Why is she so scared?

Izzy's Mom

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My bulldog is almost 2 years old now (to be more exact she will turn 2 on July). She is the sweetest girl in the world but she is scared of everything!!!!

I moved this past weekend and knowing how Izzy gets scared about EVERYTHING I planned to have her staying in a friends house. Today I had a minor furniture delivery... literally 2 pieces of furniture came to my place while Izzy was inside her crate. All they did is to walk into my bedroom and drop the chair and nightstand and when I look at Izzy, inside her crate in the living room, she is shaking and having a nervous breakdown. Why does she gets so scared?

During our walks we are experiencing the same thing... anything out of the ordinary makes her scared and she wants to run the opposite direction. When the elevator door opens... she gets scared... when someone carrying a box comes to her direction... she is scared! Is there anything I can do to work with her to minimize this? It just seems its getting more intense as she gets older. She was expose to everything as a puppy and she is fine with cars on the street, bikes, buses... but people moving sets her off.

I felt really bad for her this morning... just want to help my baby to cope with things better.

Michelle
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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So sorry she is going through all that.... do you have visitors in your home often? It could be that it is unsettleing to her routine especially if she is OK once out and about. Most bullies are scared of random, inanimate things but it seems she is just a nervous Nellie. Can you get a trainer or a friend to work with her daily and teach her that things ae OK and not going to hurt her? Treats and high praise when she does not react?

Banks is like this with some thing and it is best to ignore the behavior... if you pet her or talk to her that it 'will be ok'... you are telling her it is acceptable to be afraid.
 
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Izzy's Mom

Izzy's Mom

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[MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION] she is okay when I have friends over. But when it's people "carrying things" she is not okay. I usually dont praise her when she is acting like that. During walks I will grab the leash firm and have her cross the area that she wants to avoid.

The other day I got into the elevator with 3 other guys and she was not having it. Soooo scared and shaking.... it's embarassing! Once she is out she was good... but did not like sharing the space with strangers.

She was raised in a house that is a calm environment. Not sure if things moving or loud noises disrupt her routine.... I will change her name to Nervous Nellie!
 

brutus77

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Whenever I add something new to the house it will usually entail a few hours of barking and growling from the bulldogs. Yesterday my husband put the hose holder out in the yard and Frankie had a complete break down. I had to bring him over to it and show him that it was ok and would not harm him. They are big giant babies hiding in bully bodies. Maybe if you do what I did and talk to her and tell her that they wont hurt her and show her it is ok, maybe that will help?
 
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Izzy's Mom

Izzy's Mom

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[MENTION=9370]brutus77[/MENTION] i tried similar thing with the vaccuum cleaner... i put her favorite treat on top of it and tried to get her to get a little closer. She does not bark at all but she shakes and runs. It's fear more than anything else... is less curiosity than what most bully owners experience with their babies... she is just afraid! not really wanting to get to know those objects and needing me to introduce her to them! lol
 

brutus77

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@brutus77 i tried similar thing with the vaccuum cleaner... i put her favorite treat on top of it and tried to get her to get a little closer. She does not bark at all but she shakes and runs. It's fear more than anything else... is less curiosity than what most bully owners experience with their babies... she is just afraid! not really wanting to get to know those objects and needing me to introduce her to them! lol

Poor baby. Maybe a thunder coat?? I don't know too much about these, but I think it is supposed to make them feel more secure in a stressful situation. Maybe you could google the uses for it.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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@2BullyMama she is okay when I have friends over. But when it's people "carrying things" she is not okay. I usually dont praise her when she is acting like that. During walks I will grab the leash firm and have her cross the area that she wants to avoid.

The other day I got into the elevator with 3 other guys and she was not having it. Soooo scared and shaking.... it's embarassing! Once she is out she was good... but did not like sharing the space with strangers.

She was raised in a house that is a calm environment. Not sure if things moving or loud noises disrupt her routine.... I will change her name to Nervous Nellie!


so strange... it seems you've done all the right things in keeping her socialized, but not sure what else to do. Maybe the Tundershirt will help... others have used it with success, not all are successful, but it might be worth a try.

banks is like this with riding in the car... never a bad experience for her, but she is terrified and hates it - fine once she is where we are going, but in the car she is curled in a ball and shaking the entire ride
 

Davidh

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It seems like you are doing things right. All I can say is just try to keep reassuring her it is OK and that will not hurt her. I will go to the object and touch it and have mine come to it so see it will not get them and that seems to help.
 

hnhammond

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We don't have this issue, so I don't know how helpful I'll be, but I've heard that nervousness (unless they've been abused) is a result of being unsure of where they stand in the "pack". In example, if they're unsure who the alpha is, they put all that pressure on themselves to keep the pack safe and happy - and most dogs just flat out don't have it in them to be an alpha.

My mom has four (non-bullie) dogs, none of which she trained in any way, and they are ALL extremely anxious and nervous, so I always believed this to be true. Matilda and I went through very strict obedience training and she very much respects me as the alpha. She is the most comfortable, non-anxious dog ever!

Have you done a lot of obedience training with Izzy? If not, I would look into it, especially exercises that establish you as the pack leader. Even if she isn't having behavioral problems, it seems to really factor into their comfort level if they understand you are the alpha and they can trust you to handle the pack on your own.


The only time Matilda had anxiety was when we first moved. She started tearing up the house and basically reverting to a puppy! Her vet put her on low-dose doggie xanax for about a month - just to calm her a bit until she adjusted to the house. It worked so well! She stopped all her anxious behavior immediately and when we stopped the xanax, it never came back. Maybe something to look into as well? If she's calm for a while she may forget that she ever thought the world was so scary!

Poor Izzy, I'm so sorry you guys are going through this! She and Matilda are the same age, I remember seeing all her baby pics on here.
 
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Izzy's Mom

Izzy's Mom

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I will look into the thundershirt... it might be a good idea for her.

so strange... it seems you've done all the right things in keeping her socialized, but not sure what else to do. Maybe the Tundershirt will help... others have used it with success, not all are successful, but it might be worth a try.

banks is like this with riding in the car... never a bad experience for her, but she is terrified and hates it - fine once she is where we are going, but in the car she is curled in a ball and shaking the entire ride
 

4flowers

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I had a dog once just like this. I stopped taking her for walks because it got SO bad! She was scared of mailboxes, balloons, wind, thunder, the doorbell, curtains if air moved them etc. It was horrible! Unfortunately her fear eventually turned into aggression! I had to hire a professional, she never fully got rid of all her fears but the aggression got better. I would talk to a professional.
 

Vikinggirl

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Hi Michelle, I know exactly what you're going through, I have two EB siblings, they are also 2 years old, born in February.
My female Blossom is the exact opposite of her brother Bulldozer, she is definitely the dominate one, but not in a aggressive way, she will take his toys, and she plays really rough with him sometimes, but never hurts him. She has way more energy than him as well and will walk for ever if I let her. Then we have Dozer aka Dozey, he is the most laid back guy I have ever seen, just wants to sleep and cuddle, and couldn't care less what you do to him. Bath him, cut his nails, brush him whatever, he will let you. He is scared of everything including his own shadow, he shakes at the sight of the vacuum, he cowers if he hears loud bangs, like if you drop something, and thunder or lightning just sends him to a shaking mess, he's been like this since I got him at 10 weeks old, he doesn't cower from people, he loves people and especially kids and will run over to them and then just flop on their feet for a belly rub, people think this is hilarious. Always makes them laugh. He does it all the time when we go to Petsmart. Dozer absolutely hates to walk, he won't walk for more than 5 or 10 minutes, before he'll lay down, stretch all 4 legs o the side and refuse to walk any further. He will not walk beside the road when cars go by. The sound of the traffic whizzing by makes him so nervous, he constantly pulls to go toward the grassy areas beside the sidewalks, so he doesn't have to walk beside the road, and he turns around and pulls because he's trying to go back towards home. I've been taking him on shorter walks up the street from me to get him accustomed to the traffic and he will walk a little, but he's still very nervous. I don't know how to get him out of this either, other than to just keep taking him and exposing him to the traffic sounds and walking beside the road, so he gets used to it. I feel bd for him, because we often go on long walks in the evening with Blossom, and Dozer stays behind because he won't walk far.
 
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Izzy's Mom

Izzy's Mom

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[MENTION=5755]hnhammond[/MENTION] thank you for your comments and I think you might be right. I did take Izzy to puppy training school and have watched all Caesar Milan's videos on how to be the pack leader but I think sometimes she will try to take on the role and maybe that's why she gets scared. I bet I am not providing her with the energy that I am there to protect her.... or she thinks she needs to protect me.

I recently had some changes to our household and I am now living by myself and I did notice that she is being more of a guard dog than ever to me. I thought it was cute but I guess I need to step it up and reinforce my role on this pack, even though now it is only the two of us.

Izzy is very well behaved, I can take her anywhere. She will not jump on the couch or bed and she obeys to almost all my commands. Our walks are something we can work on because sometimes she pull on the leash or doesnt pay attention to me and walks in zig zig...

Thank you!


We don't have this issue, so I don't know how helpful I'll be, but I've heard that nervousness (unless they've been abused) is a result of being unsure of where they stand in the "pack". In example, if they're unsure who the alpha is, they put all that pressure on themselves to keep the pack safe and happy - and most dogs just flat out don't have it in them to be an alpha.

My mom has four (non-bullie) dogs, none of which she trained in any way, and they are ALL extremely anxious and nervous, so I always believed this to be true. Matilda and I went through very strict obedience training and she very much respects me as the alpha. She is the most comfortable, non-anxious dog ever!

Have you done a lot of obedience training with Izzy? If not, I would look into it, especially exercises that establish you as the pack leader. Even if she isn't having behavioral problems, it seems to really factor into their comfort level if they understand you are the alpha and they can trust you to handle the pack on your own.


The only time Matilda had anxiety was when we first moved. She started tearing up the house and basically reverting to a puppy! Her vet put her on low-dose doggie xanax for about a month - just to calm her a bit until she adjusted to the house. It worked so well! She stopped all her anxious behavior immediately and when we stopped the xanax, it never came back. Maybe something to look into as well? If she's calm for a while she may forget that she ever thought the world was so scary!

Poor Izzy, I'm so sorry you guys are going through this! She and Matilda are the same age, I remember seeing all her baby pics on here.
 

Amyp325

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Apr 23, 2014
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Hi there... My Si is exactly the same. We have had him since he was 10 weeks old and he is scared of some of the strangest things. If I take out the trash and get out a new trash bag he gets scared. If I pull out a baking pan from the cupboard he gets scared. He is not afraid to go bye bye and take baths... Just small things will scare him. I guess this is normal as I see a lot of other
bulldogs have the same issue.
Just love Izzy and reassure her that she will be ok... That's what we do with Si.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Izzy's Mom

Izzy's Mom

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[MENTION=11439]4flowers[/MENTION] - definetly don't want the fear turning into aggression but I can see how that can happen. They don't know how to cope with the fear so they will attack. I will start taking treats with me again and training her as if she was a puppy... The good old days!
[MENTION=6311]Vikinggirl[/MENTION] - I also believe that is part of her personality to be scared.... but she is just getting worse. She used to love to ride elevators.... she would stick her nose on the door and storm in once the elevator door opened (rude!) but since this guy came out carrying this large piece of furniture and scared the crap out of her was enough to traumatize her! Since then (about a year ago) her attitude towards the elevator door is very different. She will stare at the door in an anxious way and once it opens she will jump back... take a second to look inside the elevator and then come inside! She cracks me up but I dont want her fear to overcome her joy of doing things.
 

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