McIver is making great strides much like his brothers and sisters. He is enjoying his eternal playtime with the boxers, Calhoun and Lucy. They teach him so much including some things that I wish they wouldn't! He enjoys chasing Lucy with her tennis ball. She is a petite boxer and very fast. On the serious side, he is understanding that he must "leave it" when it comes to the cats. Which is a very good thing for the future of his pretty brown eyes! He got his first bath from us this weekend and well it was a state of panic sort of. He calmed down especially when I swaddeled him up in his towel like a baby (with huge ears). Lucy and Calhoun had theirs Saturday also. My poor bathroom. We also installed a new toilet this weekend which gave us an opportunity for McIver to venture into Lowes. He did really well of course. Those automatic sliding doors were a surprise!
Does anyone else experience that look from your puppy when strangers approach? It seems as though he is asking for permission to accept that person. I need some input on that because I am not used to it. My boxers NEVER asked for permission because they simply assumed the world is a happy place where EVERYONE wants to meet them. Is this need for reassurance a shepherd thing? I certainly don't think it is a bad thing. I just want to react the correct way.
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A reaction of "checking in with the boss" is pretty common with shepherds. But their reason(s) for doing it can be a little complex. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not. One factor to understand: shepherds do NOT necessarily enjoy being petted and fussed over by people they don't know. That part of their personality is not the same thing as being afraid of the new person or nervous about surroundings. They just absolutely do not LIKE that kind of attention. Think about how you'd react if a complete stranger approached you in a store and gave you a huge hug & kiss. WHAT??? BLECH! is what you'd say, assuming you didn't punch him.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so if a your pup doesn't want to be petted by strangers, or looks back at you before accepting attention, yes, they might be afraid. Or they might be both afraid and thinking strangers are yucky. Or they might not be afraid at all. Maybe, maybe not. You have to have more information to know.
Don't assume the shepherd feels any differently about a stranger petting. The other part of this personality quirk is that single-person, single-family focus is a big piece of the reason shepherds are so effective at this special job we have for them. They care about their own family, their own routine, their own place & context, to the exclusion of everything else. That's not bad...that's GOOD.
Think about that "checking in" behavior for a moment. How do you think a service dog for a child with autism learns which of a child's behaviors to interfere with...or not? THE DOG IS WATCHING THE BOSS and adjusting his/her reaction accordingly.
All that said, "the look" can mean several different things and we, as the trainers, have to learn to adjust OUR responses accordingly. That means learning to read some dog body language. Once we get our new classroom set up, there are going to be some sessions dedicated to just that!
If the dog is actually fearful, be very careful not to baby him. The approach should be matter-of-fact; give a command you can enforce and insist on obedience--then you can praise the obedience. However, any one of our shepherds who is actually fearful of new places or new people is going to have a very short career as a service dog. Knowing McIver, I have a suspicion you might be dealing with something other than fear. I think perhaps since you're here in Easley, it's time for us to get together so I can see a sample of what you're talking about. It's easier to see than for you to write about. And easier for me to show you the correct response than type endlessly here. Maybe we can do a short videotape and post it for the rest to see. If this is what I think it is, others of you will probably see similar reactions in varying degrees in your dogs before summer.
Probably this is enough rambling for now!