Hello, I’m sure I am one of many who did everything possible to prepare for bringing my furbaby home. I read multiple books and many forums. I researched for one year before biting the bullet on adopting. My adoption agency found me this beautiful and sweet, quiet 2 year old girl I named Piper. She hasn’t even been off the track for a full month. I just picked her up on Friday evening. So today is my almost 4th day I guess you could say. The introduction was perfect. She is so friendly and just loves people and giving love to anyone who will acknowledge her. We had an hour and a half car ride home where she did great. Got her home and she peed before going into my apartment and even walked up 8 concrete stairs with no hesitation. The first night we didn’t get much sleep and the second night was much more improved and last night she only woke up one time to make sure I was there and I told her to go to bed and she laid right down until morning. She was a pleasure to walk the first two days. Notice I said WAS. Yesterday morning she introduced me to statuing. The one thing I read about and prayed wouldn’t happened. I’d rather clean up P&P (which by the way, she has not had any accidents inside). The thing is, she will walk but only in the direction she wants to go which is further and further from home. She will not move when we need to go back home. I read that most freeze in general and just won’t walk at all. Not her. She will walk but where she wants to walk. To me, that seems more like stubbornness than fear. And that look she gives me when she stops. OMG! Those eyes! Treats worked once or twice. I switched them up. Now she will not eat them at all. I’m starting to wonder if maybe she doesn’t like me or my home.
I understand these dogs are basically in foreign land with someone that can’t understand and surely do not trust. So I try to be sympathetic to that and be stern but not so harsh that I damage the trust I am trying to build. She had been following me all around the apartment but now she just makes sure she has me in her site. If she can’t see me she comes looking and once she finds me she will go back to where ever she was laying. This mornings walk was going great until she saw her first squirrel. Ugh. She wanted it something bad. Could care less about cats and small dogs or even birds but she wouldn’t budge. I tried the stern “NO”, “let’s go,”, tried blocking her view, walking in a circle, nudging her. Nothing would get her to break her focus and move. I had to call my adoption coordinator for advice. She explained how to put my fingers in her collar and stand close to her and nudge her forward. That got her to move but I don’t know if I was doing it right, it seemed to bother her throat. So I’d stop. When I did that of course she would stop. Not only is this hurting my feelings because I feel like I am mistreating her, it is also embarrassing because people see me struggling with her on every single walk now. I am to the point where I am afraid to walk her now. Fear that we might now make back inside, that maybe she will somehow get away, or become so petrified of me. I want this to work so bad. I am committed but I feel really alone and feel like this might never get better. I know it’s extremely early but with the quarantine situation we are in at the present time I just don’t feel like I can get the help I need to overcome some of these issues. I am now becoming emotional and that is last these she needs to see or sense from me.
Any words of encouragement? Advice? It is really needed right now. I’m already attached to her and dream of the day I get to see her personality shine through. Thank you.
