Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
Hello - it sounds as though you are trying to do something extremely difficult, the equivalent perhaps of drying a piece of tissue-paper in the rain. You have a dog with strong attachments to people who is living in a household where you seem to require him to be calm on his own; he has anxiety issues with other dogs and yet is in an environment where he has to live with a group of them. Of course, this runs a high risk of feeding and worsening his anxiety. I would love to recommend a trainer who could solve this problem for you, but I can't. This dog needs an environment sensitive to the damage that has occurred, ideally without other animals and with someone who is prepared to put in a lot of time, patience and love. It possibly can be done, but such people - who do not have dogs already - are hard to come by. Where abouts in the world are you? What can you do to trace someone? - we would recommend being honest with them about the situation as it stands; he should not go to a home with elderly people or children, for example. I don't think that there is necessarily 'something wrong' with your dog, simply the way that they have reacted against a situation that has been extremely traumatic for them - and they are now scared of bad things happening to them and react as though something negative is going to happen, even though that clearly isn't your own attention at all. It can take time, love and patience to put right and most dogs presenting like this will struggle with anxieties in some form or another form going forward. I hope that you find someone who can help this troubled baby.
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