Hello I am new to this Forum but I am hoping someone might be able to help. I have a  21 month old Labrador(had her since a pup). She has always been on the nervous side but she has become so nervous that she wouldn't even play in the park due to planes going over.It was impossible to walk round the streets with her. We took her to the vets and he put her on Valium ,she is having 2 in the morning and 1 in the evening but I have tonight given her 2 for the evening also. This morning my uncles Labrador came to stay for the day, they were playing fine until next doors party balloons went bang, she wouldnt stop shaking and wouldn't go out into the garden again for ages, not even to spend a penny.  We have also been given a DAP Diffuser but as yet I haven't seen any improvement, if anything after today she is worse, she is terrifed of planes, bangs, fireworks(which I can understand) motor bikes basically anything thats loud,

Can anyone help or suggest anything else I can do to help Holly, I am running out of ideas fast. She is such a loveable Lab and loves people and dogs.She gets lots of love and attention.

Thanks in advance,
Sarah and Holly



Can anyone help or suggest anything else I can do to help Holly, I am running out of ideas fast. She is such a loveable Lab and loves people and dogs.

Thanks in advance,
Sarah and Holly
www.livingdoll.freeserve.co.uk

Was there anything that triggered this off ?

Also how do you react when she gets nervous ?

Have you contacted the breeder to see if they can help or have any suggestions as what you have described seems rather extreme.

Why not join and then maybe we can give you more advice and help :)

Lucy
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Hello Lucy,

Thank you so much for your reply. I did join but couldn't manage to log in. Its working now :-)

We act very calmy when Holly gets nervous and just try to help her all we can.  I haven't managed to contact the breeder yet but I will do so, thanks for the suggestion.

It's really so sad to see her shaking and terrified of really quite minor things sometimes. I just don't know what to do, having tried so hard to help her.

When I took her to the vet about this she was fine in the waiting room but was shaking so badly when the vet called her that my partner had to carry her in. The vet was concerned as her heart was racing so badly and this is why he prescribed Valium - he could see exactly what we were concerned about. I'm sure many dogs are scared at the vets but this can happen indoors, or at the park, anywhere, even where she normally would feel very safe, and can be so bad that she just wont(or cant) move... she is truly petrified. The vet didn't want Holly to be on the Valium for more than 3 weeks but we are now into the 4th week with little or no improvement. He believes that she has fears about everything being taller than her and closing in on her. It just seems to be any sudden loud sound that causes the problem but we cant pinpoint anything that triggered it off.

Holly is sometimes quite bolf (for instance at the park, she will run and hide in the woods with my Mums Labrador, but we have to be wary of this now as she is likely to bolt if she hears something she doesnt like).

Its been such a lovely day here today but poor Holly has spent it mostly in hiding (in her bed or in our car in the garage - which seems to be her safe haven.Mums Lab and my Uncles Lab have been here and playing nicely and she loves their company. Its just so sad - and this was all triggered off today by the balloons bursting!

Thank you again for your help. I think I possibly should be posting this in the other section now so please forgive me if so.

Best wishes
Sarah & Holly

Sadly, what humans consider to be 'help' can sometimes be perceived by the dog as simply rewarding the behaviour.  Often the best thing we can do for a 'nervous' dog is to ignore it, or create some kind of distraction.

Hello digger,

Thank you for your reply. Yes of course, you are completely right and I hadn't thought of it that way. Immediate reaction is to comfort and fuss her so I will give this a try. Thank you again for your help.

Best wishes,
Sarah & Holly

Yes I was about to say the same thing Digger :)

Also try Serene-UM. Had very good results to clam my oldest Lab down to cut her claws :)

Lucy
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Sorry I had to cut my reply short yesterday due to son coming home from hospital......  From your post, it appears to be bangs and similar noises that she is scared of.  I'd suggest getting a CD (available from Pets at Home) which is of crashes and bangs (fireworks, thunger etc.) and follow the instructions VERY CAREFULLY on how to desensitise your dog to these sorts of noises.

Hello again digger & Lucy,

Thank you both so much for your help, its very kind of you. I will definitely get that CD - at least Holly may then get used to the noise within her own surroundings which will be better. Its obviously quite a common problem if there's a CD to help. I'm not at all happy with Holly being on the Valium so I will give this CD a try,thank you again.

Lucy, I'd forgotten about Serene-UM, My Mums Collie used to have that to help on firework night.(when he sadly passed away, at the ripe old age of 16, Mum rescued a lab, 9 mths old, and she is such a calm dog,been with Mum 2yrs now and not had 1 problem of any kind. Mum was very relieved to find Poppy doesn't even notice fireworks or storms etc. Holly makes up for it though! Poor thing).

I really appreciate the help you have both given me.It's been so upsetting seeing Holly so distressed and I really did feel at my wits end, couldn't think of anything else to do, so I honestly can't thank you enough. I will let you know how Holly gets on.

Thank you again,

Best wishes,
Sarah