Micro-baby steps

Having a very shy dog is a whole new experience for me, but apparently it's not at all uncommon. I recently joined a Yahoo group called Shy-K9's. I get emails daily from members sharing stories about the trials and triumphs of having a shy dog. Today, I learned a new term--micro-baby steps and I'm happy to report that my foster dog, Alex, has taken some of those micro-baby steps.

Several days ago, my boyfriend, Galen, and I decided it was time to try giving Alex a bath. He hadn't had one since he came home from the shelter. His white fur had more of an ivory hue. We knew this might be a traumatic experience for Alex, as he shrinks from all human contact. So we made extra efforts to be calm and soft spoken from the start. We filled the bathtub with warm water and then led him to the bathroom. Galen gently placed him in the tub and basically sat in the tub with him while we bathed him. I am happy to report that he didn't freak out at all. He was slightly stressed, but he allowed us to thoroughly wash him and even let us rinse him off with the shower head. When we were done, he climbed out of the bathtub on his own and let us towel him off. He was so soft after his bath that we wanted to pet him more and more. He still doesn't seem to enjoy being touched, although he allows it.

Another micro-baby step Alex as taken involves tail wagging. The first couple of weeks we had him, his tail stayed tucked between his legs. Lately he has started standing up in his kennel and wagging his tail when we come in the house after being away. As we approach the kennel to let him out, his tail goes back down, but we are thrilled to see even a little bit of a wag!!

Lastly, Alex is becoming somewhat comfortable leaving his kennel and coming into the bedroom. We can call his name at the bedroom door and he run straight to the dog bed. He definitely knows his name and is learning to come when called if he feels it's safe-or if there is a yummy treat involved. This past week, we decided to stop feeding him in his kennel since he's so glued to it. At breakfast and dinner, we call him into the living room and feed him there. Our goal is for him to begin to feel more comfortable away from the safety of the kennel.

Like I said, these are micro-baby steps. But as I'm learning more and more, we owners of shy dogs must celebrate each of those steps as no matter how small, they are getting the dog closer to normalcy and socialization.

Way to go, Alex!! You rock!