Anxious dog - need training tips/recommendations

[arentspowell]

My in-laws dog, Beau, is a very anxious dog, to put in mildly. For example, He makes a whining sound that literally sounds like someone is ripping off his toe-nails when he thinks he's being "left" behind. He doesn't do it when they are just running errands or going out to dinner but if he senses they are leaving on a trip or if they are anywhere outside the home (like hotel room, our house, in the car) and one of us leaves, he starts with the uncontrollable whining. If he's in an unfamiliar place he pulls hard on the leash and is just so overly aroused that it's nearly impossible to get him under control. He's trained to do an automatic sit but he's just so amped up that even though he will sit when you stop, he never really calms down and it's impossible to get anywhere.

He's 7 and he's been this way for as long as I can remember. It's recently become a big problem because my in laws have been traveling with him more and he was just a nightmare to deal with that the trip wasn't enjoyable. So instead of taking him along they've been leaving him behind with us, which is fine but we'd like to be able to work with him to get through these issues so we can enjoy future vacations as a family.

This past weekend we took him to a pheasant tower shoot and he whined incessantly in my ear for a half hour. When we got there he wouldn't listen to any commands and was just running around like a maniac. At one point he took off from where my father in law was with him and came and found us on the other end of the shooting circle. It was a disaster but after that episode he finally calmed down and retrieved like he was supposed to.

They have taken him to a basic training class thinking it would help and he didn't exhibit any of the behaviors described. He performed so well the trainer suggested he move into the CGC class.

The vet suggested more exercise but he's always been a lazy dog. He's a maniac in the field but he doesn't care for retrieving toys. He'll chase Daisy for a hot minute and then lay down as if he were bored or tired. He's 7 so that may very well be the case.

As an aside, he's very yeasty. His belly is always irritated and covered in little black specs, and he's a stinky dog. At first probiotics seemed to help but they don't appear to be doing much now. The vet, he's great we go to the same one, but all he has suggested for this issue is Benadryl and wiping him down with an astringent which I don't think helps too much.

Anyway, we typically watch him quite a bit during this time of year through Jan-Feb so if anyone has any suggestions of things we can implement and pass along to the inlays it would be greatly appreciated.

[Maxx&Emma]

Anxiety and yeast, that is a double whammy! Honestly, I would work on getting the yeast under control first. If he is uncomfortable all the time or even a good part of the time it may contribute to his anxiety.

[Labradorks]

I agree, the yeast needs to get under control. He is probably really uncomfortable.

It's totally his personality/temperament. To help him, he needs a complete lifestyle change. Are his owners willing to get on board with making changes consistently and long-term? If they are willing to work at it, that would be ideal. Sometimes when people can't/won't work with the dog to make changes, it is really hard, they resort to meds for maintenance. Not the best scenario, but if it makes the dog feel better...

[shellbell]

When Tux had yeast, one of the first things my vet wanted to do (along with meds) was to use DAP diffusers and Bach Rescue Remedy in case he also had anxiety contributing to his paw licking (where the yeast was).