haha. Well, we really do know quite a bit about each other and about our caring for dogs and wanting to help them! To me, a frightened, anxious dog is one of the most rewarding - and hardest - rehabilitations - there are. These dogs often turn so fearful, closed down and withdrawn and become hardened cases, often biters and most people just give up on them and they get the needle fairly quickly. To stay with this distrustful and shut-down little guy and hold yourself and your loving ways in check to allow him to heal and rehab for a bit at his own pace is so kind and caring of you.
Hang in there, pat yourself on the back for his having made good progress in several phases and watch him very, very slowly come around - literally and figuratively. Oh, and even after they are significantly better, acting normally for months at a time, there will be set-backs when his old fears return for a hour, a day or a week - at those times you usually think you've lost them when you first start out in dog rehab - but if you hold true to your plan - they somehow sense that nothing really has changed with their life today; and whatever spooked them was transient and their loving leader is still there to protect and care for them and they get back on track again and almost pick up where they left off before the setback.
P. S. When the time is right, an old trick the
very doggie-dedicated sometimes do for dogs who are still quite skittish about being near humans is lie down on the bare floor, covered in a few of their favorite treats(wearing old clothes, of course) and just stare at TV, never looking at or touching the dog, while the he eventually comes around and darts in for a few treats that he removes from your pant's leg or sweatshirt. It sends a message that this human is now offering to share food resources with him up close and personal but somehow - unlike most humans - doesn't use that time to try to interact or force his attentions on the anxious dog, respecting the dog's sensibilities to start buddy-time only when he's ready. It builds trust and and can speak volumes to your dog about you and your willingness and ability to trust his choices. haha - as I said - it's for the very doggie-dedicated!
