Hello,
We have a four year old Newfie bitch who is very well trained and absolutely loved to pieces (despite the astonishing amount of muddy water that she can absorb!)
She has always been afraid of fireworks, thunder etc. but it's been easily manageable with some comfort and reassurance. However over the last few months she's become anxious over a lot of things - particularly noises such as kids kicking a football or a noisy vehicle passing as we walk along the pavement. It's got to the point where she will stop in her tracks and refuse to move forwards if she hears a sudden noise. The only thing she will accept is going directly back to the house/car and she is clearly terrified. When she is off the lead she will just run back to her 'safe place' and at this point she is out of control - recall etc usually goes out of the window (she will sometimes manage to sit if asked) so clearly we need to address this asap!
She's had no previous bad experiences so I'm not sure why this has suddenly started. She was recently vaccinated and checked over by the vet who says she's in great physical health.
We'll probably go down the behaviourist route anyway, but I was hoping someone here might have some useful advice I can try in the meantime.
Thanks