My Yorkie is scared and won't play. How can I help his anxiety?

Poor Oakley! It sounds like he needs a little help with socialization and would benefit from seeing a trainer or veterinary behaviorist in person. You can have a trainer come to your house to observe the situation, and help provide some more tailored advice to help get him feeling more comfortable, especially since he is still so terrified after several weeks. In the meantime, continuing to try and get him adjusted to things may help. Try tossing a favorite treat to him every time you go near him, or placing a favorite treat or chew toy outside of his kennel to encourage him to go out and explore a little. If he does come out, gentle praise and even more special treats can help teach him that what he is doing is OK! If he's startled by loud noises or objects, soothing music can help drown out scary sounds, while letting him sniff and approach new items on his own (and then rewarding him when he does) can help encourage him to explore some. You can find a local behaviorist in your area, and learn more about them as well, by checking out this link: http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/

I'd try putting a Sentry calming collar on Romeo. It releases calming pheromones when in contact with his skin. You can also try pairing it with DAP, a pheromone diffuser that releases calming pheromones when plugged in. I hope this helps!

Kurama is a very handsome guy! Some dogs aren't very comfortable in crowded places with lots of other people and dogs, just like some people who don't really like social situations. You can try using a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to help reduce his anxiety in these situations. You can also help by allowing him to keep his distance from people and other animals when he isn't comfortable - never force him to greet people or be in crowded places if he doesn't enjoy this. You can help him with his fear by standing at a distance, and giving him praise and treats for calm behavior. If his fear is severe enough to interfere with his daily life, then I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a more detailed plan to help him. This may include specific training exercises to work on, as well as possibly prescription anti-anxiety medication to help reduce his stress and make it easier for him to learn. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Poor Jasper! It sounds like he's quite stressed and anxious at the moment. Without more information, it's hard to say if this is simply due to all of the changes he's experienced recently (new home, new owner, etc.) or if he has some generalized anxiety issues. I would recommend giving him some time to settle in - this behavior may resolve over the next several days once he has a chance to adjust to his new living situation. You can help by giving him some tasty things to chew on (large rawhide chews, bully sticks, etc.) as chewing is a relaxing activity for dogs - just make sure to give him his own space while he chews, and don't allow your other dog to bother him. You may also want to try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure. If there is no improvement in his anxiety within the next week or so, it would be best to consult with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on his issues. He may also need prescription medication to help reduce his anxiety, at least for a while. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Oh my, your pitty baby is adorable. Congratulations on the new pup. It's common for adult dogs to be put off by the antics of young puppies. Give them time for Simba to warm up to his new house mate. In addition to time, I would set up a few ADAPTIL plug in diffusers (about one per 500 square feet) in your home. This is a pheromone that can help calm dogs. Encourage "parallel play" where you pet both of them or have them do tricks like sit near each other. Best of luck to you!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like your dog is very anxious. I would discuss a long term anti-anxiety medication like prozac with your Vet and maybe xanax, acepromazine or trazadone for special trigger events. You can try to buy some interactive toys to keep him busy or kings that he can push around that dispense his dry food. Also a behaviorist or trainer may be helpful to provide tips on calming him. Sadly due to his underlying condition there may not be a perfect fix for him, just managing it to a point that is tolerable for him and you.

He's pretty old to start working on that, so keep your expectations low, but you can start by having him around other dogs in very low key settings. Start really far away, give him lots of treats, and leave if he seems at all uncomfortable. Here's a website that goes in to dog body language a bit: https://positively.com/dog-training/understanding-dogs/canine-body-language/ I would also consider talking to his vet to see if they think he needs medication to help with general anxiety, or if he's a normal dog who just isn't very social. Good luck!