[amsu0203]

My mother and I got a little blonde siberian huskie about 6 months ago. He is about 7 1/2 months old now. (We have another female huskie, she is about 2 years and they get along great.) He acts very happy and normal when he is at home with our family but any time we have company he is very skittish and scared. Some people say this is normal and that he will grow out of it but he just seems to be getting worse. Also, when I take him on walks he is very paranoid and can never relax and just enjoy it. We tried to move his cage last weekend and he got even worse so we moved it back tonight. I am not sure what to do to help his anxiety. Any suggestions?

[Lucky098]

Dogs that are experiencing anxiety at such a young age are, unfortunately, going to fall victim to anxiety for the rest of their lives.

I would say to ignore his anxious behavior. It may be hard, but you're going to have to. If you give him any type of praise when he is being anxious, you're only telling him that is OK to act this way.

Continue forward with your routine as if there is nothing wrong. He will have no choice but to follow your lead.

Seeing as how you purchased him at such a young age, this is a common problem found in dogs that have left the litter to early. Seeing as how the damage is already done, now its time to get him to deal with his life.

Dogs with anxiety don't like change. Anytime something changes, they spiral backwards. Try not to make too many changes in how you handle your dogs, such as feeding schedules and walking schedules.

Obedience classes work great for anxiety dogs. Anxiety dogs have very low self-esteems. If you can get him to do things that are good all the time, than his anxiety will lessen. And I really do encourage you to go to an actual class.. Teaching obedience at home is fine for normal dogs, but dogs with issues need more structure. Obedience classes have lots of structure to them. It also will help you greatly to find a trainer who has experience in behavior.

Medications work well also. You can try some of the natural supplements such as Melatonin... or you can go to your vet for a prescription medication.

Anxiety can never be cure, but it can be managed. It takes a lot of time, patience and trial and error to find what works for you and your dog. Getting frustrated and giving up only makes things worse.. And the great thing about most positive re-enforcement training.. is if a method doesn't work, your dog doesn't have a bad memory of that particular situation so it's very easy for you to move on. Anxiety dogs respond great to positive re-enforcement.. Like I said, they really need some self-esteem boosting!