Quote:
Originally Posted by MollysMum54  You will have to be very patient if she has had a traumatic past. Be consistant, and have a regular routine. She needs to know what is going to happen, and when.
Once she realises that certain things (mealtimes, cuddles, bedtime, walks etc) will happen at certain times, she will soon start to relax.
Its good that she will let you cuddle her so she can be reassured you won't hurt her.
Maybe let her get used to you before you try walking her, and i agree, it must be a harness. Yorkies need to have a harness rather than a collar, and if she is frightened it is far too easy for her to slip out of a collar.
At 3, she is still very young and i'm sure her playful side will appear as she relaxes.
A really good site is fearfuldogs.com where you can get some helpful ideas and help, altho i'm sure there will be lots more advice on here before too long.
Good Luck, and let us all know how she gets on.....and of course, we need lots of pictures too!  |
I agree with the above posts. I just want to caution the OP that soon might not be as soon as you'd hope.
Celesteeee, my dog is/was the exact same way. He is now 3, but when he was 1 (when I got him) he was exactly like your dog. He would let me hold him, but he didn't really like it. He would much rather be in his expen where he could see me, but I didn't touch him. He didn't play for months, and was impossible to walk. Let me say, with tons and TONS of patience, it will get better! I promise you that. Kaji, my pup, is still not great on a leash, but he is better. He has yorkie friends now that he plays with. At one point he would watch them play and whine because he wanted to play but either didn't know how, or was too scared to play, or both. I really don't know what it was. It's been two years and he's such a good dog. He cuddles, gives kisses, plays fetch, loves my brothers, and parents. He also has some things we're still working on.
Consistency is key. They do learn their routine, and it's almost like they learn to tell time. It's comforting to them to know what comes next.