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Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly  You could also try this: when she is around you in the rest of the house, you might want to avoid eye contact with her for the time being and take no pains to touch or call her to you or talk to her for now. Just let her sense you as she's in the room and you might wait for her to start to approach you and stick her head under your hand for attention. Letting what may be an unsure dog approach you in their own time and way can be so empowering to them. Once the dog is fully settled in, knows you and is comfortable with the new life, then you can start to assume the roll of the real leader, which at that time will be fine with her. Happy, healthy dogs do love a leader to take care of their basic needs and keep them safe and when they have a strong one, they rarely find the need to try to assume any portion of that roll themselves.
The playing-hard-to-get technique just one school of thought for a dog that is somewhat avoiding us at times. Others say intensify your efforts and work with them playing challenging games, going for fun, energizing walks and getting them into upbeat, short, positive-reward training and bonding sessions x3 daily. But you are the one around her and can quickly sense which way is making her more comfortable and go with whichever works for you and your dog.
Still, more than likely she's just claiming some of her own territory for the time being as a new coping mechanism and this phase could last or could be transient. Only time will tell. But I would continue to walk in and treat her, all the while making your statement that the bedroom is very much yours and you enter whenever you wish and she'll come to love that as for now, she is probably going to get some food in the process. |
Thanks again Jilly, I'm going to withdraw I think, as she took all the 16 little pieces of chicken I gave her today ant then immediately disappeared to 'her' room and hasn't given me a look at since my wife got home as well. My other half (Irina) is now here all the time for 5 days, so maybe I'll slip quietly into the background. I need some work done on a vintage car I own, so I may take a break for a week maybe and stay with a buddy up country and see what transpires when I return. The lady we bought her from, who was a trader, told me today that if things don't settle down she'll take her back, as there was also 'history' with the previous owner, who couldn't control her. Also tonight, when Irina was sat eating her food, she became quite aggressive and barked continuously at her until she'd finished - quite a tantrum and a whole new development I can tell you?
Martin