Introducing a very Shy Puppy into A New Home?

Thanks so much! :) I think the power of prayer and positive thinking on here is what helped him find his way home.

It's been a week since he disappeared. It was so weird, thinking that last week I was desperately searching for a dog, that in the back of my mind, would be gone for ever. And now, he's sitting on my couch, playing with his squeaky giraffe toy, looking as cute as possible.

He's making leaps and bounds of progress in some areas, and backsliding in others.

First and foremost, last night at puppy class, we actually achieved multiple sits and downs in class!! This is an amazing feat. Before, he wouldn't even take a treat from my hand. Now, with a trio of loud children who love sitting next to him, a dog barking non-stop, and other big dogs around him, he actually came out of his shell some and we actually managed to move forward in our training there. It was amazing!

Now that I've found the boiled chicken liver, he will do just about anything, anywhere. We are working on our recall outside. I want it to be so ingrained in his head that when I kneel and call for him to come, good things happen. Hopefully we can prevent another disappearing act.

I took him outside to go potty just now, and brought some chicken liver with me. We played with sits and downs outside (another big feat! Before, we could only do obedience on the couch... Anything else was out of his comfort zone), and he's just a changed puppy. I see so much more confidence.

The bad is... He's marking inside more. It's only in my parents house, not the apartment. He's marked 4 times now. When we went to petsmart last night, he used the bathroom twice. He seems to mark 7-8 times on a walk if we go to a different place. Why is this? Is he getting a UTI? Or just acting like a boy?
 
Monet is starting to make some more progress - he actually approached some people on his own at the pet stores today. It was amazing! Normally he hides at the end of his leash. So for Monet to let the people pet him without panicking was amazing.

I'm having issues updating or browsing the forum, haha. He keeps walking in front of the computer, putting his paws on my chest, or laying down on my chest. I think he feels neglected. ;) I had no idea just how snuggly this puppy would be. He's definitely starting to bond more to me. He'll crash flat out, his head on my arm, laying beside me. He's all personality! I wish that he would be like that all the time, he's just a little dynamo. But, I'm glad I am starting to see more of this side of him, rather than the quaking in fear.

When he isn't terrified, he actually is very food motivated. We played for pieces of chicken tonight (Liver is so gross!!). He would come to me in any room of the house, and he's got such flair when he sits and downs. We even started playing a bit with the stay command. He'll stay for a grand total of 5 seconds, haha... But before that he would pop his butt up as soon as he got the treat. Baby steps!
 
awww
SO happy you are having the bonding experience.. working together will have that affect and will form a true partnership
GOTTA love Shelties
 
Thanks so much! He definitely is a genius in the making. When he's not fearful, he's soooo smart. And so daggone cute!

We just came back from outside, and he was in a super playful mood. The first time he's ever done that outdoors. :) He actually had the zoomies outside! Of course it's difficult to do on a retractable leash, but oh well. His recall out there is starting to have a lot of style, haha. He comes full speed, then flops into a down with such panache. I need to video it. It's starting to really come along. He would run at the end of the leash and I would jump down into a kneel and call him, and he'd stop what he was doing, turn and run over to me and immediately either sit or down. So cute! At one point he was running and he did these little twirls, and ended up hog tying himself with the leash. He just laid there and waited for me to come untangle him. Before, he would have immediately freaked out and struggled.

It's like he knows that I was sad he wasn't coming out of his shell, and so it seems like he's made 15 steps of progress at once. I'm definitely alright with that! :)
 
Congratulations on the fantastic progress he's made! I'm sure he'll keep going...(and going and going!) You've put a lot into him, and he's showing the results of that hard work! Congrats to you, too!
 
Aww, thanks so much! I love seeing the progress he makes. He's crashed out on the couch sleeping next to me right now.

A friend and I (and her dog) went to the Gorge to hike today, and man Monet had a BLAST. He was enthusiastic, leading the way the whole time. We went up and down some big mountainsides, and he took it all in stride. It was all excitement, not fear based reactions, something that was great to see! At one point, as we headed for home, he got really super excited and just wanted to run with me. He would look at me and run over, then run off, drop down, and do it again. We jogged down the trail, and he was just so happy. It was so nice to see him excited about it.

I didn't think he would want to go through the water, but he jumped in it like it was nothing new. He crossed bridges, and he was very nimble and careful on the ridges. We walked for an hour and a half, and he was ready to keep going. This boy has endurance for days. I was so glad we could go.

Of course now he is a tired little puppy, but I think he'll have time to recover before we go to our beginner class tonight. :)
 
I am thrilled to hear how much fun Monet is having and how you are enjoying him. It seems like he will be completely out of his shell in no time! Keep up the good work. All that getting out in new places is awesome for him.
 
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