Camus is developing fears, one atop another -- Afraid of the dark, people, his collar, next?

[Christine & Camus]

I adopted Camus almost 2 months ago and recently he has begun to be  afraid of walking in the dark, then he began to fear people, now he is afraid of his collar.  One other recent behavior is he no longer likes anyone to touch his head.  He seems to be developing one fear atop another.  I still take him out for an evening walk, but keep it a short utility walk.  I tried switching from a collar to the easy walk harness, but by the third day he was exhibiting a reaction to the harness.  His fear of people is most troubling.  I am taking him to work at least once a week to help work with socialization, so far no change, however he does appear to be more comfortable with women.  The last event is that he almost got into a dog fight with a pitbull mix at the dog park.  I took him to the vet today, wanting to rule out any biological issues.  He examined Camus and while talking to me he was, unbeknownst to me, observing Camus.  Camus is healthy, his coat is good (it has actually gotten longer), as is his weight (he now weighs 68 lbs), however he is showing signs of being an allergic dog and is hyper vigilant, aware of everything - his head constantly turning and twitching, but as Dr. Nagle said – not in a happy way.  He also licks his paws to the point that they turn pink, which could be allergies or OCD.  He is on a grain free lamb diet that he likes and so far it agrees with him.  I also give him fish oil and all of his treats are grain free.  He is ~ 14 months old.  Tomorrow I am starting him on Clomipramine, which I hope will help.  With me he is happy, playful (albeit somewhat rough at times, which we are working on) cuddily and clingy.  The clingy part I think is a Doodle trait, which I find endearing.  Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You've gotten some good advice, Christine. I can only add that if down the road, it does turn out that Camus has allergies, I can help you with that.

[Christine & Camus]

Hi Karen,

Yes - I have definately gotten some great advice and feel more hopeful for it! The allergy issues do concern me, but at this point they are not serious. I am aware of the difference in food and environmental food allergies and Camus seems to have both. He sneezes when he rolls in grass and the vet mentioned a particular part of one of his ears being red and that it was an indicator for allergies. He also gnaws at his coat, licks his paws and at times actually puts his legs in his mouth.

With food, I have figured out that chicken does not agree with him, nor does rice but his reaction is more systemic; rumbles in his stomach and loose stools. I was cooking chicken for him and adding it to his kibble and he loved it, but it seemed to run straight through him. So after three weeks I stopped and he improved. It is too bad because he really liked it. He also likes green beans, peas, scrambled eggs, pumpkin, and strawberries, which I still give him. Unfortunately he does not like peanut butter! For now I am feeding him a grain-free lamb kibble, but will switch to the Acana brand if I find he can tolerate fish. Finding a healthy dog kibble that is limited ingredient, with lamb as a single source protein, is impossible.

He is still growing, in addition to gaining weight he has gained about an inch in height and always seems to be hungry. The protein in the current kibble is only 21%, so I am hoping he can tolerate fish, but I need to wait for awhile before introducing anything new into his diet.

I am following the food group and have learned allot, but would certainly appreciate your advice.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A lot of what you're describing in terms of the reaction to chicken is more consistent with a food intolerance than a food allergy.
Fish is less likely to cause a food intolerance or allergy than many other proteins. I feel fairly confident that Camus would tolerate a fish-based food. There are a couple of limited ingredient kibbles with lamb as the single protein source, but as you noted, limited-ingredient formulas are usually also lower in protein, especially when compared with grain-free formulas.
The sneezing when rolling in the grass is not really unusual or an indicator of allergies, necessarily. The biting & licking, as well as the ear issue, are more in keeping with allergies, but can be caused by other things as well. It usually helps any dog with dry itchy skin to add essential fatty acids to their diet, in the form of fish oil or evening primrose oil capsules.
Hope this helps.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Christine, I am so sorry Camus is having problems. Our old lab mix (you didn't meet him) developed a slight underactive thyroid problem. Giving him medication really made a difference for his last months.

[Kyoko]

Hi, Christine, and everyone!! I a no expert. But could this be the second fear stage?

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Daisy did these things too....I asked the vet, the trainer and anyone else who would listen for suggestions. I was told there were two stages of fear the first year of life 6 months and then again 9 months which kind of coincided with her time....she is better than at first but she is still, I wouldn't say fearful but mindful of her surroundings . She is well socialized (goes to work with me and to daycare) and exercised (hubby jogs with her every morning and we play ball in the evenings in the back yard for a solid hour at least) but even now just 2 weeks shy of 1 year she will still submissive piddle for some people (not good for carpeted floors in the office) and she is still fearful of the night. Nothing earth shattering but still we wanted her to not be fearful at all so she leads a better life. We continue to work with her by NOT saying "it's okay" and protecting her but to say "your a big girl" and leading her to the source of her fearfulness. On the night time walks she gets a lot of "come on Daisy" and we just keep walking, being sure not to give in to the babying instincts of mommy/daddy to protect. She is doing better but again not perfect. We hope that she overcomes but this just may be in her personality.

[Christine & Camus]

Update: The thyroid test results are within the normal range, so now it's back to anti-anxiety meds. I had hoped it would be a thyroid issue with a relatively easy fix, but it seems Camus is dealing with anxiety issues. He responds well, or did, to positive reinforcement with the use of treats, which I will ramp up on, and he will continue to go to work with me to work on socialization. Time will tell.