Looking for advice as to what I can do. I am at my wits end for how to help him. We just spent the past few days at my inlaws where he was so fearful he would barely listen to me to potty, come inside, etc. He is great with my 14 month old but is watched closely always and has a safe space he can retreat to even then. He is also gated off into only half the house when we are not able to fully supervise. He cuddles with her, will not take food from her hand, plays ball, they bring each oter toys, she can lead him on a leash (unless a stranger approaches)
My 6 year old neutered male Sheltie, Yukon, has always been timid. We have always had Shelties and this is the first one I have had with this issue. I think it was because as a pup we were stationed where I had to take a cheap Apt in a complex with some shady business going on, so every time I took them for a walk I would be apprehensive whenever we met someone new. I tried to counter this by taking him to PetSmart and Tractor Supply and etc. At the time I had a female who was euthanized this past Dec 12 due to complications of old age, Bella. Yukon came to me at 12 weeks old and I suspect he was not well socialized by breeder and he was the last of his litter to go due to his larger size. We were stationed there for 8 weeks before travelling cross country to AZ where he lived for 6 weeks with a lovely Sheltie owning family in Tucson while we visited every other day while my husband trained. Then we left, again cross country, for Bellingham WA and a Ferry ride to haines AK and then cross country through...... well alot of cross country, hotel stays, brief kennel stays on occasion between permenant lodgings... He is well travelled, plays well with all dogs, loves to go for walks and car rides.
Always shy of strangers became 100x worse after Bellas passing. Yukon went into the clinic with us, and then was allowed back in to sniff her body. We came right home where we were met by the mobile groomer and he was bathed and returned to the house (Bella and he had lived outside all summer and fall in very nice dog houses due to Bellas unpredictability towards our new baby and our reluctance to euthanize yet). Later discovered the groomer was not good for him as every time she came into the house he would run and hide and nothing would coax him out and she would drag him into the van, the last tiem I heard him yelp all the way inside my house. I found another groomer and he went to her place willignly and happily and they had no problems with him. (He has always gone to groomers once a month once he no longer fit in my sink). His shyness and fear was so great after this that we had a hard time even getting him into our vehicle. This has since subsided.
My 6 year old neutered male Sheltie, Yukon, has always been timid. We have always had Shelties and this is the first one I have had with this issue. I think it was because as a pup we were stationed where I had to take a cheap Apt in a complex with some shady business going on, so every time I took them for a walk I would be apprehensive whenever we met someone new. I tried to counter this by taking him to PetSmart and Tractor Supply and etc. At the time I had a female who was euthanized this past Dec 12 due to complications of old age, Bella. Yukon came to me at 12 weeks old and I suspect he was not well socialized by breeder and he was the last of his litter to go due to his larger size. We were stationed there for 8 weeks before travelling cross country to AZ where he lived for 6 weeks with a lovely Sheltie owning family in Tucson while we visited every other day while my husband trained. Then we left, again cross country, for Bellingham WA and a Ferry ride to haines AK and then cross country through...... well alot of cross country, hotel stays, brief kennel stays on occasion between permenant lodgings... He is well travelled, plays well with all dogs, loves to go for walks and car rides.
Always shy of strangers became 100x worse after Bellas passing. Yukon went into the clinic with us, and then was allowed back in to sniff her body. We came right home where we were met by the mobile groomer and he was bathed and returned to the house (Bella and he had lived outside all summer and fall in very nice dog houses due to Bellas unpredictability towards our new baby and our reluctance to euthanize yet). Later discovered the groomer was not good for him as every time she came into the house he would run and hide and nothing would coax him out and she would drag him into the van, the last tiem I heard him yelp all the way inside my house. I found another groomer and he went to her place willignly and happily and they had no problems with him. (He has always gone to groomers once a month once he no longer fit in my sink). His shyness and fear was so great after this that we had a hard time even getting him into our vehicle. This has since subsided.
