Dog very anxious

A question about : Dog very anxious

I rescued a second ex racing greyhound in September to keep number 1 company.
In December she slipped her collar and was immediately hit by a car. She had an open leg fracture and had a massive arterial bleed. It didn't look like she'd survive but 7 wks on and Ј8.5K of vets fees later she is starting to go out for walks again
She is enthusiastic about the idea of a walk but freezes at the end of the drive (she was hit on the road we live on). I bought a Thundershirt and it has helped but she's still very scared. She will walk a bit but is very distracted and her heart is racing like mad.
I'm unsure how to build her confidence back up.

Best answers:

• Could you pop her in the car and take her to a park or somewhere? Lots of praise, and maybe if she just steps onto the pavement at the end of the drive, treat and go back in?
• Thanks. I do get her to go further than the drive but she regularly freezes.
  Unfortunately she is way too scared to take a treat, even her favourite sausages!
• Just lots of praise then. Maybe just get her to walk on at all from wherever she freezes, praise and call it a day?
• Cheers. I guess it's going to be baby steps of progress and will take time to get her back to normal.
  I'm just glad we've still got her after a close call :-)
• My old dog was in an RTA and was very shakey for a couple of years after in some situations...in his case he was in the car (diesel) and for around two years after would shake like a leaf if he was in one ...or jump if he heard one starting up.
  At first, I was constantly trying to reassure him all was ok by talking to him / stroking etc....and eventually I figured this just wasn't working.
  I read up about it, got advice from a serious doggy friend who was really into dog behaviour, and was told by her to ignore all his behaviour and worries and carry on as if nothing was wrong.
  She pretty much told me I was re-enforcing his fears.
  It was Really hard to do at first.....but did work. 7 weeks isn't long after a trauma at all either by the way.
  I would give a treat when we had been for a walk and he was calm once home at first. I also had to pick him up....take him to B....and he would walk back to A as that was where he wanted to be...it just takes time.
  I agree about putting your dog in the car and walking elsewhere for a start if you can to build confidence. ...if you can't to that, sit with your dog in the drive for a while...read a book..ignore any anxiety, then go back in. I had to do this for a few weeks as there was a diesel car nextdoor that spooked mine.
  Good luck, you will get there in time. Time is what works though.
• The same thing happened to my dog when he was 5 months old although in his case it was the extending lead which slipped out of the lock position and he got hit by a car when he shot into the road. He was very scared to walk anywhere after that but we kept away from where it happened for many weeks. (I know your situation is a bit different with it happening so close to home.) We took him on the same short, quiet route ever day for weeks and with me ignoring cars when they passed which was the worst time for him. Gradually we varied his usual walk very slightly although he didn't want to and had to be persuaded with treats. Eventually after more than six months he will walk happily anywhere even the road where it happened and he loves his walks again.
  PS I now keep the extending lead only for walks in parks.
• Thanks for your replies.
  We've just taken her for a walk in quiet parkland and it went really well. We've avoided the car as 2 greyhounds in a smallish space might've been troublesome but it was fine.
  Belle had her first normal walk so thanks for the encouragement!
  Glad both your dogs were ok. It was a grim experience.
• One option you might consider are calming tablets, like Traveleze. I know they're for travel (!) but they do have an overall calming effect. My Staff hates being in the car and will start shivering within a couple of minutes but with a few Traveleze he will be mostly OK for an hour or even longer. Maybe not for every day use but for the first few times?
• There are similar products designed for daily anxiety too artbaron - Calmex, Zylkene and KalmAid to name a few.
• Cheers, I didn't expect over the counter stuff to be any good but some of it gets great reviews. Will be trying some out.
  Thanks for the suggestions.
• Bit late on any advice on this one, but I thought I'd add my thoughts as well.
  Definitely concur with gradual desensitisation to what is triggering the stress. I'd also agree strongly with archieboy in that being able to ignore the issue yourself is critical.
  Main points from my side are making sure you aren't rewarding behaviour you are trying to discourage, but also, not forcing the dog into deeper stress.
  For example, if the dogs stops at a certain point, stop with it but don't acknowledge it. Allow the dog some time to adjust and relax and then see if it is willing to progress further. If not, wait again then turn back home. Returning while the dog is displaying stress is likely to teach it that stopping is rewarded with fleeing from the stress event.
  Even more critical is praise or encouragement. Vocally comforting the dog while it is stressed is likely to reinforce that there is something to worry about, as is eye contact. Look to show the dog that you are not afraid and they should follow.
  Slowly slowly catchy monkey as they say and hope it all goes well.
  And well done for re-homing grey hounds by the way. Something I hope to do myself one day. Very special dogs who are often treated very poorly. If you don't mind me asking, was that vet bill covered by insurance?
• Johnny is giving good advice. V glad that you had a good walk
• Johnny Dangerously - hello, the insurance (Petplan) paid out the first Ј7K no questions asked. We obviously can't claim any more this year but am very glad we didn't cancel the insurance the week before (seriously considered it due to work concerns). Means we will stay with Petplan for both hounds.
  Thanks for your comments re Greyhounds. I'd never have a different breed now. They are the most delightful of breeds and just so easy to have around. They're very undemanding and just so soulful. Would recommend them highly!
  Each rehoming centre is different the our local one is outstanding and it's down to their manager that our girl didn't lose her leg. The after-care is fabulous.
  Thanks for your great advice