Dog (almost) Afraid of Everything!

[greenrider007]

Ok so here's the deal: I have an awesome Mini aussie that is about 2 years old. We bought her from a puppy mill (yeah I know) when she was about 14 months old. The lady was trying to breed her to a dog about 3 times her size and twice as hyper! Anyhow she showed no signs of trouble and was the sweetest most outgoing dog! We had her by herself for a few months until we bought my mini aussie puppy...

We have been noticing that lately (much more than usual) she cries out at just about anything. Any loud noise, quick movement, etc she will either wimper or cry and run off. She has ultra sensetive feet that if touched she will cry, if you hold her funny she gets upset or if you rub her "too hard" she will cry.

Heres the thing, Zoe our puppy can pull her hair, bite her stub of a tail, knock her over, push her around, and not a sound comes out (unless of course it gets obviously too rough)! She actually enjoys this!

Why does she cry so much now? Before she would occasionally wimper when we cleaned her feet, and if she was scared of something she would just shy away. Is this a jealousy/attention issue, or could she be sore from puppy play? I'm running out of ideas! How can I fix this! (she is very treat motivated)

By the way I just got her to walk on the leash without being completely focused on the fact the leash is a snake thats going to eat her! Sorry I know this is long.

[Aussienot]

A sudden change in behavior is worth a trip into the vet to make sure there's nothing going on medically. Soreness can certainly increase sensitivity.

If she's always been timid, the puppy's behavior could be intensifying things. Is the puppy mugging her mercilessly? If so, step in a stop it. If that is the same puppy in your other post, it's an 8 month old adolescent and you need to make your younger dog give her some peace and respect.

[greenrider007]

The puppy is (for the most part) only a pest when they are inside, its almost like they are trying to show off. If I do break it up she comes right back to the puppy like "come play with me!" The only reason I haven't taken her to the vet is that we don't have to touch her for her to cry. If she's in the mood, she'll cry if you talk too loud, move too fast, drop something, etc. So I wouldn't think it would be soreness, because its rarely in the same place.

[willow]

What do you do when she does this? Soothe her and try to convince her you aren't going to hurt her? If so, she may have learned that if she does this she gets your undivided attention, since she must now share you with the new pest...er....puppy! ;D

Also, by soothing her when she is afraid of some thing, she gets the message there is some thing to be afraid of. If you are sure she is not in physical pain, just do not react to her behavior...ignor her.

I also agree with Aussie that you have to be the Alpha of your "pack" and make both dogs leave each other alone and be calm in the house. There is no reason they should be harrassing each other constantly.

[greenrider007]

When she cries she doesn't get soothed, my sister and mom did it a couple times but I told them to stop. Right now everyones too frustrated with her to feel sorry for her!

[Aussienot]

I would still recommend a trip into the vet to rule out any structural sensitivity. Once that is ruled out, you can start behavioral modification to overcome the "emotional" sensitivity.