Question
Happy
My dog is 17 months old and is a mixed breed - most likely Shepard, Akita & may be Chow mix. I adopted him from my cousin when he was 3 months old - she got him from a Chicago shelter.
His name is Happy and he is a wonderful dog - handsome, extremely intelligent (sometimes human!) & a very happy dog - AS LONG AS HE IS AT HOME OR IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!!
The minute he is out of his comfort zone, especially in the city (We live in a very quiet suburb), he really starts to panic. He is extremely afraid, usually tail between his legs and shaking violently. He is not aggressive at all when scared though. Its hard for me to walk him in the city even for him to pee - the smallest noise triggers his fears even more. This makes it hard for my wife and I to take him anywhere with us - we would love to walk him in Chicago (we go very often) or take him on trips but we always end up leaving him at the the kennel or the hotel because he is too scared. This takes a big toll on us as it limits us and our activities. Its not that he is out of control, he is just really panicked and I hate to see him like that. I have tried positive reinforcement when we take him out - like giving him treats while walking him in the city, trying to play with him, comforting him etc so he associates it with fun - no response yet, he is too scared to even look at the treat let alone eat it!
Happy really loves other dogs and animals, he will play with any animal including cats. I do find that he is less scared when other dogs are around him. Other things he is scared of are - any black objects, vacuum cleaners, hair dryers and new things we may have at home.
He is a completely different dog when he is not at home or in our neighborhood. Its strange because in our neighborhood he walks around like he owns it!
I am sorry for this mammoth mail but I wanted to give you as much detail so you could help me. What concerns me the most is that we most likely will move to India next year and its a lot more crowded and noisy there. I have no idea how he is going to cope. I need to help him as much as possible before we leave so he can be a happier dog. Any advice will be appreciated.
Thank you,
Siddharth
Answerthat is an extremely handsome dog and congratulations for giving him such an excellent home. Unfortunately, your dog most likely experienced emotional trauma (perhaps in an urban environment) as a neonate (young puppy); whether he was found (with his litter or alone) by animal control or whelped (born) in the kill shelter, he has a very strong conditioned response to "strange" environments (as would be normal if he was picked up or surrendered at a crucial developmental phase, 8 to 12 weeks of age, which he apparently was.)
You've certainly tried everything to help this dog overcome his fear but you're probably dealing with a response that was acquired at a time when young dogs LEARN what is DANGEROUS. For instance: neonate (10 weeks of age or younger) is surrendered to kill shelter with dam (mother) and observes mother's fear of "strange environment" with lots of unusual sounds, scents, etc. (as occur in kill shelters); at this phase of development, this "strangeness" becomes imprinted on the dog's developing cognition of his surroundings (because the fear phase is biologically intended to prevent young puppies from engaging in behavior that may cost them their lives, this is an artifact of neonate wolf development.) So you're looking at what is called response perseverance: the inability of a dog to break out of a conditioned response. This theory of mine is proven by his fear of "new" objects. Fortunately, his basic temperament is quite confident (as witnessed by his "owning" your neighborhood) and he is wonderfully accepting of other animals.
In his present condition, Happy cannot possibly habituate to a change of environment such as he will have to endure if you move to India. Furthermore, the TRIP THERE will totally terrify him.
Can this dog be rehabilitated in time for your move? Most likely, but I can't tell you HOW TO DO IT IN A TEXT BOX. You absolutely, 100% require the assistance of a certified applied animal behaviorist. You cannot do this alone. An expert in behavior needs to evaluate Happy and determine the best possible course of action (and help you achieve it) to increase his confidence, allay his fears (insofar as this is possible) and even needs to help you determine whether or not this dog can make the trip and habituate to a different environment, such as you describe. DO NOT HIRE A DOG TRAINER; anyone can call themselves a trainer and, while there are many highly educated and capable people in dog training, you absolutely MUST KNOW that the professional you find is capable of doing the right thing with your dog. You can find a behaviorist by calling the veterinary college in your geographical area or by going to this site, which SUPPOSEDLY checks educational and professional credentials of its members, and which has members in the US and internationally:
http://www.iaabc.org/
BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN to check credentials yourself and ASK FOR REFERENCES and check those references. If you are presently in the UK, you can also contact this organization, co-founded by the late, great John Fisher:
http://www.coape.co.uk/
If you have ANY QUESTIONS regarding any technique(s) being used by the professional you hire, don't hesitate to post here and please remind me of Happy's circumstances when you do so, as I answer dozens of questions each week.
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