nervous dog!

Its this the correct place to write about an 18 month old dog- when is a puppy not a puppy?
Lucy is 18 months old, I have wrote previously that her coat is getting thin on her chest and inside of her legs. This has been check out at the vets and  there isn't anything wrong with her – eating well/ coat is shiny/ not losing weight/ loves playing with her toys/ always, always play fighting  with her brother - in fact all is well except…..
She is getting very nerves and edgy …
Starts shaking when at the side of you as though someone has told her off for no reason…
Always wanting to hide under bedding as though she is in need of a hiding place when sleeping.
Sometimes when we raise our arm to stroke her  she jumps as though we are going to hit her " this has never, NEVER been done, and my heart goes out to her  
Photo below is Lucy March 2014

Next photo is Lucy taken last week

Looking at  this logically and stepping outside of the box, alarms would be ringing telling me that she has been miss treated    This is horrifying to even contemplate. We love are dogs and at this very moment they are practically laying on top of each other to be with me on the chair.

Wee soul, both are gorgeous dogs.

My Iza is a nervous girl but she is getting more confident now. Had her since pup never been mistreated. But i have bad anxiety and am also nervous so wonder if my condition has affected her.

Hope wee Lucy gets her mojo back

Thank you ColinW
The vets says the fur loss is due to her just shedding her hair (from winter to spring)-but I cannot understand why she has become so nerves especially when we lift up our hand to give her a love?
Looking back just a year ago she was running about without a care in the world. I don't take them out for long walks myself due to health reasons, so I'm thinking the long walks might have to cancelled until I find the reason behind her nervousness.

Do you think someone could have took a swipe at her without you noticing?

That's the million dollar question?
I very much doubt it, but if it were true then there's no way of finding out.
All I know is that I'm concerned... and if there is a problem whether in health or someone being too strict with her I want it sorted.

Personally I've never experienced hair loss like that. If it's not happening to your boy, why your girl. It might be worth a second opinion from a different vet. She might be uncomfortable from it and that's making her nervous. Does she wear a harness?
Pete

"yes" she does wear a harness when out walking. This did cross our minds this morning when I was discussing the loss of her hair with my son when the harness was mentioned. It is made of leather although it does have felt nearest to her body. (But this is only on the breast plate)

May be a softer harness would be more suitable for her as long as it doesn't need to go over her head when fitting as she hates this?

Bo is 16mth and has recent hair loss on his underside, mostly where his harness fits but also inside his legs. Up until Nov time he had very thick hair on his undercarriage but now it's mostly gone. I'm not too worried because the rest of his hair is very thick and shiny, in fact it's got thicker over winter. My theory is that because growing hair takes a lot of nutrients, the hair growth on his belly has reduced to allow the rest to grow thicker to protect against the cold. That combined with the harness I think is the cause. Also, the central heating might play a role.

As regards the nervousness, it doesn't sound like a health issue. Who else has access to her? Sounds to me like someone has been aggressive towards her and not just once.

Thank you Dogface
Lucy's fur is also very shiny and thick, she doesn't scratch and her skin isn't inflame ???

I think nerves/stress and hair loss can go together, but that doesn't mean they always do.

I'd maybe look at building some confidence first and see if that has any impact on coat growth. One thing that's fun and helpful for confidence is clicker training. Our foster pup, Millie, is quite nervous sometimes so I'm doing bits of clicker with her and it's helping loads. Have a look at an early sessiom here:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t60863-millie-does-clicker

You can see her getting bolder and bolder. She'll now pop through that tunnel without batting an eyelid. I can also use the target when she's worried about something as she'll see it and you see her thinking 'oh it's that, well it's alright then'.

You don't need any special equipment if you don't want to, just a wooden spoon and a tongue click will work too.

Thanks LixP  for your tip
Lucy has been running about this morning being her normal self; and has already tucked into her first meal of the day. She is now having fun at the moment dropping her ball down the stairs and charging after it Franky on the other hand has decided that this is way to energetic at this time in the morning and is curled up with my hubby in bed.

We have taken the leather collar off Lucy while in the home in case she is allergic to it; and will only put it on when out walking. (same with Franky)
I've been searching the web and I've found that some staffies do go bald on their neck/chest and on the inside of their legs in winter; which normally grows back in the springtime. -our vet mentioned this also- so I'm sincerely hoping that her hair lose isn't anything to do with her nerves.

I've also have had a word with the rest of my family who always treats our dogs as their own; to try to be careful in not flinging their arms about when playing with the dogs- if Lucy is jittery this could unsettle her.

Question - How long will it take for signs of hair growing back... I'm thinking months

Now looking out for a new collar -NOT LEATHER
Think it will have to be made of fabric and not weight to much- but at the same time not look like a cats collar

We've just ours a new collar made from woven paracord. You can chose what colour and style and he makes them to order. I love it. We got it from ebay. https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t61012-theia-and-her-new-bling
Pete

Thanks Pete will have a look!

Having looked at the before and after pictures Sue, it does look as though the harness could well be the cause of the fur loss. The nervousness it a bit more of a mystery though. It could simply be something that has occured through no physical action at all, a bit like some people can become more timid or jumpy at loud noises etc for no real reason.

It could be that she needs a little more reassurance just now and the clicker training could well do that through focusing on something else.

I would also be inclined to put this down to the harness and especially since you say that you keep it on while she is around the home and not on a walk. The only time Rocky has his harness on now is in the car when I take him out so I can clip him into the seat belt. He also only has his collar on while out for walks (we do not leave it on while he is in the home).

Thanks again for your replies, I hope its correct that this is just a matter of Lucy not wearing a harness as I would find it unbelievable that a family member could cause any harm to her.
Kathy   Lucy wears the harness outside only and never in the home.
What part of my write-up states this!

Before i got mia she had a harness i dnt think it was ever taken off had to bin it soon as i got home her hair took 2 years to grow back since then shes had a collar made of nylon and very padded so it doesnt hurt her neck depending on her neck size she could have an ezydog collar. Try and avoid the harness till her hair grows back if possible. As for her nervousness someone near her in the street may have shouted and if she hasnt heard this before may have caused her nervousness. Perhaps taking her to busy places where theres plenty noise and giving her plenty of reassurance, taking her to these types of places for 5 mins then increasing the time this will show her theres nothing to be scared off .

I'll check-out the ezydog collar now Mia05 - thank you

You're welcome

I hope her hair grows back well Bane lost a lot on the backs of his ears due to allergies and it just took a couple of months to grow back.

As for the nerves, Bane seems to be getting more nervous and jumpy at times too. He's quite the woos! But we just try to work with him and build his confidence when he decides he wants to be scared of something.

As to why she has started the behaviour, who knows. You can only try to help her overcome her fear. Maybe try little training sessions. Have her focus on you, try moving your arms about and then treat and praise when she doesn't get scared. Start with small movements and slowly work your way up until she isn't interested.

Thanks Bane