Leo just turned 1 and he is afraid of everything now....

[Paige and Leo]

I think there is a fear period in puppies early on but Leo is 1 now.  Shortly after he turned one on May 9th he is afraid of so many things.  Well this pass like other stages or will he begin to stay this way?  Is there anything to help get though it?  Keep introducing things that he might be afraid of? I heard don't coddle but don't push to hard when theywent through puppy fear stage. He really didn't have it or it went by so fast I didn't do anything different.  Now he is a different dog and very shy and fearful. Thanks!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Puppy fear stages go through 18 months and sometimes older.  Assure and comfort....showing them what ever it is that he is afraid of won't hurt him.  I use to take Enzo up to "whatever" the big scarey thing was and let her sniff and see for herself it was harmless.  Continue to socialize, socialize, socialize!

[Judith and Addie]

My doodle girl always startled easily and as a puppy (at about 6 months), she was afraid of cars and trucks.  I worked with a trainer on that fear. All seemed good for a while.

When my puppy turned 1 the end of this past December, her behavior changed. She began reacting to things that hadn't fazed her before; she began barking and giving grumbling growls to things like the sound of dogs barking, unusual objects, kids on skateboards and other dogs in her line of site - even a block away. She had never been a barker previously.

With new inanimate objects like a pot of flowers on a neighbor's front porch, I let her approach it and figure out that it is not going to hurt her. For other scary things like dogs approaching, or people riding bicycles, I am doing counter-conditioning, My point of view is if something is scary, your pup is giving an emotional response and that response should be addressed.

If you are going to introduce your boy to things that may frighten him, be very aware of his body language and don't push him over threshold. Work to make the things that frighten him instead have a positive association. Like Pavlov, associate the scary things with something he likes and wants, such as treats.

Good luck, and I hope with your pup is just going through a phase.

[Christy&Riley]

Riley just turned 2 and she is still a big scaredy cat...even with things she has seen a million times (like the carpet rake). Everything is a big, bad invader. She recently spent an entire evening sitting by the back window quietly growling at a plastic bag that was caught in some tall grasses in the neighbor's yard. We do the same as mentioned about letting her sniff and see it for herself. Of course, my husband doesn't help the situation as he usually makes the object jump around so as to stir Riley up even more. Gotta admit it is funny to watch her lean in closely then jump back, circle around, and try again. She seems to find it a great game...and I see it as great exercise that tires her out mentally and physically. Bonus for everyone! :-)

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Loki has been afraid of literally everything since day one- or at least day one that I got him! I think trying to familiarize them with things that scare them little by little helps. Bribing also works, not sure how others feel about this but it helps for me! For example the dishwasher and the cold air return are currently the two most scary things at home and I will put his favorite treat close to them and then let him go get it on his own time and at his own pace. At first he would leave them for hours and nowhecan be bribed to go over and get it, he still very quickly will walk away but it's progress. Good luck!

[Wynnie & Jim]

Wynnie, when she was a very young puppy, was timid and fearful of men with hats, beards and sunglasses as well as really big dogs and things out of the ordinary; i.e., clean sheets piled on a chair waiting to be folded. We worked hard on puppy/people socialization at a training facility; approaching objects to show her that the object wouldn't hurt her and agility classes to make her confident in herself. At 18 months, she has conquered many of these fears but every once in awhile she will bark at something out of the ordinary....a new sign on a neighbor's property that wasn't there the day before. Patience and understanding have been the keys to success and now we have a wonderful fur kid.

[Carole]

Our Shiloh - almost 6 years old - is afraid of lots of things.  It seems to get worse rather than better.  The latest is that she is afraid of the beep our new electronically controlled toaster oven makes!  Wish I had good words of wisdom for you!

[Lynn D.]

It's a phase. Now is a good time to gently introduce Leo new things in a controlled manner. New dogs that have been well socialized, men with beards/hats/trench coats, etc.

[Stephanie]

[Paige and Leo]

Thank you for all the replies! Great info.
Paige and Leo