A pot luck for Joy.

Joy is a fearful dog.



When I met Joy five months ago I knew she had a few things that we would have to work through. After getting a few good meals in her belly and her skin started to mend, I realized that most of her "healing" was not going to be physically. Healing Joy would be working her through her fears. 

Joy's fears of the world make her a dog that needs a little bit more management. She isn't the dog that you can take for brunch at the patio cafe. She isn't the dog that you can run around with at the dog beach. Some days, she isn't even the dog that you can introduce to your friends. All of these situations are challenging for her. 

She isn't that dog. Yet.

The first two weeks of having Joy in my home she wouldn't leave her crate. She'd come out briefly to go outside and she'd peek out for just a second to take a treat. But, for two weeks she slept and hid in the safety of her crate. 



There are many different theories and methods on how you should "fix" a dog like Joy. There are behaviorists and trainers that will want to tell you there's only one way you should handle fearful dogs. Some people will tell you to encourage them with treats. Some may want you to "be a pack leader." This is all good and fine but after spending five months with Joy and using a few different approaches I've decided that Joy needs a pot luck of help. 



It's a mixture of methods that all these wonderful people can bring to the table. What is going to make Joy successful isn't just one specific way of training but it'll be a mix of different things. When we find the right mix we'll be consistent. She's a very special girl and she'll need a special bag of goodies that will work for her. I don't mean to tell anyone that their ways won't work. They might work, with other dogs, who had a different story. But, for Joy, we are figuring it out. We are introducing her to the world in a different way than she was socialized to see it. 



Will she ever be a dog that isn't afraid? Maybe not. But I'll keep trying to teach her not to be scared. And hopefully someone will be able to see past all that and welcome her into their home with all her table full of tools that make her a little less scared and a very happy dog. 






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