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Problems with a nervous/timid dog

2K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  Ava 
#1 ·
Hi,
I've posted about housetraining my newly acquired rescue dog, but now I have another issue. To start with, Bitsie is about 6 months old and has had a difficult start--not properly socialized early on (probably neglected or chained up in a yard), in a shelter, then in a couple of foster homes. To be honest, if I had known she was as psychologically damaged as she is, I probably would have not adopted her. The rescue people weren't exactly wholly honest about her problems--or perhaps they were just being optimistic. Although she has been with us a couple of weeks, I am the one she seems to trust the most. She can be friendly toward my husband, but is unsure about my 9-year-old son. She has growled and barked at him a couple of times, and we are keeping a close eye on that. Any sign of aggression is a deal-breaker, so we are hoping that doesn't happen.
We are supposed to go out of town next weekend, and are considering kennelling her. Is it too early? We have a kennel that we absolutely love--our former dog (13 years old when she died) loved going there, and the people are wonderful. But Bitsie is a whole different animal, and still very traumatized. We could probably take her with us, but she will have to spend all her time either in her crate or tethered to one of us. We are going to visit my in-laws, who live on over 300 acres in the mountains. Needless to say, we can't risk letting her get away from us outside or inside.
Opinions? Suggestions? Thanks in advance!
 
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#2 ·
I'd say it's too soon to kennel her if you've only had her a few weeks. Let her go with you this time, or postpone your trip. Stay calm when she goes with you. Having her tethered to you in a variey of settings isn't a bad thing. When she watches your bland reaction to new environments, she will be less worried. In another month or so, take her to the kennel for an hour. Visit again in a few weeks and leave her for three hours. I'd have a few long talks with your son, too. Go over things that make a scared dog more nervous [staring in their eyes, leaning over them, etc]. I'd also make your son in charge of feeding bitsie, while you watch, and I'd have him feed her a few kibble pieces at a time. Let us know how it goes!
 
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