Hi all. My fiancé and I just got an eight week old Australian Kelpie x Border Collie puppy last Wednesday (it’s been a week, so nine weeks now). He is super sweet and has already learned Sit/Down and is doing well with housetraining. He is getting better in his crate during the day but he’s quiet all night and I wake him up to take him out to the bathroom at least once. He’s awesome with other dogs (we have lots of family dogs around that we know are vaccinated), fine with loud noises, plays with my cat, etc. The only thing is, he is VERY timid of people (especially men). He has attached himself to me to the point where he’ll cry and bark and scream if I leave the room or he’ll get up from whatever he’s doing to follow me, but he won’t even let my fiancé near him. If my fiancé calls him over to give him a treat he sometimes comes to him but he quickly grabs it and runs away to hide again. He’s like this with most new people. He warms up to some women eventually but never with men. He comes from a really nice gay couple so he’s had exposure to men and hasn’t had any abuse or anything like that. I’m really nervous that this is a warning sign for things to come in the future I’ve introduced him to lots of people and it’s always been on good terms (giving him treats if he doesn’t seem stressed, not reaching for his head, etc). Does anyone have any advice? My man loves dogs so much and we’re trying everything to make him feel comfortable. It’s hard because he has to be with them half of the day so whenever he has to pick him up to take him outside or put his leash on, he doesn’t whatever he can do get away from him. It’s putting a lot of stress on us Thanks ❤️❤️
Get your partner to sit on the floor. Tell him not to call the dog over to him, just sit. If your dog likes toys, your partner can toss a ball in the air and catch it, but not directly look at the dog. If the dog shows any interest, your partner can 'accidently' let the toy drop on the floor. Alternatively, you can toss a toy between the both of you with your partner letting it fall short of reaching you when the dog shows an interest. All the time, not giving the dog any attention at all, but letting him make his own decision when to play. Play is always your friend in situations like this. Once your dog starts to play with your partner, the bonding process will quickly come. From there, it's fairly easy to have others play with him.
He's adorable! How's he getting on these days? Not so puppy like I imagine! We're looking at getting a Border Collie x Kelpie too.
Hello David - the OP did not return to Breedia after making that first post three years ago, so we never had a follow up on how her pup got on. If and when you do get your Border Collie/Kelpie, please tell us all about him/her [with lots of pictures!]
