Question:
We have a 11 mo old Old English Mastiff who is afraid of everything new or out of order. He is afraid of the grandchildren toys in the driveway that werent there yesterday, a garbage can that rattled, sometimes even not wanting to come off the steps to go to the kennel. Went for a walk yesterday and someone had set a white garbage bag by their trash can. It wasnt there yesterday, and not its there today and he wouldnt go any further. So we had to go back home. The vet suggested the canine form of Prozac. So we've had him on it for 3 weeks and havent noted any difference. Has anyone had a pet like that?

Answer:
If the Prozac isn't doing any good I would take him off it. Have you tried Rescue Remedy from the health food store? Also, has he been to obedience school and gotten socialized?

We'd also like to see pics of both your doggies.

Answer:
My mom's puppy used to be like this, she started letting him have play dates with the neighbors pets and he kinda out grew it.

Answer:
When Declan first came home it was fairly obvious he hadn't seen much of the world and was certainly not a big-city boy. We've pretty much worked through his fearfulness and skittishness now. We started with exposure to new things in small doses. The length and frequency of the exposure increased over time. For instance he was afraid to walk on a busy street. So we would power walk the back-roads long enough that he was a bit tired (anxiety level is therefore reduced) then we would cross over to a main thoroughfare for one block then back to the alleyways for a few blocks then back to the main road for another block and so on and so on. I started this once a week on a Sunday evening when it would be least busy (and therefore least stressful). Over time the one block increased to two then three and so on. The number of times we walked this route increased and the day changed from the least busy to the busiest time and day. He canow walk indefinitely on the a very busy throughfare without undue hardship. The most important thing for me was paying attention to his behaviour, watching for the clues which would tell me he had reached his tolerance level. After all, if it becomes a thoroughly stressful and unpleasant experience he's unlikely to repeat it willingly or happily. The second important thing was to ensure that I was fully relaxed and confident so that I was not unwittingly sending any stress down the leash or out into the atmosphere. And the third was to ensure that if he did react with balking or skittishness, I moved along projecting confidence that all was normal and that I made sure I in no way comforted him or coaxed him. Obedience training is an obvious plus here. Good luck and definitely get him out to play dates and other socialization opportunities where he can gain more life experience.

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