This might seem a little odd and off-topic to some of you but here is the thing: My dog is a rescued stray and I can see symptoms in him that are very similar to mine.
He doesn't let strangers pet or touch him, is avoidant and is not the most confident dog ever known and that's fine with me, he doesn't need to be. He trusts me and the only problem we seem to not make any progress is with putting on his harness. It got a lot better since he moved in with me but most of the time when I take his harness he tucks his tail and hides under the coffee table. In the beginning there was even submissive urinating :(. I think it's because he was catched with one of those dog catcher poles when he was in the shelter and he doesn't feel comfortable with a collar. Probably also as a result of that. So that's not an option.
It breaks my heart every day and I would never force him so all I can do is sit on the ground, wait for him to calm down and let me put it on. It takes 2-10 minutes every time. He's very brave putting his head through the harness for his favorite treats even though his little heart is pounding. I did clicker training with him and it seemed to help him a lot reducing his anxiety and trusting me more with the harness but we didn't make any more progress for a long time now. As soon as I closed the harness, he shakes and everything is ok again.
He made so much progress since he's with me. He's full of joy and became a laid-back and overall a really cool dog who trusts me enough to follow me anywhere and can even relax and sleep when I take him with me to classes or to restaurants which was impossible for him in the beginning.
Does anyone have any experience with something like that? Any advice or maybe even any academic papers on PTSD in pets? Anything of any help would be appreciated :happy:
He doesn't let strangers pet or touch him, is avoidant and is not the most confident dog ever known and that's fine with me, he doesn't need to be. He trusts me and the only problem we seem to not make any progress is with putting on his harness. It got a lot better since he moved in with me but most of the time when I take his harness he tucks his tail and hides under the coffee table. In the beginning there was even submissive urinating :(. I think it's because he was catched with one of those dog catcher poles when he was in the shelter and he doesn't feel comfortable with a collar. Probably also as a result of that. So that's not an option.
It breaks my heart every day and I would never force him so all I can do is sit on the ground, wait for him to calm down and let me put it on. It takes 2-10 minutes every time. He's very brave putting his head through the harness for his favorite treats even though his little heart is pounding. I did clicker training with him and it seemed to help him a lot reducing his anxiety and trusting me more with the harness but we didn't make any more progress for a long time now. As soon as I closed the harness, he shakes and everything is ok again.
He made so much progress since he's with me. He's full of joy and became a laid-back and overall a really cool dog who trusts me enough to follow me anywhere and can even relax and sleep when I take him with me to classes or to restaurants which was impossible for him in the beginning.
Does anyone have any experience with something like that? Any advice or maybe even any academic papers on PTSD in pets? Anything of any help would be appreciated :happy: