My Traumatized Dog

My poor, traumatized dog.

I went out to the Just Between Friends Consignment event this morning and brought home . . .

A bouncy chair.

By his reaction, you’d have thought I brought home a giant poisonous spider/scorpion hybrid monster.

OMG! It plays music! It vibrates! Run for the hills!

Further adding to my theory that when we bring the baby home, he will run and hide in the closet, and not emerge for three months.

“Was he abused,” you ask?

No. Many people think that because their dogs are afraid of certain objects, that the dog was abused in its past, by that object, or something similar.

Very few dogs are truly abused. Observe a dog rescued from a puppy mill, and you will see an example of an abused dog.

My dog was probably simply un- or under-socialized as a puppy. Puppies go through a very important period in their lives, from about age 3 weeks to 12 or 14 weeks. Puppies who are exposed to as many new experiences, new objects, new people, new sights, new smells, etc., grow into confident adult dogs. That’s not to say that dogs who don’t get those new experiences are doomed, just that you get what I have — a dog that is afraid when it is exposed to new things, sights, smells or people. These dogs need a bit of extra positive reinforcement and encouragement when confronted with new experiences.

Dogs like mine will adjust more easily if changes are made, and new furniture/baby gear are brought in gradually, rather than all at once.

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