Our labrador

Question
QUESTION: We have a lab that is 3 years old now, He is a very lovable dog, great hunter, and very smart. The only problem is, he is very jumpy and nervous, We bring him inside at least once a day, if he sees car shadows go by he jumps or runs, or if he hears a quick noise he runs, he can also be scared of a box or something new in the house. Like i said he is a great dog never barks at nothing, i have heard him bark 3 times in 3 years. Can you tell me why he gets so scared so easy?

ANSWER: Hi, Gary,

Thanks for the question.

Have you discussed this with your vet?

How old was he when you got him? Was he very oral as a puppy? What did you do to keep him from mouthing your hands or chewing on the furniture? Do you play fetch and tug-of-war with him every day? Do you take him on long walks in a natural setting? How much hard vigorous playful exercise does he get outdoors every day? Does he get a chance to romp and play with other dogs on a regular basis?

I look forward to hearing back from you,

LCK

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: He plays alot, nope never chewed on furniture, doesn't bite our hands. doesn't even potty in his pen outside, yes we take him for walks.

Answer
Hi again.

You didn't answer the following questions, Gary.

Have you discussed this with your vet? (You gave me no answer.)

How much hard vigorous playful exercise does he get every day? (Gary, "a lot of exercise" doesn't tell me anything; I need to know how much time exactly he spends playing each day.)

How long are the walks? (You said he goes on "long" walks, you didn't tell me how long they are; to one person a 15 min. walk is a long walk, to someone else an hr. walk is long.)

Do you play fetch and tug with him? (You didn't answer this.)

What kind/brand of dog food does he eat? (This is a new question and could be very important in determing what's causing his nervousness.)

Do you ever punish or scold him for anything? (This is a new question which needs to be addressed.)

Has he had any formal obedience training? If so, what kind? (This is also a new question.)

Look, Gary, your dog is exhibiting a lot of stress and nervous tension. He's not in a good place, emotionally. I'm here to help you, but I have to understand all the details of what's going on or I won't be able to get a handle on what's causing this behavior and help you fix it. I'm a professional dog trainer and behavior expert. I've been fixing people's problems for over 20 years, even problems that other, more experienced and "knowledgeable" trainers can't fix, sometimes even problems that another trainer has caused. I do this for a living. I'm volunteering my services here because I care about dogs and want every dog to be happy. That goes for your dog too.

If you answer my questions, and try not to get snippy about it, then we can move on.

LCK