Post by daylight on Dec 3, 2012 14:16:48 GMT -5
Light has been with us for 5 months now and is a very loving and sensitive girl- we have worked through a few fears (ie. abrupt sounds while out on a walk, etc.) and she has adjusted beautifully! She loves her routines, enjoys her walks, and in all seems a very, very happy girl.
This weekend we experienced a very strong and strange fear reaction. In fact, if I did not witness to see exactly what transpired, I would have been at a loss to explain or put it together. She was having a late afternoon nap in the spare bedroom; I was bringing up laundry from downstairs; dinner was in the oven (we are generally kind of fish / vegetarian eaters but occassionally my partner enjoys a small roast or burger..especially in the winter). It was lamb on the menu and it was just starting to bake with the obvious 'lamby' odour. I saw Light come to the landing with her nose high in the air... nostrils going like mad. She sniffed down the stairs, towards the kitchen and then back up the stairs with head down. She ran into our bedroom (where she sleeps at night) and tried to crawl under the bed. I dropped what I was doing during this and went to her side. She was shaking like a leaf with her head hiding... I sat and patted her trying to calm her. After about 1/2 hour she came out but went into a circling thing around the perimeter of the rooms (she did this a few times on her first entry into our home)and eventually back upstairs. Michael in the meantime had taken the lamb out and threw it in the garbage outside and we aired out the best we could. Yesterday she ate normally, no fever, but still very nervous...she will every so often come for her hugs and belly rub but then seems to want to curl up in her crate with a very stressed look in her eyes or go into a safe corner space and what appears to be 'hide'. This morning she seemed more like herself but still somewhat nervous. We are being calm and encouraging and have been following the usual routines to a 'T' in order to assure her that things are "normal".
I am quite flabergasted to explain except to say I have barely slept and when I did, I had some awful nightmares that I care not to explain. How could this 'smell-trigger' cause such a reaction?? I just hope that time and consistency will erase this and we have our lovley Light happy and confident once more. Any thoughts on this??....... Thanks!
This weekend we experienced a very strong and strange fear reaction. In fact, if I did not witness to see exactly what transpired, I would have been at a loss to explain or put it together. She was having a late afternoon nap in the spare bedroom; I was bringing up laundry from downstairs; dinner was in the oven (we are generally kind of fish / vegetarian eaters but occassionally my partner enjoys a small roast or burger..especially in the winter). It was lamb on the menu and it was just starting to bake with the obvious 'lamby' odour. I saw Light come to the landing with her nose high in the air... nostrils going like mad. She sniffed down the stairs, towards the kitchen and then back up the stairs with head down. She ran into our bedroom (where she sleeps at night) and tried to crawl under the bed. I dropped what I was doing during this and went to her side. She was shaking like a leaf with her head hiding... I sat and patted her trying to calm her. After about 1/2 hour she came out but went into a circling thing around the perimeter of the rooms (she did this a few times on her first entry into our home)and eventually back upstairs. Michael in the meantime had taken the lamb out and threw it in the garbage outside and we aired out the best we could. Yesterday she ate normally, no fever, but still very nervous...she will every so often come for her hugs and belly rub but then seems to want to curl up in her crate with a very stressed look in her eyes or go into a safe corner space and what appears to be 'hide'. This morning she seemed more like herself but still somewhat nervous. We are being calm and encouraging and have been following the usual routines to a 'T' in order to assure her that things are "normal".
I am quite flabergasted to explain except to say I have barely slept and when I did, I had some awful nightmares that I care not to explain. How could this 'smell-trigger' cause such a reaction?? I just hope that time and consistency will erase this and we have our lovley Light happy and confident once more. Any thoughts on this??....... Thanks!