I will write a quick history of Bear. She is a heinz 57 that we picked up when she was 4 months old. She was hungry, flea infested, a broken tail, and completely terrified of anything new, noisy, or quick, or loud, or etc. I moved her in the house with Kota, our Rottweiler. She did pretty well. We had a fenced in yeard in the back and she tore up anything she could find if left unsupervised outside. We moved 7 years ago and that stopped, oddly enough. She had made improvements with her fear issues, but not too much. I tried keeping her in the house at this house we live in now, but it didn't go well. Whenever something scared her, which was often, she would pee on the floor. Kota started reacting to her crying out and cowering, and it got dangerous for her. I put her outside with the other 2 dogs who lived there already with my husband's ex-wife who had moved out when we bought her out of the house. The beagle had died a few years back, so it is just her and Scarlett outside yet.
She did good outside, and even seemed to "blossom" somewhat out from under the influence of Kota's dominant personality. Over the years we have seen her become more and more open. We had fenced the yard, and she loved the freedom of the couple acres she had to run around, and loved going to the barn with us, which was cut off from the rest of the yard. In the month since Kota passed away, she has come out a little bit more, even. I have been trying to work with her more on obedience. She will recall pretty well, but she has some strange habits that I am trying to address.
When you call her, she will come and sit directly in front of you and be attentive. I get down on her level a lot of times to praise her, and she will either sit still for a minute and then take off as fast as she can for the basement when I "release" her or she will roll over and be submissive. I have tried every which way to get her to stay with me after I stand up, but she just won't do it. it is the same if I am sitting and she comes up for attention. She kind of enjoys herself for awhile, then "loads" while she is being petted, then takes off. She really enjoys the love, and will lay her head on you, but just can't hold still when it is done. You cannot recall her from this run for the basement. If somehting scares her, she will not recall from that run either.
I am also teaching her down. She sits excellent, doesn't stay. That will be next. WHenever I give her the down cue, she usually first tries shaking to see if that is what i want, but when she does try down, she immediatly rolls unto her back. I can get her to roll back over, but then we have passed over that comfort line and she is ready to run again.
I have also been trying her with short periods of time in the house. She is ok if it is quiet or you are sititing quietly petting her. I tried doing the dishes the other day and she was just on edge with the noises. She starts to run around and runs back and forth to the basement door until I let her back out. I have also tried doing little short training sessions with her, but she can't seem to concentrate as well as when we are outside.
neither of the dogs we still have will play at all. Bear has never played. the quick movements scare her, and i tried some quiet playing with her in the house, but she just "wigs" out and runs back and forth to the basement door.
i was hoping someone may have a little bit of insight into this, a way to work with such a fearful dog. She doesn't show any signs of aggression, unless you are a mole or a small animal she can chase and catch. Julie