I told you last week about my Maltese, Montana. He’s my oldest furbaby and the leader of them all. This week I’ve got a few stories about my 6 1/2 year old Dachshund mix, Buster Brown a.k.a. Bullet (he runs very fast).
Buster Brown came to us on Halloween night in 2004. My son-in-law had picked him out for himself only a couple of weeks before, but his wife was having trouble house training him and so he was handed over to us. I was thrilled because I loved him already and was a little wary of the care he was receiving. It was freezing cold as I worked to teach him to go outside, and he was so small. I cut four holes in a tube sock to try to keep him warm when we went out (I didn‘t know any of you pet outfitters at the time or he would have been more well dressed).
He was that small… He was also too small to jump down off the furniture, so I put him up and down everywhere he wanted to go and possibly contributed to his future neurotic behavior. Because, Buster is one neurotic little fellow. If you look at him and speak to him, he stiffens and slowly creeps off. You have to pet him in an offhand kind of way that brings no attention to him. As I write he is curled up alone at the opposite end of the couch from where I sit with the Velcro Montana and the much newer and smaller Jake. His insecurity is evident in his second photo He is a champion eye cutter, like all dachshunds and I’ve spent much time contemplating what, if anything, I’ve done to make him turn out so differently from my other outgoing babies. He is completely overshadowed by the new addition Jake, and only after the weather turned cold enough did he join us back up in the bed this year. Ironically, he is the only of my boys to remain intact. I was afraid of weight gain and his back if he were fixed, and so far that seems to be the right decision, but even being the only male sporting hasn’t helped him feel superior.
So we just love him the way he is, and I continue to worry that it’s something I’ve done to make him this way. Any thoughts?
Alice
4 comments:
Oh Alice, I am sure it was nothing that you have done. Some people do not realize that you should not hit a dog to reprimand. Perhaps the previous owners did not realize that and may have hit him to train. I wouldn't blame anyone, if so they just didn't know. Or maybe, it is just in his makeup to be shy and nervous. We as humans are all so different from each other. Maybe he is just the shy type.
Wish I had some suggestions. Thanks for sharing.
Oh Alice.....I am quite sure it wasn't you at all. It is so difficult to undo some of things done as a little pup. The fact that he does crawl into bed with you is a sign of his wanting to be with you. He could go elsewhere and curl up. I bet he is very grateful in his own shy way. Some are just introverts and, like people, need to be accepted as they are. How could this little guy NOT feel your love?! He just doesn't know how to return it in a way that makes you understand he appreciates you. That is my very unprofessional opinion!
Thanks guys for your thoughts! He is a sweet boy and he does love me -- he just gets intimidated by the others coming for loving too. He takes his loving last in line :( But he gets plenty of love :)
Hi Alice,
It is not you that caused this and unfortunately you will never "fix" it. To me it sounds like juvenile abuse. Pups normally form their ...let's call it outwardness.. when very young and if mishandled it affects them their whole life. This could be something as simple as too harsh a reprimand up to and including kicking, etc. you will never know the reason. They say that whatever kindness you can bring them back around with in the first five years is as far as you will get in conversion. I am going to post this on our thread as well so others will know what happens.
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