Changes. Graaaaaadual changes.
Putting up with a walk
Gradually by late January (three months after adoption) Myrtle started to get slightly more comfortable around us.
She still doesn't wag, or want treats (or really anything from us), but she shows signs of being slightly curious.
Maybe it's her fancy new set of sweaters? (I'd never had a dog that wore clothes before this, for the record!)
While watching TV at night, I can call her name, and she comes trotting out of her cage in the spare room to join me in the living room. I was in disbelief the first time she came out!
She doesn't come up to be pet.
Far from it.
She sits on the opposite side of the room and stares at me. Alert. Never relaxed. BUT... at least she's willing to share the same space.
Dozing off, from a safe distance across the room.
The "dog whisperer" also suggested that we keep a leash on Myrtle at all times, and make her "join in" our daily activities around the house.
She doesn't seem to mind the leash, and follows us around without pulling or trying to get away.
She's mostly terrified of the kitchen at this point. It must be the noises. Eggs cracking, the faucet running, etc.
While Myrtle doesn't enjoy walks, she agrees to go outside. We just go down to the grassy area in our neighborhood and she sniffs around. She gets really excited and actually wags if she hears another dog bark or sees one walking down the street.
Spotted: Another dog down the street!
Oddly, she still won't come inside on her own.
I have to go outside with the leash in hand, and follow her to her "pacing pot." (Yes, the pacing and circling continues). She then cowers down on the sidewalk and allows me to put the leash on... and then follows me inside without further protest.
At this point, we've tried every imaginable food treat possible... hoping to find the right one that will motivate her to learn.
The whisperer says to call her once she becomes more motivated by *something* and then we can start real training.
Enduring a bath… without a sedative!
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