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Update from Taffy's foster carer:
Perhaps I need to explain a little more about Taffy......
While he is almost a normal dog when there is just me around, he is nothing like it with anyone else, especially men. He came to me scared of the whole world. He would spook at the slightest noise - car doors being shut, me treading on a stick, etc. He also spooked at any movements I made, especially raised arms. When I say spooked, I mean that he would run in blind panic to a bolt hole where he could feel safe. He would not stop to think about any damage he might do on his way there. Now I can pretty much walk him in quiet places without him spooking, although he is still very scared of children playing. He will also seek attention from me, although he does not know how to do so appropriately. He seems to be reverting to the puppyhood he never had, as he will chew some things and dig the garden as well as be very playful with his toys.
With my husband it is a different matter. Although he has been here for three months now, he will still run from the room in panic when my husband comes in and would prefer not to be in the house with him there. He stress pants a lot. In order to get him into the garden to toilet, we often have to clip the lead on him and persuade him outside. This is not always an easy task. If he is in one of his bolt holes he will be scared enough to sometimes show his teeth.
On a walk if he is particularly scared, he will do a bucking broncho impression or just plant himself. He needs to be calmed down and reassured (without reinforcing any of his fears) in order to carry on. I use TTouch, which seems to work well. In the early days with me he got spooked and took off when on a long line, which unfortunately got wrapped around my little finger. By the time he hit the end of the line he was going at quite a speed, which resulted in my finger getting broken. He is still too stressed to take treats or to learn, so he has not had any training. I dare not let him off the lead either as if he gets spooked he would just run and run.
Anyone taking this boy on will need to have the knowledge and experience of very scared dogs to be able to move him forward at a pace that will not stress him out too much, thereby making him worse. You will also need to understand that when he is in a blind panic he will not consider the fact that he could seriously hurt himself in his attempt to flee.
I am not deliberately trying to put anyone off, but he is far from being a straightforward dog and it will take many months and possibly years for him to be anything like normal. I have no doubt that, once through the other side, he will be a delightful boy, which he is with me.
Taffy is an incredibly handsome, but scared young man Sad . When he first came to me he was the most scared dog I have ever met. Progress has been slow but steady.
With me, he behaves almost like a normal dog. He is energetic, playful and loves a fuss. Sadly this is not the case when there is anyone else around, although he is so much better than when he first arrived. He is not too bad now with women and will let himself be fussed. My mum takes him when we go out for a walk. He still has no idea how he is supposed to behave though.
His fear is mostly based around men. He is very gradually and slowly getting better, but it will be some time yet before he starts to behave anything like a normal dog.
Out on a walk, Taffy more or less ignores other dogs although is happy to meet for a sniff. I don't think he has shared a house with another dog though and due to his insecurities can seem a bit of a bully. He can be possessive with toys and food with other dogs, but it amounts to nothing more than curled lips and growling. After a few days though he settles down and feels confident enough with the other dogs to play.
He now walks quite nicely on a lead and sees his lead as a good thing, although still gets spooked sometimes. As he is still scared, I have not been able to carry out any training, but he seems to be a bright boy. Indoors he will come to his name and sit.
He is housetrained, crate trained, neutered, chipped and fully vaccinated.
Taffy needs to find a special home where he will continue to be gently pushed outside of his comfort zone, without overfacing him.
Taffy has a thread on our forum if you would like to view more pictures and find out more.
If you would like to offer Taffy a home please take a moment to read our adoption procedures before you complete our . Once completed please e-mail it to [email protected]. If you have problems downloading the form, please just email us. Adoptions will be subject to a satisfactory homecheck and a minimum donation.
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