Originally posted by sirrahved

I especially appreciate the stories of abused/neglected dogs coming out of their shells with lots and lots of TLC. This tells me that with patience on our end that Angel will in time come to be a happy, healthy, and well adjusted dog.
I love working with the timid ones. Most of my dogs started out afraid of their own shadows! We've found that it takes a year to 18 months for them to reach their potential--and even after that they keep making little steps forward.

Sometimes those steps seem like bad behaviors, but they are really a sign that the dog is confident enough in your home to push the boundaries a bit. For example, Mac went through a stage where he chewed everything and anything, including the windshield wipers off my husband's car. Not a good thing, but Mac was finally having a puppyhood and he felt safe enough to act like a puppy(he was almost 2 at the time).

Pacer has recently experimented with counter surfing. He stole a moose steak right out of the frying pan last week. Stuart was not happy and Pacer did get punished for it, but he also knew that we weren't going to beat him; he didn't cower; he didn't try to escape and an hour later he wanted back in the house.

Pacer's turnaround is one of my favorite stories in our yard. He's been with us almost 2 years after a year in the shelter. He's about six years old. He spent his entire time in the shelter trying to melt into the floor. He shook when anyone came near him. No one could pet him or approach him if he was in the dog yard. He wouldnt' walk on a leash with the volunteers. He was in a constant state of fear and panic. He escaped from me the first night we had him and spent 3 days on the lam. Now he sleeps on my feet every night; he steals Stuart's pillow when he gets a chance; is a great sled dog; is reliable off-leash; plays and woos all the time; he lets lots of people pet him; he's delightful.

Good luck with Angel. I'm sure in a few months you will be posting stories of her coming out of her shell too.