Fearful dog - snappy zoomies

[EmilyandMaddox]

Hello,

I’m looking for a bit of advice for what I think is a fearful dog. My puppy is 7 months old. He’s generally quite well behaved for a puppy. We’ve been to two different puppy classes and are continuing to train him.

Our biggest issue is when he gets spooked by something or sees something he is scared of. He turns into a different dog - he growls and barks. And then usually gets the zoomies and races around. Sometimes these zoomies involve jumping at us and snapping. If he’s on his lead he is more likely to snap (I know he wants to get away from what’s scaring him and it’s frustrating for him to be on a lead but obviously if we are by a road he has to be).

What spooks him is not always predictable or obvious... for example he likes dogs but some dogs (usually bigger than him but can be smaller snappy dogs) will scare him but not others. He loves people but if out on a walk and we don’t see anyone for a while then the next people he sees will be barked at. It sometimes quite random, he manages well some days with lots of dogs and lots of people. Seems perfectly happy and doesn’t get spooked by anything.

When we know these zoomies are coming we stay as calm as possible, crouching down helps him calm and we try and reassure him, if he’s calm enough we stroke his chest which does help him. Sometimes we redirect his attention e.g. throw something for him to chase so he burns his adrenaline that way. It’s not always successful and it can sometimes last 5-10 mins before he calms, other times it can be quite quick.

Does it sounds like we are doing the right thing by him? Is there anything else that may help him? 

I am also concerned that this will be forever, I hope it’s just a phase we can get him through. Does anyone else have any similar experiences... if so what helped and how did you get past it?

Thanks so much in advance.

Emily

[GentleLake]

There's a god chance at this age that he's going through a fear period, quite normal at this age.

The best thing for you to do is remain as calm and upbeat as possible and to do your best to calm him without going over the line to reinforcing his fears. IOW don't baby him. Be matter of fact, do what you need to do to calm him down then continue on your way like nothing's happened. If you can anticipate whatever will set him off start before he reacts by being upbeat and happy and just moving along like it's no big deal.

His reaction is a bit extreme, but with some help on your part he should grow out of it.