scared/submissive Mastiff

Question
I have a 1 1/2 year old Tibetan Mastiff. Have had him since he was a puppy. We have recently moved from the country to the city. He was socialized to his surrounding where we lived in the country. He was always cautious and scared of new people, but not to the extent he is now. I am finding it harder and harder to coax him out of his crate to go outside to pee. He is afraid of all the city noises and people. It has been about three weeks since we moved and the first two weeks he was ok going outside. He was visibly scared but I tried reassuring him by talking calmly and getting down to his level. In the last week he doesn't even leave the crate, and is terrified of going outside the Apartment. When we are home he retreats back to his crate and comes out only to eat and drink. He will come downstairs at night and lay at my feet on the floor but his behavior has changed and he does not seem as happy. He will not let anyone (outside of well known family)approach him he barks and backs off in fear. Also if he just sees someone walking down the sidewalk toward us he does the same and tries to get far away to the point he has tried running into the road. He is constantly looking behind him on our walks to be sure there is no one there and he visibly shakes on the main side walk. He is not as bad on a less busy side walk. It seems to be getting worse instead of better. What am I doing wrong? I love this big Guy and want to make this new home work for both of us. Roberta

Answer
A move can really disconcert some dogs, especially if they were not terribly well socialized to similar environments as young puppies.  Dogs do not generalize well, so people in the new environment may seem scarier than people in the original environment.  Noises are scary, too, compared to the quiet of country life.  Also, at his age, your move may have coincided with a fear period, which some dogs go through at about 15 months of age, plus or minus.  You may also accidentally have reinforced his attitude of fear by getting down to his level.  In my opinion, it would have been better to stay in a normal posture and simply reward him for any semblance of courage.  You may want to get hold of a copy of "Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons. It was written to address problems of aggression, but I think that the training exercises also help frightened dogs to focus on the handler and gain confidence.
Don't be afraid to use food to coax him out of his shell - make it roast beef, not milk bones;-))  It can take 3-4 months for a dog to acclimate to a new home, so be patient.  And, don't force anyone on him.  Have all strangers remain quiet, turn their bodies a bit to the side, not stare, and even toss a treat onto the floor, so that he knows that "city folk" are friendly, too.