Trusting a Select Few

  This picture would’ve seemed impossible years ago, but now Oreo trusts my dad so much she jumped up on his lap to lounge.

Some dogs trust a select few people in their short lives. Oreo is one of them. Oreo’s fear and anxiety is caused from being taken away from her mother and siblings too early. Pups should stay with their mother for 12 weeks. During this time puppies learn many important lessons and if taken away earlier can lack social skills and are more prone to be nervous and fearful. 

Oreo trusts me the most since I spent years working with her at reactive training classes. She also trusts my husband, and parents. She has a tenuous trust with my brother in law and some trust with my sister. She has a select few she trusts and has a hard time bringing more people into her “circle of trust.” 

Building trust with reactive dogs can be long and hard but their trust is an amazing gift. In the next post I will talk about ways to work with a reactive dog to earn their trust. 

There’s Nothing to Worry About: Dad’s Back!

  
I got off my lazy day recliner to get a drink and I come back and see this! Oreo seems to say, “Don’t mind me, I’ve just made myself comfortable.” 

Her dad was gone all week for a conference down in Florida so she spent much of her time in the evening watching the door and looking out the window. Her father arrived home last night and now her life is complete: a pillow, blanket, and her dad. Lazy day.