Hi everyone,
On the whole the bedding in period with little Liesl (who joined us aged 6 months) has been mostly good. At home she’s is a dream (if a little bit clingy) in terms of love and affection and if I remained seated on the sofa all day she'd happily stay on my lap with the potential, when the fancy takes her, of licking me to death
Her training is progressing slowly, she currently understands and responds to ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘touch’, ‘bed’, ‘come’ and ‘let’s go’. Her house training is a work in progress as is the crate training but all of these things are moving in the right direction. She’s also a very picky eater and has refused virtually all of my current supplies (which has made her training a little trickier) but again we’re beginning to find and introduce foods/treats that she seems to enjoy, so again it feels progressive.
However, one of my points of concern is that she seems to have become a little people wary. This is both outside and inside the home. Initially, she greeted everyone with gusto (quite a delicate and affectionate gusto) and she seemed to enjoy these interactions. However, recently all her encounters appear to be tentative and in some cases she'll back off altogether, attempting to hide or retreat!
At home last week my daughter's father was up - Liesl was not happy about this. She positioned herself on a footstool directly opposite him (rather than sitting with me or my daughter, which would have been the norm). If it doesn’t sound too exaggerated she almost spent the time eyeballing him. She did leave the stool and exit the room a couple of times, giving him a wide berth while simultaneously keeping him under close observation. On one re-entry to the room she definitely gave a very low growl when passing him!
We’ve had other people up at home and similarly Liesl doesn’t appear too keen, although no growling. My daughter’s boyfriend, a regular in our home, is also avoided.
When out and about she is also not as forthcoming as she once appeared to be when people approach. On the whole outside she seems distracted, edgy almost. If I try to gain her attention, call her name/offer a treat she’s almost oblivious or deaf to me.
She’s a sweetie and I do love her so very dearly all ready but our history is so short and I find myself guessing as to what the possible causality for each and every new situation is. I guess I’m just looking for an explanation for her newly acquired foibles.
I do understand that the transition to a busy city from a quiet kennel was always going to be an adjustment for her, and her continued responses to passing traffic still bear this out, but I am feeling a little anxious about this. Could it be the start of the documented 2nd fear stage or possibly her 1st season approaching?
Any advice/insights would be gratefully received
