Sorry in advance if this is long, but here is my intro. A dear friend of mine was diagnosed with Leukemia last February, and was upset he would have to rehome his Boxer. I had never met her, but said I would take her until he was well enough to have her home.
Let me just say that my only major exposure to a dog prior to taking in Voodoo (that's her name) was my b/f's Grand Master Champion Field Trial Golden - can we say perfect dog?
Anyway so we went to pick up Voodoo - and I found myself with quite a handful of a dog. She is very afraid of new people, especially men, and was completely impossible on a leash. So I started obedience training immediately - as much for me as her! She did fairly well, she's a good girl, just didn't understand what was being asked/expected of her.
In the 10 months I have had Voodoo she has become way more secure and appears to be very happy. I am very happy to have her (unfortunately my friend did not beat the disease and passed just before Christmas).
She continues to be fearful of new people, especially men (large men in particular) - I have taken her almost everywhere with me, so that we are slowly getting better about this. Now I've come to realize that people in HER house are more of a challenge (so of course we're having a super bowl party!).
While my friend was ill I crate trained Voodoo - knowing that if she did return to his house while he was still ill, she would have to sleep in a crate. Now that he has passed, I let her sleep on the bed a few days - BIG mistake! She's a bed hog! No room for her, the cat, my b/f and I on a king size bed! So now I'm trying to get her to understand her bed is the crate (which I leave open) and our bed is the other one. This works roughly 90% of the time. She does sneak up in the middle of the night upon occassion.
Her biggest challenge is that she was clearly abused. She is the sweetest thing in the world, would not harm a fly. I know people say dogs live in the moment, but I KNOW this dog remembers her abuse. Any tips on how to help her get past that? I love on her and play with her very regularly.
Anyway thanks for letting me share and join. (edited to add pic of my girl)
Obedience is actually a really great place to get her past her former abuse. Building up a dog's confidence, by teaching them to do tricks, obedience, etc. is a great way to build their overall confidence and trust in people. I am sure some others will have some good tips. Consistency is also important to help her feel secure.
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Susan
**Boxers... not just dogs, they're an adventure!
Voodoo is lovely !!!! Susan is right; obedience is a great way to build their confidence. It sounds like you have already made great strides. Just keep it up and I am sure you will continue to see improvement :)
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*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Christina Ghimenti PawPrint Boxers
PawPrint Boxers 
