I have a Sheltie that I got when I used to live in Phoenix in 2009. She has always had shyness and anxiety issues, but when I lived in the city these were mostly under control (or, at least, to be expected, she was very much the typical bred Sheltie). She would walk beside me on a leash where-ever I went, wasn't afraid to enter strange buildings, and would even slightly wag her tail if a stranger started talking to her. She would never bark except when she heard my car pull up outside my apartment after work. She was skittish of small, hyperactive dogs but would quickly warm up to larger dogs that gave her the "Play with me!" signals.
In 2011, I was forced to move to Louisiana and live with my parents for a while. It was cramped and out in the middle of nowhere and the five other dogs that lived there were very aggressive towards her, forcing her to stay in my room. I moved out of there and into my grandmother's in late 2011, but it seems the damage had already been done. This is an extremely dog-unfriendly area, so there are no dog parks, no dog activities, no shops that allow dogs in them, no sidewalks... nothing that I can do in public to try and re-socialize her.
Her behavioral issues have been escalating lately and I simply have no idea what to do anymore.
Chief among them:
1.) Barking. At EVERYTHING. The slightest noise now elicits aggressive, loud, nonstop barking with aggressive body language -- tail up, stiff, growling and pacing. She does this intensely with everyone who enters the house, regardless if she's seen them a billion times.
2.) Extreme distrust. Above and beyond "Sheltie Shyness." She is finally getting used to my grandma after a year of living with her and loves to interact with her, but she still will not allow her to pet her. With everyone else, she hides. If she is on a lead, she hides directly behind my legs in a tiny neurotic ball.
4.) Selective listening -- she used to be very obedient in the home, now she just does whatever she pleases. She is NOT interested in toys (and is scared of most new objects) and treats only motivate her for so long. If we are outside the home, NOTHING will motivate her. (In obedience classes I took her to, we discovered she'd even turn her nose up to stinky meat. We tried EVERYTHING.)
5.) Lunging and biting. We keep a 2 year old here four days out of the week and she constantly barks at him. She has bitten him once on the face during an incident where she had gotten into my lap and he suddenly ran over and jumped on her. She also has a "den" (my office) where we stay all the time and this lunging becomes very intense if the kid tries to enter the room.
The ONLY time that I can trust her with the kid is when she is on a leash. If she has a collar or leash on, she behaves, even if she isn't being restrained, and will respect anyone who is controlling her. In fact, she is 100% complicit with everything the kid is doing if he's holding the leash (although she does stare intensely at me with what is obviously "God, help me, please" looks.) When I take her to groomers, they tell me that she is a very obedient, quiet, and respectful dog, and I'm guessing they must be telling the truth because she always ends up with bows in her ears.
I really don't know where to go from here due to her not being motivated by standard training techniques, and I can't afford professional help because I'm unemployed and those facilities just don't exist here locally. Any advice that the community can offer will help.
In 2011, I was forced to move to Louisiana and live with my parents for a while. It was cramped and out in the middle of nowhere and the five other dogs that lived there were very aggressive towards her, forcing her to stay in my room. I moved out of there and into my grandmother's in late 2011, but it seems the damage had already been done. This is an extremely dog-unfriendly area, so there are no dog parks, no dog activities, no shops that allow dogs in them, no sidewalks... nothing that I can do in public to try and re-socialize her.
Her behavioral issues have been escalating lately and I simply have no idea what to do anymore.
Chief among them:
1.) Barking. At EVERYTHING. The slightest noise now elicits aggressive, loud, nonstop barking with aggressive body language -- tail up, stiff, growling and pacing. She does this intensely with everyone who enters the house, regardless if she's seen them a billion times.
2.) Extreme distrust. Above and beyond "Sheltie Shyness." She is finally getting used to my grandma after a year of living with her and loves to interact with her, but she still will not allow her to pet her. With everyone else, she hides. If she is on a lead, she hides directly behind my legs in a tiny neurotic ball.
4.) Selective listening -- she used to be very obedient in the home, now she just does whatever she pleases. She is NOT interested in toys (and is scared of most new objects) and treats only motivate her for so long. If we are outside the home, NOTHING will motivate her. (In obedience classes I took her to, we discovered she'd even turn her nose up to stinky meat. We tried EVERYTHING.)
5.) Lunging and biting. We keep a 2 year old here four days out of the week and she constantly barks at him. She has bitten him once on the face during an incident where she had gotten into my lap and he suddenly ran over and jumped on her. She also has a "den" (my office) where we stay all the time and this lunging becomes very intense if the kid tries to enter the room.
The ONLY time that I can trust her with the kid is when she is on a leash. If she has a collar or leash on, she behaves, even if she isn't being restrained, and will respect anyone who is controlling her. In fact, she is 100% complicit with everything the kid is doing if he's holding the leash (although she does stare intensely at me with what is obviously "God, help me, please" looks.) When I take her to groomers, they tell me that she is a very obedient, quiet, and respectful dog, and I'm guessing they must be telling the truth because she always ends up with bows in her ears.
I really don't know where to go from here due to her not being motivated by standard training techniques, and I can't afford professional help because I'm unemployed and those facilities just don't exist here locally. Any advice that the community can offer will help.
