easily scared dog

Question
My schnoodle is sweet and loving with us and very obedient.  Unfortunately, she can become extremely frightened by simple noises such as a clicker, a tsk sound etc.   She becomes immediately submissive to us and rolls on her back or hides under the desk.  With strangers and children she will try to nip at their feet and will growl if confined behind a gate etc.  She seems to show fear aggression and will try to "get" whatever she is afraid of ie. vaccuum cleaner, kids, men.   We are not sure how to build her confidence with us and work on her potential fear aggression with others.

Answer
For any anxious dog, I recommend good leadership - consistent rules and routines. Dogs like to know what is expected and understanding what comes next and that you will take care of things.Addressing these general anxieties should make specific ones less severe, and its hard for a dog to exercise their brain and be fearful at the same time. If you want to use a sound marker, there are quiet clickers that can be muffled in your hand, a retractable ball point pen, the top of a vacuum jar. Engage in mindful handling like TTouch rather than excessive petting (which is sometimes the opposite of soothing to the dog) If you feel that her fears are excessive and effecting the quality of her life (and it sounds like that may be the situation) I'd be looking for a consult with a veterinary behaviorist (or a consultation between your vet and a behaviorist) to see if meds will help with her problems. There are also medical conditions (like hypothyroid) that can cause extreme behavior. Sandy Case MEd CPDT