Hello all,
I'm new here but I didn't take me long to realize what a knowledgeable bunch you guys are. I personally do not have alot of dog experience. I had my Basset Hound for 14 years; and I have had Veronica for 18 months, but that's pretty much it. I have never dealt with skittish/fearful behavior before.
Here's the poop. Veronica was never a particularly fearful pup, although she did exhibit some fear of garbage bags blowing and overhead lights during the typical fear stages. She was never bothered by thunder and I swear she had heard fireworks from inside the house and wasn't phased.
Christmas she saw and heard fireworks at close range. They were the pretty colors in the sky kind; but they still seemed kinda close. We only watched for a minute. When I looked down and realized she was terrified we went in. Since then she has periodically exhibited skittish/fearful behavior. She is normally a very out-going, social dog, very pushy, has to be the center of attention. When she gets spooked, she gets very quiet, she'll look around apprehensively (esp. at overhead lights) and she'll withdraw to her crate.
I was hoping she would just "snap out ot it" and she seemed to be doing fine; then the smoke alarm went off because the batteries were running low. It got her started up again, And 3 days after that she heard thunder and caught a glipmse of lightening from the slider...back to her crate.
When she looks at something fearfully we try to "name it" which is a bridge and target method. We tell her what it is and it's not to worry about. But other than this...I don't know what to do.
There is nothing destructive, or out of control or even remotely aggressive about her fear. She looks like she wants to fold in on herself and disappear. It's heart wrenching. Any help would be much appreciated.