The two puppies spent their first hour here timidly exploring their surroundings.  After breakfast they retreated to the inside of the log lean-to we had built. We have found that dogs love hanging out on the tops and inside of these shelters.  I was very glad we had the lean-to since it gave the girls a little safety den to retreat to but would still allow them to watch us and the other dogs.  Part of their rehabilitation involves them watching how our well-socialized dogs interact with us. 

After their nap they started exploring again.  By early afternoon they were relaxed enough to enjoy lounging around on the top of the lean-to. They did not seem to mind my watching as I long as I did not approach too close.

The temperatures climbed up to the 80’s inspiring the girls to go for a dip in the pool.

It was wonderful to see them become more relaxed with each passing hour. They startle easily but the fearful look in their eyes was diminishing.  I am very hopeful that they will eventually lose their fear of people.

Like most Siberians  the girls are extremely curious and that curiosity will be a big help in their recovery. In spite of their fear, both girls could not resist coming up to me and sniffing my hand.  When working with fearful dogs it is important that you allow them to come to you at their own comfort level.  Trying to approach them or pet them to soon only increases their anxiety. The key is patience and spending lots of time with them while letting them progress at their own pace. I plan to spend a lot of hours just sitting in their yard with a good book letting them get used to my presence. 

They don’t appear to have been physically abused.  More than likely they were left in a back yard  with almost no contact with people. They did not seem to have ever had a collar on before arriving at the shelter.   They do seem to want to make friends and have shown no signs of fear aggression.  I am anxious to see what changes we will see in their behavior over the next few weeks.