Cookie - Tyne & Wear

Cookie:
She is a very nervous 1 year old. Not having been socialised as a pup she struggles with most things.
However deep down I have seen signs that she wants to be brave its just going to take a lot of
patience and the right training by the right person.
During her time with us she has gone from a cowering wreck who just wanted to stay in the back of
her cage to being happy in her safe places which are in the house and garden. She also sees the car
as a safe place after several hours just sitting with her in it. She will now jump in/out of the car and
no longer sick every time. She is very alert to change though, anything added or moved from even her
safe places sparks her wariness.
We have boarded three other dogs during the time with Cookie and with very careful introductions
she has got along with all of them. That is the only time she has shown any interest in toys, she will
happily play with another dog that is agreeable, its great to see her like that.
What we found is after roughly 4 visits to a place, she gets comfortable enough to run free which is
so lovely to see and will come back to High Value Treats. However if there are ANY distractions such
as other dogs (that she doesn’t live with) / people / sudden noises then she gets spooked and wants
to hide (which could mean her fleeing). We have always taken her to area where if that happens
she can see or get back to the car safely.
At present we are unable to walk Cookie anywhere from the front door. She accepts her collar and
lead and leaves the house but if its not to get into the car then she wont budge further than the
drive, wanting to go back into the house. Wherever we take her, her instinct is just to get back to
safety. If she recognises the way home she will not continue any other way but homeward bound.

We do love Cookie, she is such a sweetheart, its now heartbreaking to think about letting her go

but we know that we are no longer making any improvements with her and she still has a long way

to go to get to a happy place.