I go to the basement to check my emails on the computer, you follow me. I hop into bed to read or sleep, you jump and put your front paws on the bed to see what I am doing. I go to put out the trash, you jump to look out the window to make sure I am not escaping.
But if I go to pat you, you put your tail between your legs and retreat into a quivering sit.
You're a strange one, Juneau.
You're 10 months old, and I am becoming resigned to the possibility you'll always be scared.
The rest of the family is starting to think we picked a clunker of a pet. My daughter Annie is using the fact you seem happy only around other dogs as an excuse to ask for another dog to keep you company. If I could afford double the doggie-day-care costs, I'd consider it.
Regardless, you're still cute.
hi be patience.i have multible dogs with different personalities .your daughter may be right, about another dog. like people animals learn and grow from eath other.dogs by nature are animals that live in packs. if you decide on having two dogs be sure u include juneau in the process you need to make sure they both get along with eath other.
I recently met Gourmet Gal and she told me about your blog. I read your original story about Juneau in the paper. I also have a Juno- got her from Labs4Rescue in November. Jacey was our first, got her in September 2007 from Labs4Rescue. They tire each other out plenty. Jacey was in daycare 2x per week and when we got Juno we put them in 1 day per week for a couple of weeks and then decided it was unneccessary. I do have a fenced in yard which helps...I don't know your situation. I just read through your posts and I have to say- it's not so much being left in the crate for certain amounts of time you need to be worried about, it's the amount of time alone, period. I think in one of your posts you keep her alone in the house but left out of her crate. The time sensitivity is really just for bathroom issues. The crate part keeps her out of trouble. At 10 months both of our dogs were home alone during the day anywhere from 6-8 hours each day. It took Juno about a month to realize that you go potty outside, although she NEVER messed her crate. We were lucky to have both dogs come to us crate trained. So if your J-dog has the potty outside part pretty much down, she should be good to be home for longer than your time periods.
Now that I've found you, I can't wait for updates!
Just wanted to second Cait's recommendation that you try approaching Juno under her chin when you go to pet her if you aren't doing so already. Our rescue dog (who now loves and requests physical affection) still ducks his head a little if someone goes to pet him from above.
Don't resign yourself to Juno being scared forever. Think how far she has come already. She will continue to bloom under your love. It just takes (a lot of) time.
Cheers to you!
Dave,
If you're trying to pat her by reaching over her head to pat her on the top of the head you may be making an unintentionally aggressive move. Many dogs are uncomfortable with this.
Try to make sure you don't move too quick and try patting her under the chin and on the chest to start with. Use the back of your hand and try not to stare at her. It doesn't seem like how you should have to pat your dog, but patting on the head just isn't a normal behavior she would have run into if she didn't have normal daily human contact growing up. This is a kind of compromise between the species.
There is a Norwegian dog trainer named Turid Rugaas who has made a study of dog body language. Trying to understand how dogs communicate with each other might help you mimic the same behaviors, which can help bridge the gap.
You've taken on a difficult dog. She stands as an example of an dog who likely received no socialization at critical time in her young life. There are many dogs like her, and there are many resources to help you and Juno, but you have to be up for it.
Don't give up on your pup. Clearly she loves you, but is still scared. Give it time, my puppy was the same way, they outgrow it. Good Luck!
She is soooo cute and she obviously loves you alot. Be patient, someday she will outgrow her skittishness and will let you pet her. Someone in her past life must have mistreated her. It will take a long time for her to trust anyone fully, but it wil happen. Keep the updates coming. I look for them every day.
If you get another dog, Juneau probably won't need doggie daycare. When our daycare closed down and I was unable to find another one that was suitable, I got a second dog. Double the love, double the fun. Also double the expense but you can't really put a price on this stuff anyway, can you?
And I really don't think she'll be scared forever. Maybe it's just the optimist in me but I think at some point her love for you will outweigh her fear and that will be that. At least that's what I hope.
She is adorable! Do you know any of her history? Was she mistreated before you got her?What kind of dog is Juno? :) Jill