Recently I’ve been helping a gorgeous Labrador who was refusing to go outside into the garden, with the inevitable result in the house…
When we first visited, this poor dog hid under the table, shaking, and was very reluctant to come out to say hello – though when he finally did, he was such a friendly lad. It was a sad sight.
Just like us, dogs may shake when they get too cold – a common problem in thin skinned, thin coated dogs.
But there are other causes – such as pain, fear, anxiety and nerves. If your dog hates thunder, or fireworks you may well see them shaking and trying to hide. There’s also a rare disease called Addisons disease which can present with the symptom of shaking in the absence of any of the above factors.
In my client’s case the dog was stressed, and the shaking was due to nerves. We don’t really know why this behaviour started – one reason could be that the dog had a significant scare or shock when outside in the garden. Or, in his case, he had a known back problem, so perhaps he’d had a sharp twinge of pain when moving around the garden – there are steps up to the lawn and that might have precipitated pain. We will never know for sure.
Using basic behaviour principles we’ve managed to get the dog much more settled and happier and he’s now going outside onto the patio and even starting to climb up the first two steps. I’m confident that by my next visit he’ll be able to get up onto the lawn.
His story will form a chapter in my next Problem Pooch book.
My current book, Problem Pooch to Perfect Pet, Book 1 Troublesome to Tranquil, is available now from the website or from Amazon and it gives you the two options for changing your dogs unwanted behaviours and the three step plan to success.
Keep training
Carol