This weekend, we had a breakthrough.
Jasmine has been afraid of my husband since we brought her home. She is always watching him out of the corner of her eye…and when he gets up out of his chair in the living room, she gets up and scurries to a “safe” zone. She doesn’t approach him unless he has treats, and she rarely lets him pet her unless we are out of the house (he’s a safe harbor when she’s afraid). This weekend, Jasmine approached him for pets for the first time.
We’ve been trying to get Jasmine comfortable with my husband, but up until now, she has only come close to him if I have been sitting next to him. This goes for treats/tricks as well as for petting. She would usually run away if he put his hand out to pet her, and she would carefully but reluctantly take food from his hand (she would run at any movement from him). On Saturday, hubby was giving me a back rub and Jasmine walked up to him and accepted pets from him. She also climbed on his lap to accept those pets…a small breakthrough. But later, she approached him while I was sitting away from him–a first. He gave her thorough scratches and rubs–which she cautiously accepted. On Sunday, she once again shyly approached him and accepted his pets.
Oh, I was so thrilled! Up until now, she would only accept him if she was afraid and needed some comfort or if he had a treat bribe in his hand! This was the first time she sought his attention without having an outside influence scaring her. It was a big step for her and so rewarding–after months of dealing with her skittish behavior–to have her begin to show trust and acceptance towards my husband.
Way to go, Jasmine!!!!
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That is awesome! It’s always so wonderful when hard work and patience pays off with our beloved pets. Keep up the good work.
that is so awesome!! one of my dogs was severely abused and was terrified of men. it took her two years to be okay with my dad. it’s always so wonderful when they start to figure out that they’re in a good home.
That’s great! I found your blog a couple of weeks ago–my husband and I just adopted a 2 year old dachshund mix named Charlie. He’s adorable and so sweet but definitely has some issues that we’ve been dealing with. It’s so comforting and reassuring to read about your experiences with Jasmine–thank you!!
Yes–it seems that rescue dogs do have similar issues. My dog is very phobic, follows my husband around all the time and is gvery skittish but she has improved enormously in 9 months and she does enjoy life more than she ever has before, I’m sure.