Fearful about everything!

Question
Hi there~
I recently adopted a 3 yr old, neutered, Bichon/Yorkie mix from a local shelter. He was scheduled to be put to sleep on that day, as he had been waiting in quarantine because he had bitten many times with his previous owners.
The dog is very fearful...of everything. He will stand there right in front of you whimpering and quivering, and will NOT STOP. He does great while we're walking, but the second we stop he's whining again. I'm sure the bites were out of fear, as this dog is emotionally a wreck, and is very insecure. My question is, how can I stop the whining? It's SO annoying and ignoring him isn't cutting it! HELP! Thanks in advance.

Answer

Hi Miranda,

Your dog is carrying a lot of emotional baggage from it's previous living situations. He needs professional help to be reconditioned out of his current behaviors.

Your best bet for helping your dog lies with getting professional help. You should contact a dog behaviorist in your area, who can evaluate your dog, and then show you how to help him. Your veterinarian or local boarding kennel might be able to refer you to a behaviorist, if they can't look in your yellow pages under dog obedience to find some help. You can also find a dog trainer here:

http://www.apdt.com/po/ts/default.aspx

http://www.nk9dta.com/locate_trainer.aspx

Best of luck,

Patti