GF’s anxious dog
I’ve been trying to bond with my girlfriend’s dog for months and it’s been a rollercoaster. Sometimes he’s cool with me, other times he acts terrified all over again.
What confuses me is he’s terrified of basically everything outside: noises, walks, other dogs, random people — but when he’s around my girlfriend he acts way more confident and even gets aggressive/protective sometimes. But when it’s just me and him alone, he’s usually calmer.
His anxiety is so bad he’s literally peed and pooped on himself from being scared before. I honestly feel bad for him because you can tell he’s constantly on edge.
I try giving him space, being calm, taking him outside, giving treats, etc. but it feels like progress comes and goes. Curious if this is normal with anxious dogs or if anyone’s experienced something similar as I know this can’t be a good quality of life for a dog.