scared female boxer

Question
Nicole, my name is Andreas and am the owner of a 20 month old female Boxer named Zoey. I did a google search for the problem I'm having and typed in "Boxer scared of everything." A page linked to this site was the first result, and this was the question I found that was asked by someone else:

"Hi, we have a 20 month old Boxer female - who is a joy.  She LOVES her family (a bit too spastically at times) but is scared of EVERYTHING.  We have had her since she was 8 weeks and thought we did a great job socializing her - taking her everywhere, meeting lots of people.  But her fear has only gotten worse.  Loud noises and strange objects cause fearful pacing, barking, and running away.  (This can be an umbrella, a trash can, a vase that is in a different place than before - anything, anywhere inside or outside) Any strangers that come by (especially males) she will dash away from, barking and staying far back from them - even if they enter our home.  She has NO fear of other dogs - she LOVES them - and is immediately submissive.  I have tried ignoring the behavior, walking her on her leash to the strange object so she can investigate, scolding the nervousness with a firm no - but nothing seems to work.  She has NO agression - even to the point of getting her food stolen by our other dogs.  I know we need to be better with her training for one - but I am not sure how to help her overcome her fear of EVERYTHING!  HELP!!"

this is the problem my girlfriend and I are having almost EXACTLY. I wouldn't say she is afraid of anything and everything, but she is afraid of all the things in our kitchen (the oven, the microwave, the stovetop, the central heater in the closet) She's timid around strangers, but doesn't run away in fear of them. I feel like we're in the same boat as far as needing professional help with this, but don't know where to get it. I saw that you would offer assistance as far as finding help in my area, which would be greatly appreciated. I love my dog to death, and it's painful for me to see her like this, especially because I feel like she's lost the trust of my girlfriend and I. I live in the greater Philadelphia area. Norristown, PA to be exact. I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.


Answer
Hi Andreas,

I'm glad to see you're getting help for your girl.  :)  Too bad you didn't tell me you lived in Pitt, I'd have come and helped you myself  lol

What you want to do is google the following:

Animal Behaviorist Philadelphia
Animal Behaviorsit Pennsylvania

You should come up with several options.  If you don't, call your vet for a referral.

What you're going to want in a behaviorist is someone that will come and assess the dog in your home.  You also will want to contact a couple of their previous clients for references.

If you find some on the web, send the links to me Nicole@boxerdogplanet.com I'll be happy to check out the information and help you make a decision on who to use.  :)