Well, I didn't mean to be a "surly other."
No, no, I don't mean to suggest that you were surly (sorry about the typo) should be surely.
Timid Timid Sheltie/Need help
- Thread starter kathyl
- Start date
No, no, I don't mean to suggest that you were surly (sorry about the typo) should be surely.
I don't think that a sheltie, raised to successfully be shown, could not have the social skills to walk down a street. Outdoor shows have vehicles, running children, dogs barking and whining, people touching and approaching etc. and applauding supporters. Indoor shows have loud speakers, whirling fans and abnormal amounts of noisy dogs, scraping pens etc. and people whistling and clapping. Any dog that comes from a "pet" environment might have problems dealing at a dog show. Having said all that, if your dog has gone through the routine to be shown then it shouldn't take much to slowly add bicycles etc that are found on a city street.
Take it slowly and be patient.
Take it slowly and be patient.
I wanted to add one more thing. You can breed two dogs that are really outgoing and have a puppy that is so timid that it can't deal with anything. I know, it happened to me with a Belgian Sheepdog breeding. We worked for months trying to get that puppy to a point were it could live as a loved pet but he never could and we had to euthanize him. His 8 littermates were just fine but he was odd from the get go. I found out later that the owner of the stud's sire had seen it before in the line so we decided that all the littermates would be spayed/neutered and placed. It was a shame. He would have been my pick to run on as he was gorgeous but the breed had temperment problems and I wasn't about to add to them.
I'm not sure that the original poster has a former show dog--I responded to her post because my former show dog was equally timid, and I found that cheerfully exposing her to new situations went a long way toward helping her acclimate to pet-hood. She was very successful in her former life; I can only assume that the street environment, out with a person she didn't know well, felt very different to her than the ring, with familiar people and dog friends. In the first days I had her, she was so terrified I wasn't sure she could adapt.
Caro
Moderator
Is she food orientated? If she is that will go a long way to helping. I'd cut out one of her meals and replace it with treats, give her lots of high value treats whenever you try something different.
If she is scared of going out the door, you may need to do it in increments -take her to the door in her harness, open it, give her a treat then close it again, build up to stepping out the door. Use really high value treats - something smelly maybe like salami or hot dog.
If she is used to a collar you're better off trying all this with a collar and lead rather than the harness. Best not to introduce two new things at once. What to use the harness until you are at least out the door. In the meantime just let her wear it around in the backyard.
It's not surprising that she needs work with recalls, so I'd be starting with the basics - high value treats and close up.
Importantly though, if she was outside with 6 other dogs she may feel more comfortable around other dogs. So introducing new things like going for a walk is best done with another dog, even learning how to be a pet will be easier for her if she can learn it from other dogs. Do you have any friends with a friendly dog that can come around to your house and teach her to be a pet? A class may also help as she may be more comfortable learning around other dogs. Ask at your local dog club if you could let her watch a class and see how she reacts.
If she is scared of going out the door, you may need to do it in increments -take her to the door in her harness, open it, give her a treat then close it again, build up to stepping out the door. Use really high value treats - something smelly maybe like salami or hot dog.
If she is used to a collar you're better off trying all this with a collar and lead rather than the harness. Best not to introduce two new things at once. What to use the harness until you are at least out the door. In the meantime just let her wear it around in the backyard.
It's not surprising that she needs work with recalls, so I'd be starting with the basics - high value treats and close up.
Importantly though, if she was outside with 6 other dogs she may feel more comfortable around other dogs. So introducing new things like going for a walk is best done with another dog, even learning how to be a pet will be easier for her if she can learn it from other dogs. Do you have any friends with a friendly dog that can come around to your house and teach her to be a pet? A class may also help as she may be more comfortable learning around other dogs. Ask at your local dog club if you could let her watch a class and see how she reacts.
I think Caro is on the right track, when I first brought my Beau home he was also very timid, it took loads of patience. He would let me take him out for walks, but, not let me pet him, So, I just sat on the floor and when he was ready he would come up and stick his nose in my armpit and I would give him mamma lovings till he couldn't take it any more and would run off to his "den" which at that time was the coat closet. Five years later he's a completely different pup, he could give George Clooney tips on how to work a room, or at the very least show him how to pick up the ladies.
Still working on his re-activity to other dogs, and that may never really go away but it doesn't mean I don't love him any less.
He will still come stick his nose in my armpit when he wants some "special mommy time" but in all other respects everyone always comments to me on how well behaved and gentle he is.
Still working on his re-activity to other dogs, and that may never really go away but it doesn't mean I don't love him any less.
He will still come stick his nose in my armpit when he wants some "special mommy time" but in all other respects everyone always comments to me on how well behaved and gentle he is.
Toffee's Mom
Forums Sage
I agree
My opinion is if you have that many dogs that you feel they can't be properly socialized to become a pet, it's a shame, so I do not personally agree, regardless of the reasons presented and would not recommend a friend to purchase a dog from such a kennel, even with a stellar pedigree.
Dogs are companion animals
Having said that, I agree that it's a great idea to start slow and steady, don't force too much on a shy dog too fast, find your bond and trust, before taking on too much at once. Caro has good advice there, I hope she will feel safe and well in her new home, soon
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I agree
My opinion is if you have that many dogs that you feel they can't be properly socialized to become a pet, it's a shame, so I do not personally agree, regardless of the reasons presented and would not recommend a friend to purchase a dog from such a kennel, even with a stellar pedigree.
Dogs are companion animals
Having said that, I agree that it's a great idea to start slow and steady, don't force too much on a shy dog too fast, find your bond and trust, before taking on too much at once. Caro has good advice there, I hope she will feel safe and well in her new home, soon
I have to note that, based on my own experience, your friend might be missing out on some of the most delightful companion dogs imaginable. I posted orginally simply to observe that a timid dog *can* become a wonderful pet, with a little patience and effort. In my case, my dogs were timid because they had lived in one kind of very structured and dog-centric world, and then suddenly were moved to another planet, from their perspective, with a totally foreign way of life. I worried that they would not be able to adjust and would always be uncomfortable and afraid. Now, as they leap on and off the furniture, demand frequent treats, visit assisted living facilities, allow me to dress them for holidays, and prance around with big smiles on their faces, I know that there was no reason to worry. And I believe that that is largely because although there upbringing was not-pet-like, it was still loving and supportive.
Toffee's Mom
Forums Sage
Absolutely a timid dog can become a wonderful pet, but wouldn't it be lovely if the same dog had been given a better opportunity to not become this timid in the first place?
If one treats dogs like breeding and livestock instead of companion animals with social needs you don't even give them much of a chance to become pets later in life without adding stress to the new owner AND the dog!
Sure they are cared for, maybe even loved but missing proper human and house living interaction and socialization cannot be easily duplicated later in life if little effort was put in when they were young!
I kind of regret bringing this up, and am a little tired of being told that what I have seen with my own eyes is somehow wrong or inferior. My point was simply that there are various roads to a happy dog; not all of them begin on the living room couch. I believe in respecting all of the paths. My dogs were totally happy in their show-day lives, living in a lovely setting with many dog friends and frequent interaction with their humans, even if they didn't live in the house full-time; now they are very happy being spoiled rotten.
I hope that the original poster is able to find strategies that allow her dog--raised outside, with other dogs, like mine--to make a happy, healthy adjustment. It doesn't take a big effort, and the rewards are great.