reassurance for our approach to a new and nervous dog

[ailsa]

Hi Leon!

Glad you came here to ask for a bit of advice - if nothing else, it looks like it has confirmed you're doing the right things with Willow. Those small steps are like giant leaps when you have an anxious dog, aren't they?

Just a couple of things. I would stick with the DAP collar and spray, rather than a diffuser. When Archie was at his worst, Roland and I both worked from home from our spare room, and Archie slept in there, too. We had a DAP diffuser in there, and our behaviourist told us to stop using it, as the room was becoming almost too 'safe' for him, and it was stopping him venturing anywhere else in the flat. When our work started varying and he started sleeping in our bedroom, his anxiety did seem to ease slightly.

The other thing is - and I know this may be a way off yet - it might be worth considering a harness for WIllow when you finally get to the stage of walking her. If she's as scared out and about as she is at home, it's possible she could be in danger of slipping her collar - which would be horrendous.

We use one of these fleece harnesses for Archie:

dog-games-shop.co.uk/harnesses-fleece-lined

A lot of people here swear by Ruffwear harnesses, which are pricy but impossible for a dog to get out of.

If you do get one, you could get Willow accustomed to it by putting it on her at home and letting her wear it for a while.

Good luck. Keep on doing what you're doing - and I look forward to meeting Willow eventually!

[leon]

HI Ailsa

Thanks for the tips. Yes - we will have to meet up somewhere between sussex and kent with the dogs once we get Willow sorted.

Those ruffwear harnesses are REALLY expensive arent they! Not sure I can convince Helen we should be spending 160 on one. We got a yellow one from th Dogs trust for her but havent tried to fit it on her yet.

BTW, Willow has decided the world is too scary again today and is hiding under the stairs 1 step forward an 2 back it seems. Woody isn't helping - he keeps barking at solitary bees in the garden, so everytime Willow does dare to venture, he barks and she runs for cover again.

[Nettie]

Leon, I don't know where you are looking but a ruff wear harness is not £160, they are around the £50 mark. Here's the google page with various sites selling them. Hope this helps:

www.google.co.uk/search?q=ruff+wear+harness&aq=f&oq=ruff+wear&aqs=chrome.2.57j5j59j61j0j60.4795j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[leon]

Apr 28, 2013 9:55:59 GMT -5 Nettie said:

Leon, I don't know where you are looking but a ruff wear harness is not £160, they are around the £50 mark. Here's the google page with various sites selling them. Hope this helps:

www.google.co.uk/search?q=ruff+wear+harness&aq=f&oq=ruff+wear&aqs=chrome.2.57j5j59j61j0j60.4795j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

thanks Nettie - I could only find this one when I looked = www.ruffwear.co.uk/dog-gear/harnesses/doubleback-harness

I expect the Webmaster is the one to get? She is so skinny for now, we'll have to wait until she fills out before we get one to make sure it will fit.

Might get one for woody too.

[Nettie]

We've all got webmasters, the other one is more for heavy duty heaving dogs up mountains and that kind of thing.

[lurchernut]

They have some for £29.99 in red large, or black small at the moment

Ruffwear

[Nettie]

Shame, they've only got them in large, I need a small for Angus.

[julies]

Hi Leon

Welcome to Gap ... she sounds like my first Irish Greyhound who was traumatised and from the Dogs Trust too, I'm a TTouch Practitioner and have done it for over 17 years so am very biased about it's benefits (Not sure what health claims you're talking about but it does help in lots of weird ways).

What I did with my first grey was just do some TTouches down her back from neck to tail while she was eating .. if you're eating you're not holding your breath so are less tense .. if you're tense you tend to hold your breath and animals are the same. I did one lot of ttouches then I stood back and let her finish her food in peace, I didn't try to touch her otherwise and like you I had to corner her if I had to put a lead on so proabably letting her settle with the garden is a better idea tho does she jump? TTouch will help reduce tension and relax her so I would quietly persevere even tho she may not want you to tho only for a very short time - I would probably use something to put a distance between me and her so she doesn't have my hand aiming for her - most rescue dogs have bad connections to an approaching hand so I'd use an Assessor Hand that shelters use to test dogs for food guarding etc etc but you could use say a long stiff feather or a padded glove on a wooden spoon so you can stay a little away from her but still do circular ttouches and lifts etc

I'd be very tempted to change her onto raw .. the chewing should give her something to do and I find raw food more satisfying for them ...

I worked with a cracking lurcher who had come from the Dogs Trust .. he was fab but totally shut down, ghe responded well to TTouch but when he did our Groundwork course (like an agility course sort of) we realised he couldn't turn to the right ... with a McTimoney chiropractic treatment plus TTouch he's a changed dog so (when she's more settled) a McT might be a good check up too.

Any questions on TTOuch please ask me or 7lurchers if Rachels about

Best wishes

Julie

[ritab]

My thoughts are that it is VERY early days. Our nervous, stand-offish grey (who wasn't as bad as Willow, but didn't want to be touched, to go for walks, sit with us, etc) was a year before she would tolerate being stroked. And she never sat on the sofa! That didn't happen until our 2nd grey arrived.

We did force the issue of walks however, as when she was out on the lead she started sniffing and showing some interest in the outside world after a few weeks. At first she was happier going out late at night, in the dark and when it was quiet.

At the time we thought nothing was changing and we became stressed. After 20 months I look back and it seems like nothing. She is now a happy dog, playful, comes for a fuss (now and then) says hello to strangers, etc. She is lovely and it was worth the wait.

I hope you can be very patient, as I am sure things will get better. She may always be shy and slightly nervous, but that shouldn't stop her from generally having a nice life - dogs are all such different personalities, even in the same breed. Our 2 are at opposite ends of the spectrum, and our new grey (5 months) has helped Gizzi come out of her shell even more.

[deborahburt]

I have no advice to give,but like everyone before me has said, well done for giving this poor little girl a loving home.It sounds like you are doing the right things and she will eventually realise how having hooman pets is a wonderful thing.
Keep us informed of her progress and keep the photos of your gorgeous dogs coming.

[leon]

thanks again - it's really good to hear about the nervous dogs eventually showing change and personality. It's the lack of walking that is concerning us most - we dont want her to turn in on herself for lack of stimulation.

+Julies - thanks for your tips. I'm sure we will have more questions as things progress. I'm finding the Ttouch a really helpful way of interacting with her when she is relaxed of an evening - even if we are being a bit invasive.

[leon]

a couple more pics She looks really puppy-like in these ... less so in real life.

[julies]

Hi Leon

Just ask away I know what you mean, my friend had a nervous grey tho she admitted not as nervous as my Tigger .. my friend didn't push her grey to do anything or go anywhere as she was so scared and my friend said in hindsight (which is a wonderful thing) that her grey's world just shrank and shrank ... the grey didn't know that if she was a little braver then there are lots of lovely things to do so do perservere with the TTouch tho a little bit at a time and stop tho it might be worth finding a local TTouch practitioner to come out and show you some more things ... actually you could scatter some odd surfaces around the garden like rubber car mats, furry rugs, plastic sheets (weigh them down tho) and dog car ramps to give her some stimulation

My nervous grey improved so much with TTouch that she was always off lead and passed her Gold Good Cits test and did dog training displays with our dog club so there is no boundary to what you can all achieve .. just have no expectations and enjoy the journey

Best wishes

Julie

[ailsa]

Leon - I'm sure this is something you've already thought of, but have you considered just doing one small circuit of the green in front of your house with Willow? Perhaps you could do it once a day for a couple of weeks, then twice a day for a couple of weeks, then gradually further afield? Just a thought.

[leon]

That sounds like a good plan Ailsa - as soon as we can get a lead on her, we'll give it a go.