Post by shelle3 on Nov 8, 2011 20:15:18 GMT 1
hi, i have already put this on 'advice for traffic scared and car sick dog' but i'll write it on a new thread coz i really need some help please! I'll give you the low down so far...parsley is approx 8 months old (we had him for 2 months now, so he's a bit of a newbie) when he came he'd lived on a farm, never had jabs etc. He has no had jabs, microchip, neutered, wormed, de-flea'd etc and is fed on raw diet. He seemed to settle into our home ok, gets on well with my 3 other dogs (quite a bit of rough play tho). At first he was very travel sick (still is sometimes, but usually the journey home) and very,very traffic shy. He now isn't as bad with traffic (still has a few moments when he gets a bit spooked). He now has decided to be fearfull of adults! When we have visitors (especially men but will also do it with ladies) he runs away! Visitors are always greated like long lost friends by my other dogs and i can't understand where this fear has come from. We are a very happy lively family (mum,dad and 3 kids) and we have no shouting or issues amoung ourselves which i know whippets are very tuned in to. If he is caught unawares and someone comes in he'll wet himself and hide in his cage (i don't tell him off for this as i know its fear not defiance) and he'll stay there till they leave, he might pop his head out and have a look and if they are still there he'll go back. No one has told him off or anything like that, all our visitors are nice people. I have tried shutting the crate so he can't hide (he can leave the room tho) and all he does is pace until they leave with a really worried look on his face. I have spoken to behaviourist and she said we're not the right family for him and he needs a more rural home, but didn't really give me any advice. He won't accept treats from visitors and putting him on the lead and making him stay in the same room (but far away) just seems to upset him even more! My son jokes that he is a special needs dog, is there such a thing? I really don't know where he has got this fear from and don't know best how to help him. I have tried scullcap and dap and my other dogs are all like hippies, lounging around and having groovy fun man but they don't seem to make any difference to parsley. He has bonded with me the most in our family and i think if i allowed it he would definatley over bond, then we'd have a whole host of other issues. Any advice greatly appreciated