Spooky New Girl

[MattB]

(I hadn't heard the word spook until recently....US term?) We've just got a new grey, 5 years old, been in a rescue centre for a year. Beautiful thing, wouldn't come out of her kennel for anyone, we felt so sad we took her home to live with me, my OH and our other grey Charlie. We can't look at her without her cowering and she's struggling to walk past ud to go outside. Once we've got her harness on she's not too bad outside but any form of physical contact and she shakes like a leaf and her teeth chatter. I know it won't be an overnight transformation and she needs patience and love but just wondering if anyone has some tips on how we might bring her out of her shell?

[greysmom]

Time and patience. Nothing will happen fast with her, and it will *all* be on her timeline. There are quite a few threads with information and discussions of spooky dogs here on the forum. Do a search and see what helps you. If you understand that many spooks are that way because of genetics, it helps to think of them as having a brain malfunction - my spooky girl acts very much like a child with autism. She becomes hyper-focused on weird things, doesn't like to be touched, has odd food hang-ups, will often do OCD repetitive behaviors like licking or pacing.

 

You don't list your geographical area, but it sounds like you are in the UK. Vets "over there" seem to be less familiar with anti-anxiety drugs and treatments. Some of which may help, some will have no effect. But they are worth a try.

 

It's also possible that your dog is just extremely shy and that she will come out of her shell at some point in the future. Medication may help a dog like this more than a truse "spook."

 

Good luck! Time and patience.

[JohnF]

Peggy was shy to start with.

Understanding this helped a lot

 

'Lick, YAWN, and look-away' is an important calming signal that you can send to the dog, just the same as she can send it to you.

 

Patience... she has just lost everything familiar.

Wait for her to come to see you in her own time, no hugs or looming over yet,

Offer food bowl when you eat - it starts to open a door into a new pack structure.

 

Teeth chattering can be a positive sign of excitement in them

[Hawthorn]

Zylkene might help too http://www.zylkenepet.co.uk/.

[robinw]

I live with one of them. Be patient and let her come to you when she's ready. She may never completely be the friendly, outgoing dog that some people want (not saying that is the case with you), but just love her and accept her for who she is.

Edited November 5, 2014 by robinw

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Hand-feed every meal. Start with sitting on the floor and have a handfull of kibble in your hand. If she wont come to you, turn your back and extend your hands with the food behind your back for her to take. One of my girls i had to feed like that for nearly a month before I could put the food in front of me. I hand-fed her every meal for nearly 4 months. It took that long for her to trust me. She was painfully shy of men, so that is why I did all the feeding, walking, ect. She loves me now and will do anything i ask. It took me nearly 2 years to earn her trust, but it has been the most rewarding relationship ever. She doesnt do very well in public especially large crowds of people, but thats ok. I have found she LOVES training of any kind. So she has been an agility dog, flyball, basic and advanced obedience. She loves it all. When she is training, she forgets the scary world around her. I would start with the hand-feeding and then after a few months you may start to see what she really likes and go with that. Be patient knowing she will come around, it will take a lot of patience and understanding. Drugs, I am not big on chemicals for behavior modification, but that is just me.

[tra708]

Lola was scared of everything when I first got her. The drapes, the garbage, the furniture, the wind. You name it. If you walked into the same room with her, she would leave! She still gets freaked by things sometimes, but she is a different dog than she was before. She also was 5 yrs old when I adopted her.

With the passage of time and a lot of patience, just like others have said, things will improve, and it will be very rewarding. What Greyt_dog_lover says makes a lot of sense! Give your new pup some time and love.

[Hollis]

The sounds like a job for Greg! If any one can give a tip or two it's him!

[MattB]

After a 1.5 hr car ride we arrived at my mothers with our 2 greys (been there once before with the new girl) when getting them out of the car her leash slipped out of my hand and she disappeared down the road into the night (very rural location) I quickly ran in to the house with my other hound and turned around to commence the search and there Daisy was behind me she had come back!