The Story of Happy
How a Nervous Rescue Dog Learned How To Trust Again
Happy is a sweet but nervous rescue dog who has lived with multiple families - her current owner recently adopted her at 5 years old. She came to us at first for a daycare evaluation and instantly did not trust anyone. Her owner explained that she was especially afraid of men. We were so excited to have her with us, we knew we could help her gain confidence and break out of her shell. It is heartbreaking to know that any dog is living their life in fear!
In her first pack session, she spent a lot of time in the corner and sent warning snaps whenever a dog would get anywhere near her. These snaps were too much – definitely an overreaction and told us that she was very nervous and untrusting. There was no danger present, we had been advocating for her and controlling the space around her. None of the rambunctious dogs were allowed to come near her, as we knew they would make her feel threatened.
Her owner had explained that in 2 months he was going to need to board her for 2 weeks. Excellent! We had time to get her used to both us and the pack. She started coming to daycare regularly. The first few weeks she was still scared, but little by little she would allow the dogs to get closer to her. Although she was still visibly uncomfortable, she was not giving off so many warning signals (showing her teeth, growling, snapping, etc), so we knew she was making progress. She got to the point where she would walk around in the daycare setting – this is a good sign! Movement is good, it shows curiosity and some confidence. The nervous dogs in the group will be stationary in a corner. The socialized, playful dogs will be wandering around saying hi to each other, engaging in play, or sniffing out the environment. The nervous dogs will NOT be using their noses, will usually have large, dilated eyes, and just look stiff. On the other side, the more confident dogs are loose and limber, comfortable with what is going on.
The BIG transformation with Happy came during her 2 weeks of boarding . There, she started to use her nose. Instead of snapping at dogs who came near, she sniffed them. This little moment that could so easily be overlooked was HUGE! When dogs are taking in information with their noses, they are naturally in a much calmer and more curious state of mind (basically the opposite of impulsive or reactive). She started following me around in daycare. I would wait for my moments, and then gently put my hand out for her to smell. She didn’t take me up on it at first. But after a few more days, her eyes were softer, she was breathing through her mouth (meaning she was more relaxed), and she was blinking her eyes and starting to look around at her environment. All signs that she was getting more comfortable. So, I put my hand out again, and she sniffed it! She had gone from not trusting me at all to engaging with me. She also did the same with Sarah and Anna, as well as with Jeff (remember, she especially disliked men!).
A few days after she started coming up to us and smelling us, she finally did it --- she PLAYED with another dog! Her little play bow was so cute! It took a long time, but she finally felt like she could let her walls down. She played, she ran around, she sneezed (if your dog is sneezing when playing, it means they are SOOO happy!). We had all waited so long for this moment, we couldn’t hold in our laughter and excitement!
Now that she was feeling comfortable, she did exactly what I expected her to do. She started jumping up on us. Now, it could be easy to reward this behavior and encourage it, considering all she had been through, but we didn’t. You see, nervous dogs need boundaries, too. Boundaries are not just for the confident, pushy dogs. Nervous dogs can be pushy too because of their anxiety. Allowing a nervous dog to constantly get in your space (uninvited) will only perpetuate nervousness. Think about it, what would have happened if I tried to get into HER space during the first few weeks with us? She would have snapped at me or possibly hurt me. I respected that. Now that she is jumping up onto me, I had to tell her this is not ok, but in a much nicer and calmer way! Because overreaction is a sign of sensitivity, I knew that she was a sensitive dog, therefore I just needed to walk forward a little bit to get her to sit back down. No need for any words or any kind of touch (that’s the case more often than you’d think!). This way, I simply communicated that she shouldn’t jump up on me. She tried it a few times and I kept walking forward until she sat next to me.
On our next interaction, she came over next to me and sat down. This is when I rewarded her! I pet her head and said “good girl Happy!” You could see the happiness in her eyes! When you take the guesswork out of things for nervous dogs, their anxiety subsides! Space is a huge resource to them – Happy didn’t want anyone in her space for a long time. Therefore, OUR space should also be seen as a resource. Allowing a nervous dog like Happy to claim the space around me could have easily led to her possessing me, and definitely would have perpetuated her anxiety. Instead, she now trusts and respects me (and everyone who works here!). We have given her an environment that allows her to flourish, that has her best interests at heart, and where she can finally relax and get curious about life instead of being so afraid. She knows that we will be there, advocating for her.
Happy now comes in for doggie daycare once per week. She is a completely different dog and we just love having her here! The power of the pack, and the power of communicating with dogs on a level they understand, is just astonishing. We are so happy for Happy!
