can any one tell me if rescue remedy works on dogs. i have a 8 month  old dog that has started puppy classes, but he  is very scared at the big dogs barking. he seems to want to hide away from them. will this stop him being so nervous and calm hom down.
thanks

How long have you had the pup and how many classes have you been to?
I'm on my forth training class with a very nervous 7 month TT as she came from kennels, it's only now she's coming out of herself and still gets spooked if the other dogs start barking. these things take time.
Try not to react to the noises yourself as the pup will pick this up and that makes it worst, also don't try and console the pup as this just feeds the stress. Usually if your not bothered they soon realise that all these noises arn't a problem but as usual these things take time.  

HE HAS BEEN TO ABOUT 10 CLASSES NOW. IN THE FIRST SET OF CLASSES  HE  WAS FINE, BUT THEN WE WENT ON TO THE NEXT CLASS WHICH HAD LARGER DOGS IN AND HE HAS BECOME VERY SCARED. AT HOME HE IS FINE ALSO WHEN WALKING HE SEEMS OK. NOT SURE WHAT TO DO.

yes rescue remedy is fine for dogs and does work Just rub some on his gums or a few drops in water.
What does your trainer say about the problem, does he dislike larger dogs in any other situation or is it just a training? 

HE SEEMS TO BE OK ISH WHEN OUT WITH HIM, BUT IN THE CLASS HE JUST SEEMS SO SCARED WHICH IS A SHAME BECAUSE AT HOME HE DOES THE TRICKS/TRAINING HE IS ASKED OF. I TAKE HIM OUT FOR WALKS WITH A FRIEND WHO HAS A LARGE DOG AND HE SEEMS OK. THE TRAINER SAYS NOTHING REALLY.

Rescue remedy is good & having a specific one made up is also good but it wont cure the problem at all, personally i would ask the trainer for help ...... if they cant back up thier training with some level of behavioural knowledge i'd change trainers. Have a look for an APDT reg training class they are worth thier weight.
Also please dont think i'm being rude but do you give your youngster any attention for him being nervous/scared of the dogs barking ? If you do then your pup might well be thinking you are rewarding this type of reaction & therefore making it worse each time .....
Hope this made sense ? :-)

I agree with stanleys comments.  I have returned to a APDT trainer after trying others  for various reasons, usually the day of the week but they certainly know what they are talking about and the training is positive reward based good luck

Hi,

Sometimes busy and noisy classes can do more harm than good for sensitive dogs. How many dog do they have in each class?  It may be worth trying to find a smaller class so that your dog can gain more confidence back in the class environment :-)

There are about 8-10 dogs in the class. I am going to keep on going for another 3 weeks or so and then maybe leave the class for a while. See what happens then. Thanks for your help.

I agree with stanley. Also, as he is ok with your friends dog, he should grow out of this problem. I think there are two elements to this problem. When in the wild, dogs use barking to warn of danger and as a signal to younger and more vulnerable members of the pack to take cover. Also, you need to put yourself in his situation, when you first started school I'm sure you were a little nervous of the 'big kids' until you got to know them. If you handle this situation correctly and as stanley says, don't reward this behaviour, when he is more mature and self confident he should be ok. It's very important that he doesn't pick up any anxiety signals from you.