Jock, the very timid dog at spotswood quarantine. VIDEO
For all those people who love small old and very timid dogs, then this article and clip will enthral you. In fact this clip was edited to show Jock in his most happy states.
The most curious thing about Jock was that this was his nature at the start and end of the visits at quarantine, and by all reports from his owner, this was how he was at home.
The main difference for Jock and many other dogs that come through quarantine (and how happy they are) is how much interaction on a daily basis they have had with other dogs.
Jock is a big case in point of why I strongly recommend socialisation for all dogs. He may live with other dogs, or have dogs living in yards near him, but it is very unlikely that he is regularly socialised with new social dogs. And so his behaviour is very likely the result of how he was treated many years ago, perhaps deprived of socialisation when very young.
There are many reasons people give why they don’t walk their dogs daily. But besides time and effort, and sometimes ingenuity, there is rarely a reason that dogs can’t get to satisfy their basic needs. By family members sharing the load, other dog owners in your street or hiring a dog walker, a dog can be walked daily.
I have walked dogs that have been rescued from a lost dogs home, only to be imprisoned in their own yards by their new well meaning owner. Their theory runs that the dog has had a bad life or was mistreated previously so it “doesn’t like dogs”, or is scared of dogs or other myriads of reasons. But dogs are a pack animal, and like being social, if they don’t, then generally there is a socialisation issue.
I won’t go so far as to say what Jock’s original story was, or how he is kept by previous owners, but his extreme timidness definitely shows in this video and is not the behaviour of a social dog.
In fact Jock was so timid, that the quarantine staff had to move him to a quieter section of kennels for special needs dogs. It is situated next to the cat enclosures and has much less dog barking noises.
Jock showed absolutely no aggression towards me, which is the case that some timid dogs can have – ie fear biting, and he was only trying to find spaces in the yards that would provide the most safety. Even though there was no obvious threat to me or most other dogs I have met there.
He was fine to be picked up and patted (though shook with nerves the whole time). If put down, he would either walk towards me, or away from me looking for a way to escape from the yard.
It is clear that his owner loves him very much. And it is such a shame that he has not been able to overcome his extreme timid nature.
It is hard to imagine how much worse off he would have been if he wasn’t visited by a human during his stay, and allowed to have long periods in the exercise yards to explore.
I wish Jock the best!
Article by Bruce Dwyer. If you wish to use any of this information please refer to the article as a reference and provide a link to www.healthydogtreats.com.au
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