce her anxiety?

Royal Canin's Calm Diet is formulated specifically for this purpose - it contains natural calming agents such as tryptophan and milk thistle to help with anxiety and aggression issues in dogs. You could certainly give this a try, if you like. It shouldn't hurt anything, and it may help. Some of my behavior clients have seen good results with it in the past.

Poor daisy! I recommend feeding royal canin calm food and using pheromone products also to help the transition of a new house and new dog and also create a safe indoor kennel with a covered crate, soft bed and pet remedy spray so she has somewhere to go if she needs to. They should make friends over the next few days and once they do the presence of a calmer dog is likely to help

Something to try before resorting to medication may be for your husband to become the person she is dependant on for feeding, walks, playing, etc. Have him be the person who fills her food and water, gives her treats, taking her out. Also, make sure she gets lots of exercise. A tired dog is a happy dog. Get her out for walks, runs, playdates with other dogs if she gets along with them, get her involved in agility (papillons are great agility dogs), flyball, get her into obedience classes, anything and everything to get her well-exercised and stimulate her mind as well as tire her body. Try this before getting her on medication, it may be that she still may need something, but her getting lots of exercise may lessen the amount required if not eliminate the need.

Having dogs in his home territory is likely to be very stressful. Natural calming aids such as royal canin calm food, zylkene or adaptil diffusers may help, as well as creating complete dog free zones with cosy bedding, litter tray and food/water for him so he does not need to cross open spaces to get to them

This will take time to overcome. It's best if he ignores her, sits down and doesn't look or talk with her. Over time she will get used to him and hopefully then she will seek him out. I've had success reducing this anxiety with the supplement Solliquin. Taking Evie to an obedience class will expose her to new people and animals and help her gain confidence in different situations. Once she is trained if she enjoys walks you can start walking her on a leash and have your husband come along so she is focused on walking and having fun with him around. I have a dog who is also scared of my husband and it's taken over a year for him to start to relax. He does enjoy waking and will go with my husband willingly when on the leash. Be patient, Evie should relax once she's settled into your household. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Evie.

You are doing a good job. Some dogs take years to relax with other people. I recommend taking Mindy, with both you and your husband, to a group obedience class. She will gain confidence when she learns commands and it will help her to be around other dogs and people. You can also try the natural supplement Solliquin. It helps reduce anxiety during training and I’ve found with rescue dogs it helps them with adjusting to a new environment. Continue to be patient and don’t force the issue as that may make it worse. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Mindy.

Is she food motivated? Using treats to entice and reward her maybe helpful. Also, seeking the advice from your veterinarian about using antianxiety pheromones and possibly medications may be helpful as she is adjusting. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.