If you read my last post you will know that our first attempts to walk our newly adopted Cypriot rescue dog Flossie did not go well.
She was petrified of the outside world and we quickly realised that we had to take things much more slowly.
Leaving the driveway
On our debut trip around the neighbourhood, she refused to leave our drive. Not wanting to push her, we returned to the garden and continued to practise our walking in her safe area.
After a couple more attempts of venturing up the drive, we made it out onto the pavement and the short distance around the block. It took us ages. She shrank into the walls and fences, seeking the safety of their cover, while each time we reached an opening to someone’s driveway, she would freeze until I could gently coax her forwards with lots of praise and treats.
A bird flapping in a tree above us startled her, a piece of paper rustling along the road made her jump. Thankfully, we didn’t meet any humans or dogs on that first outing. I think that would have pushed her out of her comfort zone completely.
Eventually we got round. When we let ourselves back into the security of the garden, I think we were both relieved to be home.
But we’d made some progress. Now, we just needed to build on it.
A step at a time
We repeated our journey around the block several times until I could see she was gaining confidence. She no longer jumped in the air at the flutter of a bird and she even started to try to go up to people, always women, to say hello. She was, and still is, wary of men.
Each day, we walked a little further. There were new things to experience. She seemed ok with cars passing by so I guessed she had got used to traffic noise when she was in Cyprus. However, the postman was a challenge – his fluorescent orange coat made a rustling noise Flossie didn’t like, and he moved too quickly. We stood to one side so that she didn’t have to get too close and gradually she became used to our meetings, but always from a distance.
Once or twice a friendly postman would try to engage with her. It was too much and she would back off and sometimes bark, clearly uncomfortable with the interaction.
This was new to me having previously had a dog whose default was to love all humans. However, when I thought about it, it is really not that surprising that some dogs, whether they are rescue dogs or not, are scared of strangers approaching them. A human towers above a dog, moving sometimes at speed, making eye contact and noise, whilst reaching out their arms and trying to pat them on the head. I know I wouldn’t like that, so why would my dog?
Flossie is still nervous in these situations and I accept that it is her choice whether she wants to be touched by a stranger or not, and we move on.
Then we met another dog.
Another encounter
Having had our unfortunate encounter in the park, I wasn’t at all sure how Flossie would react as the lady with a waggy spaniel walked towards us. I made sure to keep my own response relaxed and low-key.
However, our Cyprus girl seemed delighted to meet another four legged friend, so much so, that she got ridiculously excited and nearly pulled me over to get to it. The spaniel was super calm and Flossie had a really positive experience this time as we stopped to chat for a minute or two.
It felt like a step in the right direction.
The car park
In addition to our slow meanders around the block, we decided to take Flossie to Bath University for a walk. The students were on their Christmas break and so the huge tree-lined car park was deserted.
She was overwhelmed by the large space as she darted around nervously. We didn’t make it very far from the car the first time, but managed a short walk so she could sniff around the trees.
We were worried
I must admit, we were worried. The simple pleasure of taking your dog for a walk was proving to be tough challenge. Our previous dog Dotty was calm and confident and I had never experienced a fearful dog before.
And what if we couldn’t ever walk her with other dogs or let her off the lead for fear she might bolt with fright? It was difficult to imagine how she would ever feel happy and secure out in the big wide world.
Trying different methods
We went in search of remote fields where we could walk her without too many distractions. We would drive deep into the countryside, looking for possible locations. Eventually we found a small wood off a remote lane that was accessible to walkers that we were fairly sure not many people would know about.
I bought a 10 metre long line for Flossie, so she could have more of a run whilst remaining attached to me. Getting to grips with a long line is a skill in itself. I learnt that it pays to wear gloves and to be alert at all times.
She would suddenly take off at full pelt, the rope scorching through my hands as it unravelled at speed. And I had to prepare myself for the jolt as she reached the end of the line. I was thankful for the harness so that the sudden movement didn’t damage her neck.
But we both soon got the hang of it and it meant she had more freedom. It was wonderful to see her run, even if it was only for 10 metres at a time.
Repeat, repeat, repeat
We walked her in these three locations for several weeks, mixing up street walking, the university car park and its leafy grounds, and the remote wood and adjacent field.
Slowly but surely she gained confidence. I could walk her along pavements without her shrinking into the hedges. She was still nervous of people but it was manageable and I never forced her to interact with anyone when I could see she was feeling insecure. We could easily cross the road or move out of the way of the cause of the fear to a safe distance.
As time went on, we met several dogs walking along the pavements of our neighbourhood and Flossie greeted each one enthusiastically. Sometimes a bit too enthusiastically.
I felt quietly hopeful that this was going to be ok.
The next step
We practised recall in the garden at home and also on her long line when we were out. We got through a lot of treats but she learnt quickly. She is a clever girl.
The only thing I now wanted to test before we tried out a walk where there would be off-lead dogs was whether she was completely comfortable around dogs. I thought she probably would be, as she’d been surrounded by dogs in the early stages of her life, and the few interactions we had had in the street seemed to go well, but I wanted to make sure.
It was time to introduce her to Dougal.
Dougal and friends
Dougal is a handsome goldendoodle who belongs to our friend Mandy. Mandy runs a doggy daycare business and Dougal spends every day mixing with other dogs so he’s a sociable boy.
Mandy had met Flossie at our house and Flossie had taken to her immediately. We had already decided that Dougal would be the perfect dog for Flossie to meet when we were ready, so we arranged to go round to their house.
I let Flossie into Mandy’s back garden and she rushed around sniffing everything in sight. Then Dougal was let out to meet her. I was a little anxious as I was desperate for it to go well.
I needn’t have worried. Flossie absolutely adored him. Once they’d played for a few minutes, Mandy let out another dog she was looking after. His name was Buddy, and Flossie loved him too. The three of them played for an hour. I was so relieved.
Once we’d established that Dougal and Flossie were going to be firm friends, we arranged to walk Flossie with him and another playful dog. I let her off the lead and the dogs played and played in the open space. It was a joy to watch.
We had turned a corner
This was a key turning point in our progress. Mandy was so kind to us. Every time she looked after a dog she thought Flossie would like, we would go to her house or she would come to ours so that Flossie could meet a variety of dogs.
She loved them all. It became clear that her favourite thing in the world was to play and I felt a little guilty that she’d had a few weeks with almost no contact with other dogs. However, we had to make sure that we worked through her fears so that we could gradually build up to this.
Once I knew she was confident with other dogs, I started walking her in the places where I’d always planned to walk her. Initially I would keep her on the lead or her long line, let her off if we met a suitable dog for her to play with, and then put her back on her lead again when it was time to move on.
Trying to move on usually involved an embarrassing few minutes while I tried to entice an excited Flossie with treats so I could attach her lead whilst the other dog owner looked on, bemused.
Making friends
I found myself going up to complete strangers and asking them if their dog would play with mine. I became an expert in spotting a dog I knew Flossie would like. Everyone we met was happy to help and often grateful to meet a dog that would give theirs a good run.
Gradually, she spent more and more time off lead and we met some lovely dogs and people who have been our friends and walking companions ever since.
It has taken patience, time and hard work, but I was so relieved and delighted that we could finally enjoy our walks.
More importantly, Flossie could make friends, explore the countryside and start to live the life that she was meant to live.
Suzy Pope is a certified copywriter and newspaper columnist specialising in pets, business and lifestyle. If you would like help with a writing project, please get in touch.
