My dog is scared and skittish after a door injury. How to help her?

Question

A door recently almost shutting all the way on my dog’s tail by accident gave her a huge scare. She is now extremely skittish when inside the house and is almost constantly looking for a place to hide. She will also pant heavily and stick closely by my side all the time when inside. I have never seen her so distressed and am wondering how I can possibly help her return to the happy dog she was before. Any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 6 years and 6 months old

Jeffrey Milner · Accepted Answer

Every dog is a little different as I am sure you know. Each will form her own personality, idiosyncratic behaviors, and preferential relationships. With this uniqueness is going to come a certain level of uncertainty in situations like you've described above. Some dogs will forget about something like you've described almost immediately while others seem to take it to the grave. The vast majority fall somewhere in between. I don't know how long it has been already, but the first thing I would do if you have not as of yet is to have the tail examined medically for any sign of continuing pain. If there is, this is going to be a continued reminder for Eva of what has happened to her. Once the pain is controlled, the reason for causing the pain becomes less fresh in their mind (at least that is what I think, some other vets may say I am anthropomorphizing dogs and cats a little more than they deserve). If you are able to determine that pain is not playing a role in the problem, the best you are going to be able to do is prevent the same thing from happening again. Once you feel Eva has healed mentally from this event and is ready, desensitizing her to doors and areas that trigger her anxiety may be in her best interest. This is something that should be done slowly and any positive outcomes should be rewards vigorously. Hope this all makes sense. Let me know if I can help in any other way.

My dog is scared and skittish after a door injury. How to help her?

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