Extremely Fearful Sheltie

M

marshalandme

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I am at a complete loss of what to do. I am trying everything I have in my tool box.

Marshal has been here for 1.5 weeks. When I was talking to his breeder and his handler, I heard he was confident, social, friendly, and outgoing. From the moment he arrived, this was not what I saw. When he arrived at the airport, he was so scared he wouldn't even get out of his crate. That day, we tried giving him treats and just waiting patiently. Since he had been in his crate all day, we finally had to tip it forward to get him out of it, at which point he stayed out of it.

At first I thought it was just a fear period and that he was traumatized by the flight but now I'm not sure. When we picked him up from the airport, my mother accompanied me. When we first got back to my place, he followed her around. When my parents visited, he would just hide from them, even my mother. The only time he ever let my father touch him was when he jumped in his lap out of fear since something startled him.

He's only been here for this short period of time but I am already getting attached to him. I just want to help him to feel more comfortable and less stressed. I know it takes time for a dog to adjust to a new home and environment. I realize his world has been turned completely upside down.

I have worked with fearful dogs before but most have been fear biters. I have never worked with a dog that is this fearful. He is seriously afraid of everything. I e-mailed his breeder and his handler tonight to get some ideas.

Right now we use a combination of:
Through A Dog's Ear (we play it almost 24/7)
T-Touch
Taking trips outside that are as short and as positive as possible
Lots of praise when he responds to something without fear

We will be visiting our trainer to get her opinion and i have considered borrowing a Thunder Shirt from her. We use clicker training by the way.
 
how old is Marshall? What was his living situation like before he came to you? Did he spend his time kenneled outside? Was he raised as a house dog? etc...

He's only been with you a week and a half so far...thats not that long especially if hes not used to being a house dog and if hes older...everything is new and strange..especially if hes never been out of that situation. It wont happen overnight, or next week but working slow with him may help...or if he is older he may just be that way..its really hard to say.
 
I have a scaredy sheltie too. Is he a puppy? It took my sheltie a few months to fully settle into the house and get used to people/dogs. Don't be discouraged, I'm sure he was just shaken up by the flight and is still getting used to his surroundings.

It seems like you're on the right track though. The best advice I can give, is not to rush things and like you've mentioned, encourage any response without fear. If he likes other dogs, perhaps you can introduce him to one to show him the ropes and make him more comfortable. Honestly, I don't remember exactly how Riley came out of his shell. He seems to have moments where something just clicks and he's no longer afraid of the situation.

Also when your sheltie is scared, does he shut down? I once watched a youtube video where clicker training was used to help an extremely fearful sheltie. I could find the link if you'd like. With Riley, when he shut down I'd try to distract him with something he likes (treats, game, toy etc.)

Hope everything works out okay :smile2:
 
What do you know about the breeder? 2 and 2 did not add up to 4 in my book on this one. Health being other things like thyroid issues but you do not get them on one air flight:rolleyes2:
As for being scaredy issues- if he is truly almost feral it could take months not weeks to adjust. Does he take food? Since you no stranger to clicker, use all his food as a reward for smallest behaviors you can split into- lift his tail, reward, look at you, reward, did not run away, reward. Even if you just drop the kibble on the ground instead of hand feeding in the beginning.
 
1.5 weeks is not really all that much time. Some dogs will open up and be full of fun after a day. Some take a lot of time. We have had Beignet for 3 months now and she is still showing us more of her personality and showing she trusts us more. Give Marshal plenty of time and let him show you himself at his own pace.
 
Don't be in a hurry to introduce him to new people, places and things. Have anyone that does come over to your house ignore him completely but arm them with something wonderful to eat if he takes the initiative. He's scared because he has been taken out of his own safe place, thrown on an airplane and strange people and house have replaced everything he knows.
I would avoid directly approaching him and pressuring him by making eye contact but instead would keep pressure completely off by pretending he wasn't there. Talk to the room instead of him. Let him get used to you, your movements and voice, so he can learn to trust you. You are dealing with emotions and have to address them as such. Just because I tell you not to be afraid when a huge spider lands on you doesn't mean you are going to stand there and not try to rid yourself of it.
I took Tinsel over to my sister's house last Tuesday. I got there first and asked each of the group as they arrived to pretend that Tinsel did not exist. Only one woman forced herself to comply. Guess what, she was the one he kept initiating contact with. He took cookies from the others and left them just as fast as he approached and could snatch a goodie from them. With Janice he kept poking her for some interaction. Why, because he was unsure of his surroundings and so he wasn't about to interact with those unknown humans that kept calling him in silly voices but this one lady wasn't at all threatening. When I take him for his walks into town he is a different dog. He's much more confident in approaching strangers but he is in a familiar territory.
I suspect that your new arrival is scared and sensitive. Give him time to adjust to his new home.
 
I would give more time (1.5 weeks as noted above is a short time!). I found with my one dog Willow who was horribly shy/scared, once we started classes, her confidence built up quickly. Also, walking as a pack helped everyone bond and increase her security in the "pack". Everytime we introduce a new dog,we start the walks together quickly, to build the pack and get everyone bonded. It works very well.

Also, I have been told routine helps. Feed the same time, same place. Routine walk times. Routine training times. It can be a pain, but I feel it works well. Gives them a good sense of security knowing what is coming.
 
I think Mitch advice is bang on and while walking, don't be afraid to talk to your dog, let him know that everything is okay and that your not going to let anything happen, yes, it might sound crazy but it works, I think the routine, the walking casual meetups with people is all what helped my sweet Beau get out of his shell.

But, to this day, Beau does not like the clicker, he is still afraid of that and probably always will be for whatever reason
 
Sounds like adjustment time. I haven't had this problem to be honest. Both Lucky and Lil' Lady took over the house when they came in. They both did the sheltie zoomies, Lil' Lady was like I am FREEEEEEEEEEEE! She is something anyway, hysterical.

I wonder if your little guy was not socialized and accustomed to noises and new surroundings. You have love, and patience I can tell by your post.

You received some great advice, and I wish all the best to you and your new little pal.
 
All good advice so far...

I would also ask you to consider a Thunder****. I sell them in my store. We have a very liberal return policy, and I can say that we've never had one returned "because it did not work"

The concept behind Thundershirts is like swaddling a baby. Anxious dogs just completely settle.

We had a 10 month old pit bull in the store today. He was actually timid for a pit bull. Would not come for treats and would not leave his "dad". We put a Thundershirt on him. Next thing, he was lying down on our front mat and coming when called for treats. Amazing! Sold!
 
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