Hi everyone! Long time reader first time poster. My boyfriend and I adopted our first grey 3 weeks ago. She is a very sweet and polite velcro hound who loves her food! We had a bit of a spook last night and I want to get the community's advice on how to handle this and make sure she is comfortable in her new home. For reference, Rhea spends the day lying on the floor next to us as we work in the living room. She goes into her crate in our bedroom voluntarily at bedtime and the crate is always open. She has really started to open up and become more comfortable with us this past week - wagging her tail, enjoying her walks, exploring the porch, and responding to her new name. I can't express just how much she is finally coming out of her shell, and we were so so excited to get a glimpse of our girl's personality!
However, last night while she was snoozing, my boyfriend was tossing a ball around (something he does often while watching tv) and it fell on her. She woke up very spooked, ran a couple laps around the apartment, and then straight into her crate. We respect the crate as her space so we do not pet her while she is in it, but we do give her treats and talk to her. We took her on her nightly walk and she was energetic and excited, but back to the crate when we got home, and again this morning. Her walk schedule was also a little messed up yesterday and she met some new people, so I'm thinking the startle was just the icing on the cake. I know this is very normal, but I cant help but beat myself up over this! We are very worried this could be a huge setback and that she no longer feels safe. I typically like to keep the bedroom door closed while we are in the living room as I dont yet trust her not to get into something (we have dog proofed but hounds will find a way!) But I really do not want to shut her out of her safe space now. What should we do? How long will it take for her to feel comfortable in the living room again?