My dog is anxious from past trauma. How do I build his confidence?

Question

Why hasn't he forgotten about his traumatic experience it was almost a year ago basically we got him when he was 4 months old we suspect he was beaten a lot cos when we tried to stroke him he would flinch cos he thought he was gonna get hit he was always very nervous and still sometime flinches when I try to stroke him how can I get him to be more confident and enjoy his life more and stop flinching he's even scared of carrier bags like wth. Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 3 months old | 78.8 lbs

Lauren Kennedy, DVM · Accepted Answer

It sounds like Spring has generalized anxiety. It may or may not have been from a previous experience. Work on training him with basic commands like sit/stay/come to help build his bond with you. It would also be beneficial to exercise him frequently to help drain some of his nervous energy. Avoid things that trigger his anxiety. In some dogs anxiety worsens overtime so this may be a long term problem unfortunately. I would also recommend talking to your vet about an anti-anxiety medication like Prozac for Spring. This can help decrease his overall anxiety level and increase his quality of life.

My dog is anxious from past trauma. How do I build his confidence?

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