Behavior in my Shetland Sheepdog

Question
We recently got a shetland sheepdog which is 1 year old.  She was bred in
Alabama to be a show dog but I guess didn't quite fit the bill.  Since I didn't
want a puppy, I figured a dog a yea old whould be better for us.  We have had
her for about 6 weeks now, she will eat and drink and she will walk outside
with my husband and I, but in the house she runs to the couch or my bed and
will stay there ALL DAY LONG unless we take her out which we do at least 2x
a day.  She always looks so sad and is very passive.  I feel so bad,  I've been
told that she is a depressed dog and may need medicine.  We were thinking
of giving her back to the breeder so she could be with her family of dogs that
sh left.  She has no social skills at all.  Any advice would be appreciated.  
Thank you, Donna

Answer
Hi Donna-

What kind of show breeder was this? Were the dogs house dogs with a lot of attention, or were there a lot of dogs in kennels? She may just be very confused, and doesn't understand what going on.

First, I don't believe in non-medical depression. IE, if there is nothing medically wrong with her causing weakness and lethargy, I don't think she is mentally depressed. I would not put her on medication for depression. Instead, I would work with a behaviorist. If she came from a kennel environment with not a lot of socialization, this is all very new, scary, and confusing. She is probably not used to a lot of activity. I would start by taking her everywhere with you. Bring treats, bring toys, and make everything seem like it is the absolute most fun thing in the entire world, no matter what it is you are doing. High squeaky voices, lots of play bowing and talking, really work with her to teach her that she is part of your pack, and that this is her home now. Introduce her to everything. Start working with training- give her a job. Sit, down, stay, heal, housetraining and simple things like that are wonderful ways to mentally stimulate her and bring her out of her funk. Find out what motivates her. A ball? a fuzzy squeaky? very tasty hotdogs? Once you know, you can use that to really get her up and moving. The more she does, the more she is going to come out of her shell.

Six weeks is just not enough time for her to come out and show her true colors. Six MONTHS is a little more like it.

See if you can enroll her in a training class as well, once she is a bit more socialized. You will be amazed at the difference in her.

I really hope things work out with her! good luck!