Dobermans fears

Question
My boyfriend has had him from 7weeks old i think but i met him at 6months old. He is neutered. He has been socialised to all the things that he is now, i think, frightened of. He never used to have a problem! It has been more apparent in the last year. He is obedient in the house and we did have a behaviourist in to see him at 1 year old as he was nipping ankles but that has since stopped. He is a very loyal dog, just with a few issues. My partner says he took him to obedience classes as a pup but our Dobe was too interested in everything else around him and it wasn't very successful. We have done our own training from home and continuously try on the lead but when he is frightened or spooked he will not even take his favourite treats or toys to distract him he spits them out which is very unusual cause he is usually a gannet and eats anything and everything.I have tried taking him away from the thing that frightens him but he still continues to pull hard slightly crouched until we get down the road from the house. I am really unsure where to go next. Today he walked well on short lead until i coughed and then he pulled again.We are ignoring him so he has nothing to react against but that doesnt seem to make a difference. He did settle down again quickely though (until another cough anyway).
I do praise him when he is walking well and silent when he is not. I am not sure this is right. I hope you can shed some light on the subject, it would be so nice for all of us to enjoy our long walks again. Thankyou
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Followup To

Question -
I have a 6 year old Dobe with hypothyroidism. he is on tablets and his levels are stable. He is on a dry mix diet(autaki summer years) he eats the mix with water measured to the right amount split between x3 a day. He is never on his own during the day as goes to work with my boyfriend. He has regular walks but we cannot let him off the lead due to his increasing fears and anxiety( he bolts when scared). He walks on an extender lead of 5 meters due to bolting when he saw a windsurfer on the beach and nearly got run over. Recently he has been pulling when i cough!unusual i know. He is a loving dog with lovely manner but he is also scared of every thing from buses,the sea, boats, windsurfers,mini trains(just the noise sets him off),thunder, fireworks, flags etc He is great with other dogs and children but some other dogs don't like him. We have tried many ways to calm him but he is fighting them and finds something else to be scared of.Can you help? He is so calm at home.

Answer -
It sounds as if your dog was not properly socialized as a puppy, Wend. How long have you had him, and what do you typically do when he is fearful of something? Do you have any obedience on him at all? Often, doing obedience with your dog can go a long way towards building his confidence, and the bond between you and him.

If you can answer these questions, I'll do my best to help you and your dog out!

Kristen  

Answer
Hello, again, Wend. I've been doing some research, since you said that these issues seem to have just started up recently. I spoke with some people who are more 'in the know' about hypo and hyperthyroidism, and this is the information they gave me:

"This may not have anything to do with it, but if it's a recent problem, the first thing I'd do is take that dog back to the vet. Hypothyroidism can cause anxiety in PEOPLE, and aggression in animals, and a whole slew of seemingly unrelated problems. I've read that it's possible that what may appear in bloodwork to be "stable" levels are not acceptable levels for THAT particular individual.

Recently, I've done a fair amount of research on hypothyroidism, and it seems that the importance of the thyroid gland is a hugely overlooked. There is a virtual laundry list of symptoms caused by hypothyroidism that are perfectly capable of causing an otherwise normal dog to act odd. If it were my dog, I'd definitely follow up on the health aspect and not just assume he's fine b/c the levels appear stable. There are many natural ways to balance hormone levels, including thyroid, so I'd at least look into it. Have the owner google hypothyroidism; I think she'll be quite surprised how serious it can be.

It's easy to miss health issues in dogs b/c they don't complain and can't tell you where it hurts. A person KNOWS something is wrong and wants it fixed; a dog just has to live with it unless its owners are very proactive. Another possibility worth looking into is an adrenal gland problem (which we're seeing more and more of b/c of commercial foods); adrenal gland failure/malfunction is a major cause of hypothyroidism, so just getting the thyroid levels up again would not fix the problem. A holistic vet may be more intuned to these issues and possibilities, or perhaps one with extensive hormone knowledge.

Just a hunch, but I'd bet this is not just a behavior issue. Check out http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/dog-hypo.htm

And also 'Hypothyroidism can cause behavioral changes such as aggression, passivity, phobias, anxiety, or neuromuscular events such as seizures.' Dr. Jean Dodds "The Low Thyroid/Seizure Connection" (Yes, I know we're not talking about seizures, but it cites general symptoms of hypothyroidism.)

A proper diet can fix many problems in dogs..even behavioral ones.It cant do anything but help, thats for sure, and by proper I mean raw with enzymes."


I am not familiar with the brand of food your dog is on, and was not able to find any information on it online, but if it's like most commercial dog foods, it's pretty poor quality. Would you mind giving me the ingredients listing, guaranteed analysis, and feeding recommendations off the bag? I don't know if you're able to feed raw to your dog or not, but even switching from a poor quality commercial food to a high quality commercial food can help solve many problems.

Kristen