A Game of Hide and Seek All the dogs at our local shelter get their own elevated platforms with fresh blankets that are changed daily. Many of our fearful dogs often stay hunkered on their beds, watching me warily or “pretending” not to see me at all when I first meet them. Their beds are […]
How To Approach a Fearful Dog for the First Time (Part 1)
Meeting a shy shelter dog for the first time is a lot like being set up on a blind date. I usually have a little information beforehand, but until I lay eyes on the dog, I really have no idea if the encounter will be successful or not. Often, my new fearful friend will be […]
Venetian Blinds
Well before I knew anything about positive training, animal behavior or fear based reactivity, we adopted Amazing Grace, our first fearful dog. Gracie would spend most of her daylight hours patrolling from window to window, on the lookout for intruders, and took her self-appointed job very seriously. Unfortunately, she was driving us insane with her constant alerting, […]
Who’s Driving The Bus?
It may come as a surprise to you, but your dog does not want to drive a school bus. You are safe from her wrestling the steering wheel away from you, shoving you roughly to the floor and doing a burnout to the nearest dog park. Nor do you have to worry about her shouting […]
How To Live With A Shy and Fearful Dog (Without Driving Your Family Crazy)
Truly, Madly, Deeply I am truly, madly, deeply in love with my shy girl, Katie. In fact, I am surprised that endorphins don’t literally shoot out the top of my head whenever she glances my way. Her physical beauty is breathtaking: Have you seen eyes quite that shade of brown? Don’t you love her little […]
You must be logged in to post a comment.