Duncan's Trust
Sometimes I still wonder whatever happened to my poor Duncan. The trust he has for me is still limited after almost a year. He almost always looks at me suspiciously when I reach out to pet him. Always ducks his head and closes his eyes as if I'm about to strike him. But, once I'm petting him, he seems to love it. But if I lean forward or bend over to get closer or snuggle or kiss him, he panics and often jumps up quickly to move to the other end of the bed.
Last night was a good night though. We had an ice storm blowing around outside and the kids and I were all cozied up in bed. Duncan laid next to me (almost arms length away.) I petted him for awhile and he had laid his head down on the mattress and closed his eyes. He looked pretty content. He was partially covered by the comforter from when I had pulled it up over me and his head was butted up to the pillow next to mine. I stroked and stroked and stroked his head, and he seemed very comfortable - so comfortable in fact that he let out a great big sigh and rolled from laying on his belly with his head on is paws onto his side, stretching out next to me. I continued to pet his beautiful little head and said good night to him.
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3 Comments:
Hello again, I sympathize as one of the things I really enjoy with my sheltie is the body contact of having him in my lap or laying alongside me on the floor.
I think you mentioned that you groom Duncan on the bed also and he doesn't really like being groomed. If that is the case, I'll suggest that any activities he dislikes take place elsewhere, and the bed is reserved for sleeping and snuggling. The grooming or other unpleasant activities should be associated with a different location. Also, some dogs simply dislike having their heads touched and would much prefer a massage or scratch along the belly or back. It is just the dog's preference. See if that makes sense. -- Donna in VA
I guess all we can do is keep on trying, Tatha. Bea is pretty much the same way- I think she must have been abused as a puppy (I got her at 5 months old)- she is hand shy, won't come to me in certain situations, and is deathly afraid of sticks in a hand- once on a walk we encountered some boys whacking a plastic bottle cap with sticks (playing hockey in the street) and while Byrdie wasn't bothered at all by the whipping sound of the sticks slicing through the air, Bea dropped to her belly and couln't get away from there fast enough, pulling on the leash until we were all several houses away.
It's sad that anyone could ever abuse any animal like that, their trust is so broken- even though I'm sure they feel much safer now, and adore us to pieces, they just can't forget all of the hurt and we just have to be understanding. Hopefully in time he will trust you more and more- after all, look at all the progress he has made in the short time you have had him!
Tristan is also shies away when I try to pat him on the head . . . scratching under the chin or behind the ears is ok with him though.
I'd love for him to snuggle with me on the couch but T just isn't into it. Once I run out of treats, he jumps down. The bed is off limits now, for his own safety, but that's another story for another day.
We haven't been walking as much as we should due to the weather and me having a mild case of flu. I can really see a difference in T's behavior . . I think I'm losing his trust as pack leader. I have to remember that he is barely 2 and still needs lots of regular discipline and training.
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