Highly Anxious Pup - ADVICE

[WeAreTheWeirdosMister]

I have a 10 month old collie mix and he is really anxious, barking and growling if the door goes or anyone new enters his space, barks and growls at anything he deems unusual on walks (this can be a certain house he has decided is sus, scooters, bins, anything).
We walk him before the world gets up to expel his energy safely and use chews and calming collars already.

The MILS come around 3x a week and he reacts the same towards them as he does strangers for the first 5mins, barking, peeing, hunches up... then once he calms down he's fine...so exposure doesn't appear to work.

My question is, is there anything that can be done to chill him out and make him less nervy of anything new? I'd be up for anything including getting him a companion if that would help..? (or would that double my issues?) Ideas would be happily received.

Has he had a check with the vet to make sure there's no medical reason for his fear and anxiety? They will also be able to refer you to a registered behaviourist who may be able to help - one with Collie experience would be ideal. Sounds like you really need 1 on 1 help with someone observing him.

It will be partly age, but... that’s probably also just his temperament, collies can be nervy.

You want a properly qualified behaviourist really and it will probably be a case of working on each thing and strategies for new things rather than making him more chill in general.

Before you do anything else, he needs to see a vet to rule out any physical issues. You won't get a referral to a behaviourist unless he's had a thorough vet check to make sure there's nothing physical causing the problems.

As his behaviour has the potential to turn physical (he's already growling, so has started up the ladder of aggression), I wouldn't follow any advice from anyone who is a) not an accredited behaviourist and b) hasn't seen your dog in person.

Nervy behaviour isn't uncommon in collies but it's not something you want to take lightly as it can easily tip from fear into aggression. Speak to your vet, ask for a full physical and a referral to an accredited behaviourist who can come and meet you/your dog in person. It may well be the case that your dog needs medication to help him before behavioural help can be used too.

Good luck.

Hi, for this level of fear reactivity I would recommend working with a well qualified behaviourist (CCAB or APBC), they will require that he's checked over by his vet to rule out any possible medical causes and from there can help you with gradual desensitisation, counter-conditioning and managing these behaviours safely.
Best of luck.