Fear for walking outdoors

Question
Hi, I moved from overseas to States and has been staying in an apartment for about a year. My 12 year old Male Maltese have a lot of behavior problems like separation anxiety that has been difficult to correct. Recently, I've started bringing him out of the apartment's gated community for long walks (So that it will help with his separation anxiety) but each time he walks out of the gate, he starts to hyperventilate and appears very anxious. When he is walking within the apartment compounds, he is calm and loves the walk. Why is this so and what should I do?

Answer
My first and best suggestion would be that you talk to your vet. get a blood panel done on him, including a 6-panel thyroid. And find a good trainer or behaviorist local to you who can actually observe the behavior. It's not unusual for dogs to be stressed by new situations, and panting (but not hyperventalating) is a normal sign of stress. One simply can't say how serious this behavior is over the internet. If it is severe, a veterinary behaviorist could prescribe anti-anxiety meds. Or a non-vet behaviorist could work with your vet. It needs to be someone who knows  the ins and outs of these medications though. And which one will work best. They don't solve problems by themselves usually. But they can take the edge off so that training has a chance to work. Best luck. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com