For context this isn’t my dog, but the person who lives with me’s dog (though he may as well be mine). He’s a blue nosed pit bull, probably around 7ish. He’s a generally somewhat anxious dog who doesn’t like being touched, and his owner really didn’t train him before he moved in a few years back. I’m home the grand majority of the due to a plethora of medical conditions so I can’t go to school in person. One of these conditions is Tourette Syndrome, which I suffer from moderately. This includes sudden loud noises and movements and whatnot.
The dog has been conditioned to this for years and hasn’t started responding to it till recently. I had a particularly bad episode which I’m pretty sure he picked up on because he walked over and willingly put pressure on me and let me pet him, which is unusual for him. I thought it was sweet at the time, but since then he now starts whining and barking every time I tic. Not only is this stressing him out, but it also flares me up which kinda created a feedback loop of him being stressed by my tics and my tics getting worse. I’m not sure if he thinks I’m in pain or if I’m being aggressive or something since my tics include yipping, screaming, and grimacing/bearing my teeth. Does anybody have any tips for this? It’s become an issue for both of us and his owner really doesn’t take proper care of him so I’m willing to step in if I can.
submitted by /u/Ok-Technician-7225
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