Question About a Very Scared Rescue Sheltie

May I suggest that you get a copy of Debbie Jacob's book "Living With and Training a Fearful Dog" She also has a blog www.fearfuldog.com. It sounds very much as if you have a dog similar to her Sunny. She is a wealth of information on dealing with these issues. You can get her book through Dogwise.com
Toffee's mom suggested another book to me called Dump Dog by Sylvia Jay. Both of these books have become part of my library.
I will be here rooting for you both.
Joanne
 
Tagg, I will definitely check those books out! I read quite a lot and devour anything on the topic of helping this boy.

Days 16-22: I find myself at an impasse as far as where this pup should spend his time.

When I last updated this thread, I had moved him to the bedroom and felt pretty good about that decision. As a few days went by, I felt like we weren't really moving forward or back, and after a couple more I decided that I would compromise - I am home alone with him from 10am-6pm when the rest of the household starts rolling in. So I figured I would bring him out in the house when it was just me, and put him back in the bedroom when people got home.

That didn't go as expected. The first time I put him on the floor in the living room, he lost it. Running into walls and furniture in a blind panic, trying to climb things with absolute frantic terror. So I realized that maybe he does better when he's out in the main house, even with all the sounds. Maybe the sounds somehow calm him down a little. He does in fact seem more relaxed under the desk.

So, we're back to having him under the desk. I think that I may have been projecting my own annoyance with the rest of the house being boisterous onto him. I'm thinking, "We've got a feral dog under the desk, will you people shut up? You're probably scaring him to death!" But, then again, maybe they're not. Trial and error. Adapt, improvise and overcome.

Today's milestone was this: we went outside on a 6 foot leash instead of a long-lead. I was too close for him to just go do his business, but when I sat down on the pavement he did do it then. I stayed there for a while, just looking at him and sweet-talking him, kind of testing the limits of his lately-great eye contact, and he took one step toward me. I didn't move or change my tone, but he still spooked immediately and flew back. He'd never taken a voluntary and non-bribed step toward me before. :biggrin2:
 
I'm going to suggest another book. It's called CALMING SIGNALS and is by Turid Rugass. Fortunately all these books are quite inexpensive!
It will help you to understand your own body language and that of the dog. It will also help the other members of your household.
We are currently helping my sister with 4 feral kittens. When we took them for their 1st vaccines, shortly after getting them to come into her sunroom, one was released from the crate, climbed up the wall to the top of the vet's curtains and hung from the rod! That was a couple of weeks ago - the scars are almost healed on my brother-in-law and myself:biggrin2: and we now have 2 kittens coming up for attention. We never make direct eye contact with them even though they now stare at us, we look over their head, make "small" eyes or slowing blink and keep our bodies turned slightly at an angle to them. The other two are starting to venture out to investigate. The food bowl is on a t shirt, used and not washed, that belongs to Paul so that they have learned to associate his smell with food.
A lot of it is stuff we have used with horses. Horses are prey animals and so body language is a big factor in them allowing us to do the things we do with them. It translates well to frightened animals of most species. When I read calming signals, a lot of the things we did started to make sense from an academic standpoint. Watching Tinsel, well versed in these signals, work his magic at shy dog social really was a light bulb moment.
 
Beau is my Sheltie/Mix rescue. When I first brought him home, he was terrified of everything. December 9,2013 will mark our 4 year anniversary. When I think back to what Beau was like when I first brought him home to how he is now I laugh. People don't believe me, when I tell them how he "use to be" For example, wouldn't let anyone (including me touch him), afraid of every sound, afraid of walks, didn't bark for about 5 months, Fast Forward, now Beau is afraid of normal dog stuff like thunder, or anything even remotely sounding like a gun shot(who isn't) Now, Beau barks, but, its normal stuff, he recognizes my neighbors foot steps and won't bark at them, but, he will bark at the maintenance people on the other side of the door and once I tell him,"Beau they don't want to come in here" he calms right down. He happily saunters up to people to give them the love of wet nose and wiggly butt. Does he still have issues that need to be managed? yes, but, they are minor and easily accommodated, but, he's mamma loved and he knows it and that's what's important.

You'll see, it will happen slowly, but, it will take time and patience.
 
Today was a good day (day 23)!

He's been seeming to ask for eye contact for so long that I finally started looking at him and talking to him a little more directly. I've been sitting near him and reading to him, rarely meeting his eyes, mostly sitting sideways, waiting for him to indicate that he was ready for a little more engagement. Today I oriented myself somewhat more in his direction, set down the book (we're onto a zombie book, now) and talked softly to him. His ears were up and he looked very, very curious and interested, and fairly relaxed - he wasn't hyper-vigilant alert, just intent and engaged alert. I was speaking in a very nice tone, telling him "Oh, you're such a nice handsome boy. You don't have a thing to worry about! Nothing bad will ever happen to you again." Just going on and on and smiling at him - and he took a step toward me again! I didn't have any food and he wasn't about to bolt, he just took another step as he did the other day.

Twice last night, I went to get him from under the desk to go outside and he moved his body ever so slightly toward me rather than away from me.

I'm not just putting down a bowl for him to eat from anymore. I'm sitting down and strategically placing food all over the floor between us. It covers about a four foot distance. Initially, he would venture into the two feet closest to him to eat that food, which is pretty good right there. But he comes a little closer to me each time - just inch by inch.

:o I love this boy.
 
How could you not love him. He is very special and so are you. Your patience and understanding of what to do for him are wonderful. I get misty eyed when I read your posts. Please keep updating his progress.
 
Days 24-27 - Yesterday, he walked further from under the desk for a kibble than he ever has before.

Lately his reaction to being spooked has changed. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. For the first couple weeks, if he got startled he would just plaster himself further into the corner and stare at the ground and breathe like he'd just run a 5k. Now, for some reason, he'll bolt out of his corner and tear around the house looking for a different corner. Usually when whatever spooks him leaves/stops, he'll settle back under the desk, but the bolting for parts unknown behavior is a fairly new one. :confused2:
 
That may be an encouraging sign. Attempting to move away from the source of anxiety until he encounters a natural obstruction is the most primal response. The fact that he's looking elsewhere may signify that he's becoming more comfortable with his surroundings.
 
That's kind of what I'm thinking. He does still seem really frantic when he's looking for a new spot, there's nothing relaxed about it, and when he realizes that one spot isn't suitable for whatever reason he bolts to another, knocking over everything in his path. It doesn't really seem like a positive thing but I keep thinking, "But he's looking for somewhere better. So he thinks that there are ways to get away from whatever's scaring him. He feels terrified, but less helpless." He didn't show that kind of problem-solving a month ago.
 
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