Update on Winter

Winter had a good weekend. He is slowly but surely adjusting to having different people around and although he is not comfortable with those he doesn't know, he is beginning to realize he can trust humans.

This morning he played. He acted like a normal dog when set loose in a controlled yard and rolled on his back and galloped around the yard with his nose in the air and his tail held high. We had a short (very short) game of chase and he stopped and sniffed some dog kennels on his way out of the building which is a new thing. I don't think he cared before.

He has let me brush him and doesn't shy away from the brush and is learning what "let me scratch your back" means. He really seems to enjoy being brushed and having his back scratched like a normal dog.

I, being the person I am, then moved his crate so his view is now different. He cannot see the walkway coming in the building and in order to observe the goings on in the kennel, he must come out of his crate. I believe this is a new experience for him and it may confuse him for several days but I think we are finally breaking through to show him new things aren't always bad things.

I have not concentrated on the vehicles yet, but am going to begin working on strange people in a controlled environment. I just need some people willing to sit out in a play yard and visit while he shies away. He needs to be around normal and a dog kennel is not normal housing. This is where I enlist my son and his roommate to be "strangers". Normally they are what we call "bite bait" to help us work on kennel aggression so a shy dog will be a new experience for him. He has no fear of dogs, so is always very calm around them. He is also a big man, and can be intimidating to some animals. (and he likes the pay: McDonald's gift cards)

Winter is adoptable to the right home. He is still a work in progress. He will probably never be the outgoing, people dog most want in their homes, but there is a home out with his name on it. With a lot more work and double the patience, we will get him there.