nervous puppy.

Question
Hello, I have a 6 month old, male, neutered, terrier mixed breed puppy. He is wonderful and very active. He has received all of his puppy shots (DHLPP, Rabies, and bordatella) and is current on worming, heartworm treatment, and flea and tick prevention. He had some skin issues which are healing very well but never any major health concerns. The skin issues were positive for demodex mange and two weeks later he was negative so the vet said he never had the mange and he was tested for ringworm (results negative) and suddenly his skin started to heal. He just had a few spots of hair loss but now he is doing so good and is almost completely healed, without any definate diagnosis. After that long history I will get down to the question. I take him for regular walks about 2 or 3 times a day around my apartment complex because he loves to run and play. I was thinking he was getting bored in the same area every day so I found a very clean public park for him to go walk on a walking path. I have realized after a pattern of symptoms that he seems to get diarrhea when he is stress with something new. For example, his bowel movements are perfectly normal in the morning and even seem to be normal if I walk him outside where he has already been; however, when I take him to the park he seems to get a sudden bought of diarrhea. The events that lead to the park may cause this as well, he drives in a car for about 10 minutes. Very rarely he will vomit after riding in the care but it is only clear and he never vomits unless he rides in the car. He has had all his medical treatments and is acting very normal and active otherwise but I am wondering if this is normal that he reacts to changes this way? If I dont take him to the park requiring a car ride and I just walk him around the apartment where he is very use to he will be fine but as soon as he does something different like riding in the car or walking in an area he has never been he seems to get stomach upset which includes diarrhea and rarely vomiting. Is this normal? I slowly introduced him to a car ride when he was younger so shouldnt he be used to the car ride by now or could he have motion sickness, do dogs get this? I realize you are not a vet but I am wondering if you have ever had any experience with this stress-induced stomach upset? Thanks for any help you can give. I am going to take him into the vet this week just to get a check up to verify nothing is medically wrong, as the last time he was in was for his last shots on the beginning of Jan but I wanted to research and see if I could find anything about such a reaction.

Answer
Hi Rachel,

Boy! Your puppy was a real mess! It's a good thing he found you, and that you're providing the care he needs!

If your puppy only seems to get the diarrhea/loose stool when you take him in the car, then it's a fair bet that those car rides are a bit too stressful for him.
Many dogs throw up in the car, it's something he might outgrow as he gets older. You can read about how to slowly get your dog used to going for car rides here:

http://dogs.about.com/cs/behaviorissues/a/bltip003.htm

If your dog is being stressed just by being walked in new areas (without a car ride), it might be because he's having a lack of confidence, and it's causing him anxiety. Working with your dog, and training him some basic obedience commands (sit, down, stay, etc.) is a good way of building his confidence. Working with your dog can help him to understand that you are in charge and that he can trust you to keep him safe. Keep training periods short, upbeat and fun. Reward desirable behavior and ignore wrong behavior. Helping your dog feel a sense of accomplishment is a great confidence builder. If you enroll in obedience classes, make sure the trainer uses positive training methods.

Patience is essential. Maybe hold off on walking to the areas that cause your dog stress, until you've been doing the training routine for a few weeks. Then, when you walk him in a new area, give him frequent "pop quizzes" of obedience commands during the walk, to get his mind off the stressful situation, and keep his mind on following your commands. If he seems to be getting stressed, don't force him to continue. Turn around and go home. It may take time to work up to going any distance. In the meantime, your dog probably as bored walking around your complex, as you are!

For dogs that have anxiety problems (you're not alone in this), sometimes they respond to anti-anxiety medication. Medication alone won't cure your dog, but it will take the "edge" off of his behavior. Medication needs to go hand in hand with training.
There are also over the counter herbal anxiety remedies to try. Brands to consider are: PetCalm, Rescue Remedy, or Anxiet-Ease Formula Tincture.

If things don't seem to progress on your own, you should consider consulting with a dog behaviorist/trainer. Sometimes there just isn't a substitute for a live-and-in-person professional. You can get a recommendation from your veterinarian, or from local boarding kennels.

Best of luck,

Patti