DanaWilson Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 We live in a very rural area where it's not uncommon for dogs to free roam. We don't ever allow Ruckus to do it but plenty of people do. Anyway, a little girl has been skirting our property and finally worked up the courage to approach us. She looked pretty rough, no collar and no microchip and after posting her picture on the neighborhood watch app, no one has come forward to claim her. It's been 2 weeks and she seems to have decided she wants to be our dog. She looks like a border collie and she definitely had some nice genetics somewhere because once she was clean and brushed, she's silky soft. I'm just surprised by her personality. She's quiet and calm almost to the point of being timid and she's probably only 25-30 lbs compared to Ruckus's almost 50 lbs. We aren't leaving her alone with Ruckus unsupervised because we're pretty sure she's intact/possibly in heat (we have a vet visit scheduled to look her over) I was just curious how to go about building her confidence and getting some basic training in place. Ruckus is so outgoing and boisterous, he picks up commands in a matter of days and loves everyone and everything. She's sweet and gentle and just acts like she wants to be held all the time. How do I bring out her inner border collie (if that's indeed what she is)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 She's beautiful! Have you decided on a name for her yet? Give her time to unfold on her own. She may well become more confident on her own if you're patient and let her acclimate at her own pace and don't push her to do more than she's ready for. She may also become more active and outgoing. Bodhi was a stray who'd been picked up by animal control. He spent about 2 weeks in a shelter and another 2 weeks in a rescue before I adopted him. He was definitely timid and wary at first, but he gained confidence quickly. But he showed new behaviors for a full 6 months before I really got to see the dog he was. Smart girl to have decided to claim you as her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanaWilson Posted March 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 We've been calling her Honey. It suits her sweet personality nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Sounds like serendipity to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Oh, she is SO beautiful. I love her looks, and her size. That is the size I want for my next BC. Gentle Lake is right - just give her space and time to come out of her shyness in her own time. Never push her to do something that she is not ready to do. I have fostered many shy and timid border collies and patience is the most important thing to have with them. They will come around, but their own time schedule needs to be respected. Good for you for taking her in! Best of luck with her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Congrats on the new family member! I agree with the others, let her settle in at her own pace. She is beautiful! She's a lucky dog. Ruth and SuperGibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher7151 Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Oh goodness, what a sweetie! And a smart one to pick you as her new family! You have to wonder why on earth she was just wandering. Obviously nobody claimed her, so I don't think you're at all wrong to take her in. But why in the world was she abandoned? Any idea about her age? She sure is gorgeous! I'm sure with some time she'll show her true colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 She is a beauty all right. Both Honey and you are lucky to have found each other. I am sure she will come around. She needs to relax first, and learn to trust you. When she is ready - lots of positive reinforcement play and training. I was just reading an article about playing with dogs and how play (with no rules, unlike training) can really improve your relationship. Without going into a long recounting of the article, what struck me most was a quote by Patricia McConnell -- "Play isn't what makes our relationship better, play is what creates the relationship in the first place." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanaWilson Posted March 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 We hadn't planned on getting another dog before Ruckus was finished with training but I'm not sorry she found us. He's definitely smitten with her as well. I'm guessing she's between 1 and 2 since her teeth are still pretty white and she has the ridges on her lower incisors. The vet will probably be able to guess more accurately though. Right now we're just working on building her self confidence. She's a treat lover so that makes things easier and she's crate trained to perfection. She's a little weird with the cat but so was Ruckus at first and now they're friends. I don't know what her story is but my guess is she either got a lot further than the surrounding 3 neighborhoods (which is the area our app covers and it's not small) or that someone ditched her either when they moved away or set her loose. In any case, she's with us now and fitting in nicely. I took this picture just now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanaWilson Posted March 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 She doesn't really play yet so I'm just figuring out what makes her smile and wag her tail and letting her see Ruckus play with us so she gets it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 She is lovely, and looks very like a border collie, it also sounds like you are on the right track. We had a young foster dog recently who belly crawled into the house, he was a very scared little boy, a month later he was a happy bouncy boy. For us the key was patience and letting him the learn the world was nice not mean. He was just reaching the point where I thought it was time to put some boundaries and focus in his when he left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Try the police and the local vet, and maybe animal control. There are a fair number of lost pet websites too. She might have a microchip either, they can check that at the vet. What a pretty girl. I love the comically oversized bed. I have a dog who loves any bed that is less than a third of her size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanaWilson Posted March 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 We had her scanned for a microchip at our vet as soon as we caught her and the vet told us she'd call us if anyone asked about her. I don't know how long to wait to hear anything but right now I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm taking her for vaccinations and a wellness check on the 10th and possibly a spay as well if she's still intact and not too young. She and Ruckus would make beautiful puppies but there are too many puppies that need homes already. Plus she's so much smaller than he is, it would be too hard on her I think. I know if we lost Ruckus I'd want to know someone was taking good care of him until we found whoever had him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiya Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 She`s a beauty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 Honey looks like a lovely dog, and a lucky one too, to have fallen in with your family. In addition to letting her advance at her own pace, may I also suggest that having her own crate in the same place all of the time and having a lot of predictable structure to her days could help her feel more confident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanaWilson Posted March 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 She's acquired Ruckus's old crate and I pulled out a couple toys and bones I was saving for him when he wore out the ones he has now to put in there just for her. I also had an unopened fleece blanket we got for Christmas and tucked it in there after I washed it with some of our laundry so it would smell like "home." Yesterday I was doing dishes and I lost her for a minute. I guess the sounds were a little overwhelming or I was boring lol because I found her curled up in the crate quietly gnawing her bone. She also went straight in there when my husband came in from outside and surprised her. I was really pleased to see that. She's figuring out it's her safe place. This morning when I took her out to go potty she did a little play bow and danced around my feet before running off to do her business so I'm already seeing good progress just in the short time since I first posted this. Thank you guys for all the great suggestions and kind words! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 She sounds like she is progressing rapidly. Good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 What a beautiful dog...congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosikins Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 She's gorgeous! Good luck with her adjustment, though it sounds like she's making very rapid progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Great progress. I suspect that at least part of it has to do with the fact that she already trusted you enough to choose you as her new family. She didn't have the trauma of being moved from place to place by strangers. Good job, Honey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher7151 Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 How cool is that? This dog had the opportunity to pick her favorite people. My dog loves me, but he didn't get any say in who his people were! All he knew is he got put in a crate, went on an airplane, and suddenly this blonde lady pulled him out and never left. What a high honor to know that you had absolutely no say in who she picked, and yet she still decided that you were it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDFOSTER Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 She is absolutely gorgeous and so lucky to have picked you all as her family. Sounds like just keep on doing what you are doing for her and in no time she will get her confidence. Thank you for taking her in and doing all that needs to be done for her. She is one lucky pup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarpup Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 A pretty pretty little girl! And smart to find good dog people! You said she had ridges on her lower incisors. What exactly does that mean? Are there other determinants that show how old a young dog is? I am trying to pin down the age of my Freyja. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aandi Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Pretty girl! Love the name choice. I love that she adopted you. That must feel good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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