My six- month Yorkie is scared to death of dogs (all sizes, shapes and colors). I walk her daily and whenever we cross paths with a dog, she starts whining and tries to run away. I make an effort to remain calm and assertive and just keep walking, but I don’t think she’s getting the message. I have arranged a couple of play dates for her with other puppies and older dogs (at least once a week for a month and a half now), but she has never relaxed and had fun. She hides between my legs and doesn’t play with the other dogs at all. A few weeks ago we were at a park with a friend and her five Chihuahuas, all of them chasing each other and having fun, but our Yorkie didn’t move an inch from between my legs until they left (and we were there for, I don’t know, 3 hours?).
Yesterday I decided to leave her alone in the yard with a friend’s old poodle and watch her behavior through the window. As soon as the poodle tried to get close to smell her, she hid under a low table (the poodle couldn’t follow her there) and stayed there for nearly two hours, even after the poodle stopped paying her any attention. When I finally came out of the house, she ran towards me whining and jumping, completely overexcited and stressed out. We got her inside the house and it took a long time, maybe an hour, for her to relax and stop whining (we tried not to pay her any attention while she was all excited, but we were truly concerned).
I’m not sure what to do next. I’m really worried and I just want her to be happy. Help!!!