Meet Penny - We're trying again

[HobieMarty]

Good luck with the new pup. She's a cutie. I do hope that Lacy was able to go to a family that could handle her energy level.
We have a toy Aussiedoodle named Daisy, and she is a bit of a handful at times. We had a trainer explain to us about "trigger stacking," so I made a meme. This is Daisy when she was a puppy. Lol.

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[911 Rod]

Lucky Penny!

[wdfifteen]

Anyone using a Halo dog collar? If they work, they look awesome!

https://www.halocollar.com/

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

You don't see dogs that wear jeans very often.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by berettafan

I’ve read and been told the best thing to do for bonding with a new dog is get on the floor with them.

My dog just thinks it's time to wrestle and play when I do that. I blame my kids.

[berettafan]

Oh it sends mine into a frenzy of climbing and licking and general spaz behavior!

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

You don't see dogs that wear jeans very often.

LOL .... Patrick's new addy is now on Penny Lane

[Billiam 911 2.8]

Penny is loved and I wish her a long, happy life. I have been following your posts and happy for you and Vickie.

[wdfifteen]

Update:
It's been 5 days now. Penny is still plenty nervous. Her first instinct is to run whenever she hears a sound or when I walk into the room. Vic has her on a leash by her side most of the day and that has become Penny's safe space. Those two are getting along just fine. Penny is less confident being around me, and that's OK. She gets more confident and seems to feel safer here every day. Her tail comes out from between her legs and her ears perk more and more every day.

[speeder]

It sounds like you’ve got yourself a fearful dog. Best of luck.

[KFC911]

Just give Penny more time ... she's attached herself to Vic and bonding ... being second in line ain't so bad either ...

Next !

But in all seriousness ... don't let it go to far imo.... a little seperation at a time mebbe, or future separation anxiety might become an issue....

Good luck!

[Skytrooper]

Calm, and patience is in order for Penny. She needs to get her confidence back. It takes awhile, but then she will bloom!

[john70t]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

You don't see dogs that wear jeans very often.

"We're trying again"
No offense intended but that is sort of a weird lookin' kid. https://www.healthline.com/health/hypertrichosis

[wdfifteen]

This morning I took her out for one of her walks. She doesn't like them much. I am beginning to wonder about her eyesight. If I hold the leash at 3 feet she walks calmly beside me with the leash hanging loose. If she gets any farther away she gets frantic and starts going in circles, it's as if she doesn't know where I am.

When we get back near the house she starts pulling at the leash, wanting to get inside. She gets more desperate to get inside the closer we get to the house. Trying to be dog psychologist and figure that one out.

A few minutes ago I was trying to lure her to me with treats. She would cautiously come to me, take the treat, and retreat to Vicki's side. They are inseparable. I am glad she has a place to go for comfort even if it's not me.

[mtnrat]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

This morning I took her out for one of her walks. She doesn't like them much. I am beginning to wonder about her eyesight. If I hold the leash at 3 feet she walks calmly beside me with the leash hanging loose. If she gets any farther away she gets frantic and starts going in circles, it's as if she doesn't know where I am.

When we get back near the house she starts pulling at the leash, wanting to get inside. She gets more desperate to get inside the closer we get to the house. Trying to be dog psychologist and figure that one out.

A few minutes ago I was trying to lure her to me with treats. She would cautiously come to me, take the treat, and retreat to Vicki's side. They are inseparable. I am glad she has a place to go for comfort even if it's not me.

Separation anxiety by the sounds of it. I have a rescue that acted like that. Would weave back and forth and my wife needed to take roast beef bits for treat to get him to go walk with her, especially off the property. Kindness, no yelling and positive reinforcement are the way to go. A good game to get them that really worked for him was to have you and your wife sit on the living room floor about 10 feet apart. One calls and gives a treat when the dog comes, then the other calls and gives a treat. make a fun game of it and slowly move further apart over a few weeks. Fun for the dog and really helps with recall.

[mtnrat]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Anyone using a Halo dog collar? If they work, they look awesome!

https://www.halocollar.com/

Have neighbours who use Tractive GPS which is similar. Works well with a phone app.

[Baz]

Patrick - thanks for providing the updates.

My only contribution at this point is to emphasize what others have said about being patient.

Think in terms of years.....not months...and certainly not weeks.

With that in mind, maybe it will come easier to relax and just let things take their course, as Penny gets used to you - and her new environment.

When I brought Billabong home......it took her 3 years before she would "sit". She had a rough start in life, I suspect. She wasn't a nervous wreck.....far from it. Just very cautious and had a few other personality traits....I think mostly from lack of socialization.

I distinctly remember though noticing her in "sit mode" one evening and my heart almost melted.

It takes time.....she'll get there.....smart ones always do! It's the humans who are trying to keep up!

[wdfifteen]

Two weeks in and Penny is making amazing strides - with one setback. Two weeks ago she was frightened of everything and if we dropped the leash she would run around the house looking for a place to hide or escape. Now Vicki is her comfort place. As soon as Vic sits down, Penny is on her lap. What Vic has done for this little dog is so heartwarming, it almost brings me to tears sometimes. She is one fortunate little dog.

Unfortunately, she wasn't warming up to me as quickly. To make it worse, she was behind me a few days ago and I stepped back. I'm not sure what happened, whether I stepped on her, bumped into her or what, but now she is more frightened of me than she was on day one. For a day or two she would growl and cower behind Vic when I walked into the room. I keep treats with me all the time so when I get a chance I can demonstrate to her that I am a giver of good things too. Yesterday she was running loose and I called her to me, it took a while, but she came to me and grabbed a treat before running away.
Baby steps. This is going to take a while.

[masraum]

Penny is a cutie! Glad to hear things are going well. It's unfortunate about the setback, but I suspect it is just a small speed bump in the road to happiness.

[Baz]

Thank you, Patrick. Sounds like things are moving forward.

Just remember Penny is driving the bus. She is smarter than us humans and will get there. Our job is to understand this and let things fall into place on her schedule.

Wouldn't worry about the misstep. It happens to me all the time with little Koko-Nut. Especially in the kitchen! She's already forgotten about it, I'm sure.