How to Cure a Dog Scared of Everything

Molly, our 4 year old female Shih Tzu, is a dog scared of everything. She had such insecure behavior at times it became overwhelming for our entire family to deal with.

The primary root cause of her fear was weather related. Thunderstorms are just an awful experience for all of us because of Molly's insecure behavior. But Thunderstorms are not the only issue. Molly fears the rain hitting the house or roof. She dislikes the wind when she is inside or outside the house. Just about anything weather related Molly has distastes for.

Before I get into her symptoms and what we did to alleviate them, let me spend a moment and tell you a little bit about her. Molly is a great friend and companion. She is most definitely a lap dog who provides a great deal of love and affection to just about anyone who comes in contact with her.

I would have to say she is the most popular dog in our neighborhood, especially with kids. They all gravitate to her and they love to hold and pet her. Several children come to our door during the summer months and ask what time Molly is going to be walked just so they can be with her.

Without question Molly is a people magnet. She a true extrovert who is outgoing and alert at all times. She loves to sit at the front door and watch the entire neighborhood except of course when we have inclement weather.

So what happens to Molly when this inclement weather rolls around? Well for one thing she immediately abandons her favorite spot in the house, the front door. Molly does not on her own climb stairs. But when a storm comes she is self motivated and runs up the stairs with minimal effort.

She seeks the best possible hiding place either under the bed or beneath the computer table. Molly will shiver, shake and cry uncontrollably. When she is in this state you can not talk or reason with her. It is like you do not exist. Molly's entire personality is transformed. She does not want to be held. What she wants is for the storm to be gone or to be alone in what she considers a safe haven.

Unfortunately, when Molly began to exhibit all of the signs of anxiety we were compelled to comfort and coddle her. Based on her personality and our love for her, this is what we thought was the right thing to do. We learned through training that this approach was wrong and it only exacerbated Molly's phobia; serving as validation for her fear.

We learned to neutralize her fear by trying to occupy her mind by playing with her. We were also told to make sure the room was noisy with the TV or Stereo on at a high volume before and during the inclement weather conditions. By just making these small adjustments it desensitize Molly's fear and over time she was better able to deal with the bad weather.
By playing with Molly before and during the storm, it keeps her mind occupied and less focused on the storm. We learned that over time this technique will decrease her fear and anxiety.

Learn more about some additional training tips here: