I agree with the others and would call in a behaviorist.

I would also recommend Bach's Rescue Remedy and a Thunder Shirt, both of which may help provide a little temporary relief. Bach's is a homeopathic medication and the Thunder shirt is like swaddling a baby.

I also highly recommend the book "My Smart Puppy" and the website Helping You Help Your Dog | mysmartpuppy.com. There is tons of information in both regarding determine the personality of your pup and how to tailor the training process depending on the personality as well as information on desensitizing a fearful dog or pup. Good luck with your little one. It is heartbreaking to witness a dog with that much fear.

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May I also recommend a Thundershirt - it is helping Honey feel safer in a variety of situations.
Also a DAP collar can help or just a drop of lavender oil on the pups collar. This was a great tip for Honey from Kat, it certainly keeps her sense of smell busy!


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Lavender even works to calm me! I have lavender hand lotion that I use when I am feeling tense and it does help. I never thought to put a drop on the collar. I like that idea.

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I can't take the credit lol . I also put it in the oil burner at home when we are sitting and relaxing


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Thanks for the replies. Edie's doing better through gentle encouragement; she'll happily play in the yard now, and she isn't so reactive to noises. I think it was mostly the abrupt change of scenery that caused her setback; my Mum's house is in a much quieter location and we could use her car to drive to the countryside for walks. We're seeing a behaviourist tomorrow, just to find out how I can help her more.

Also, I tried to sign up for puppy socialisation classes, but I was told that since Edie was so nervous, she shouldn't come to the older puppy group, and she wasn't allowed to come to the young puppy group case her anxiety upsets the other puppies. So apparently she's on the scrapheap now, even though she's only 18 weeks old. I'm really angry and upset.

Glad your pup is doing a bit better, and I definitely agree on the behaviorist idea.
Another fabulous tool to build confidence in a dog is exercise, physical and
mental stimulation is crucial to a dog's development. Frequent, structured on
leash walks are a must. Take her out 3-4 times per day. Start out slow, 20
minutes at a time, and work your way up. Use lots of praise and even an
occasional treat for motivation. I can't tell you enough about the difference
exercise makes, it is my number one tool in rehabilitation.

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My dog cant go to socialization events either so what I do is go to a class or a dog park and sit with her in an area where she can still see the other dogs but they cant get close to each other. The trainer at the socialization classes caught on to what I was doing so she started putting a chair outside for us haha. Like I mentioned earlier, I had a behaviorist do home visits. When she thought my dog was ready she began to bring her own dogs and set up little scenarios with her dog and mine in a controlled way. When your behaviorist comes make sure you tell then about your socialization issue and they might be able to do something similar.

I couldn't agree more! When I was a kid, we rescued a dog from thel ocl shelter and she really came out of her shell when we started walking her four time a day.

Problem is Edie is absolutely petrified of going outside on the street (it's actually the main thing I need the behaviourist to help me with). She's happy in the countryside, but we don't have a car so she can't avoid the city. At the moment I'm trying to do as much playing out in the yard as possible to tire her out, and trying to get her to at least stand outside the door without reaching her fear threshold. She's too scared to take treats when she's outside, which makes it really difficult. If she could just enjoy walking, I'd not be nearly so worried about her wellbeing.

Anyway, sorry for so much posting. I don't really have anyone else to talk to.