QuestionDave, I have a 6 month old sheltie that I bought from a breeder three weeks ago. He is anxious around everyone but me, and seems to dislike my mother (who is a longtime dog-lover). He obeys my every word (a good thing), but seems almost to depend too much on me and on having my presence. We are crate training him - it seems to be working. I walk him for a total of over two miles a day, and he gets to meet other dogs - which he really likes doing. We have regular meetings with the same dog(s) nearly everyday, and he is very excited about meeting them. he does not act like an alpha dog (neither with other dogs nor with any humans.), and is not food agressive. We see only a few people on our walks, and he likes some people but not others. This seems to be random. Another odd thing is that he rarely barks - not even to tell me he needs to go outside. I guess my question is this: At what point will he cease being so startled at everything? How do I get him to like my mother (who adores him, and doesn't get in his face, and who feeds him snacks etc)? He really is a fast learner, but I want him to have a good quality of life, and not be fearful of everything. I suspect that one of two things may have happened: Either he went to another home before mine, and was abused, or he was attached to the people and they couldn't keep him, and that traumatized him. Of course, he may never have been handled by the breeder. He is so very cute and very sweet. Please tell me how to help him relax. Our home is not loud, but there are noises typical to households.
AnswerHi Kerry,
It's clear you are doing a great job with your pup, thank you!
Let me tell you how fortunate you are to have a Sheltie that doesn't bark much. Many are obedient, most are great around other dogs, but few have the quality of "rarely barking" and that's desirable for many people.
With all of his great behavior I would not speculate any negative experiences in his past. He seems to be a great dog.
As for mother, well, you are the most important person to this sheltie. I wouldn't concern myself with his social activity now. Sometimes dogs just take to one person more than another. Don't let her feed him anything other than dog biscuits or perhaps a cracker, human food can make a dog sick enough to kill them- and that is a tragedy I don't want anyone else to experience like we did.
When you figure out a game he likes to play, encourage mom to play it with him. Otherwise most shelties mellow with age and are much more friendly.
Hope that helps!
'sneezes
Dave
