Why is my dog suddenly anxious, territorial, and not affectionate?

It may be time to speak with a local trainer or animal behaviorist in your area to see if they can observe what is going on in person. This can help them to formulate a plan that may help Peanut regain her confidence outside. Usually, this involves taking small steps by exposing her to being outside for longer periods, and offering treats and praise when she is calm and successful. If she becomes too nervous, taking a break and letting her calm down before trying again can help. If the anxiety continues, it is also a good idea to rule out any health issues with your veterinarian, as some illnesses can cause sudden behavioral changes or anxiety, especially if there is pain. Your vet can also prescribe an anti-anxiety medication if needed during your training plan to help make things a little easier on Peanut.

I'd always want to rule out a medical problem when there has been an abrupt change in behavior. A visit to the vet is in order to help to ensure that there are no underlying issues - changes in vision, neurologic issues, etc - that may be at the bottom of this. If everything is well with your health, ask yourself some questions: could there be any nocturnal animals visiting your property, and would she be able to see them or smell them? Could there be distant thunderstorms that she is hearing (and you're not, because you're sleeping) and the noise is making her anxious? You can try some low impact changes, such as a [Thundershirt ](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/thundershirt-heather-gray-dog-anxiety-solution) or [pheromone diffuser](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/thunderease-calming-diffuser-kit-for-dogs) to help calm anxiety. Your vet can also prescribe medications that will reduce anxiety. Hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. My advice is to get professional help sooner rather than later. This type of behavior is often due to anxiety. I would strongly recommend talking to your vet about anti-anxiety/ behavior modification medication which can make a huge difference! Once the medication is on board, the fear-threshold is lowered, and learning can occur. At that point, working with a reputable trainer in your area is a must. Best wishes to you and Cooper.

Poor Ophelia! There are many things you can do to help get Ophelia feeling more comfortable and help control her anxiety. It’s great that you are being proactive about preventing issues in future! I would advise seeing your veterinarian to rule out any medical causes for Ophelia’s behavior first, and then visit the following links for some good tips on training http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=0 ,https://healthcareforpets.com/videos . Also visit the following link to learn more about Adaptil, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in dogs, and can often be useful in cases of anxiety http://www.adaptil.com . I strongly recommend you speak to a trainer who uses positive reinforcement or a veterinary behaviorist to help give Ophelia her best chance at becoming a well adjusted, happy dog. See the following link for more information on that https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/findabehaviourist . Good luck!

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Your description sounds most suspicious of generalized anxiety. There may have been something that spooked your dog recently to cause the behavior change, making him want to be near you all the time and causing him to seek reassurance. However, given his breed, it's also possible that he's just got too much pent-up energy - many high energy breeds can develop either anxiety or boredom if they aren't given an outlet for their energy and a way to tire themselves out. I recommend making sure your dog has a way to RUN his energy off daily. (with his breed and age, a walk probably won't cut it). You can take him running, or if he's ball motivated, throwing a ball is a great option to get him running. Fenced in dog parks are good options too. If tiring him out doesn't help reduce his clingy behaviors, I recommend consulting your vet and having them do a physical exam and likely some screening bloodwork. Sometimes panting, whining, and being generally clingy are the dog's way of telling us that something's not right, which can be the first sign of a disease or health problem. I hope this helps!

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.

I would strongly recommend to get her on an anti-anxiety medicine. If she is this aggressive when she normally wasn't before babies, she could also have something else going on. I would have your vet take a look at her to ensure she is otherwise healthy. Your vet will be able to put her on some anti-anxiety medicine to help calm her nerves. She likely being very protective over her babies or she could be in pain somewhere. I am sorry that I do not have a great over the counter or quick remedy. These things take time. You could give her a calming chew or calming collar but I am afraid these wouldn't be strong enough. Plus, I cannot say whether or not they are safe for a nursing mother. Finally, I would try to arrange a place for her to be when you have your company arrive. If you have to board her or take her to someone else's house, you may need to do this. Having a lot of strangers in her house especially if they are wanting to see her puppies will only stress her out more. I would keep her and the puppis separated from the guests unless you are confident that she is better.