A Nervous Puppy Can Turn Into An Anxious Dog

I’ve written many times about how over-loving a dog can create anxiety and nervousness in your dog’s behaviour. This is the case with a puppy I saw today.

Poppy is a 13 week old Labrador who’s owners would potentially like to work her out in the shooting field. Initially, they came to me to ensure she’s a happy, well behaved puppy. Unfortunately Poppy has already been overloved, which was clearly shown in her lesson today. She is a nervous puppy, anxious and worried about anything. The owners pointed out that they have never left Poppy on her own and in fact, it is never their intention to leave her on her own. This type of over-loving with a dog will certainly create separation anxiety and long-term behavioural problems. It’s not healthy to have your puppy with you all the time. We need to create times for your puppy to be separated and crated away from the family. Unfortunately, the family did not want to address this behaviour and I can see problems ahead for them.

Nervous Aggression

I am seeing so many cases of nervous aggression at present caused by the pandemic. People have abandoned solid structure and routine with their dogs as their own lives have changed. Creating a good foundation at an early age will mean that whatever your lifestyle changes, your dog will be secure and know their place within the home.

My Springer Spaniel puppy, who is also 13 weeks, is far from a nervous puppy, she is oozing with confidence – you can read about her progress here. This is because from day one she’s been taught yes and no. There’s total consistency with her commands, with a focus on not over-loving her. If more people looked at the long term impact of their behaviour towards their dog, we’d have more confident, happy and well behaved dogs.

Posted: November 14, 2020