Just got a sheltie

[nova_gh]

we adopted a 2.5 year old sheltie this last week. As far as we know he was brought in voluntarily by his last owner. He is very shy and cringes when you try to pet him. We are wondering if this is a sign of abuse? When strangers come around he will hide, the other day he was so scared of my father-in-law he tried to run up the stairs so fast he was clawing away at them. We've had him for about 2 weeks now and has yet to really open up to us. Is this just the shyness of the breed or is this a result of something else?

 

[Saje]

It's probably a combination of both. the best thing you can do for him is give him his space, let him sit back and watch your family, give lots of praise and love but wait for him to come up to you, and give him time.

 

[Gempress]

Hmm. Just because a dog cringes at people doesn't mean it's abused. I think it's far more likely that the dog just wasn't well-socialized. Don't worry. Given time and patience, he'll come around.

 

[Barb04]

Congrats on rescuing him. I also think you just need to give him time to come around. Maybe have some treats by you while you watch t.v. and see if he comes by to take one and just observe. This way he will start to trust and not feel trapped in any way. This is a whole new environment to him.

 

[SummerRiot]

Shelties are known to be a "shy breed"

We have raised them for over 20years now. It also depends on the bloodlines, socilization and such that the dog recieved beforehand.

Just gentley show your Sheltie that nothing will hurt it. Our one Sheltie, Jada, cringes at every little noise there is and barks and anything that moves(including shadows).

Also, because its just been a week, Shelties are a very sensative breed as well, so its a big change for moving and such. It will just take some time

 

[nova_gh]

that all sounds good, thx