Rose makes wonderful progress

Rose

Rose (formerly known as Rosa) has now been with us for nearly three and a half months. In that time we have seen her grow tremendously. Rose had been in a very safe environment with a couple of dogs and a foster mum. From there she came to us - a family with father, mother and two more daughters. In addition, a very loving and stable Labrador. Rose had a fear of men, and that we noticed immediately. My husband could barely enter a room but she shot away, barking. She was even wary of my daughters. Rose would come to me and preferred to spend the whole day close to me or on my lap. Her fear manifested itself especially in the evening and at night. Then she barked a lot and hard! Something neither we nor the neighbours appreciated. Ha ha!

I contacted her fosterers and they put us in touch with a behaviorist. A few emails and phone calls were sufficient. Rose seemed to have a great need for clear guidance from me. I was to practice with her a few times a day in the woods and meadows. Simple basic exercises. Roos 'grew' visibly when she got everything clear. She is a very brave and smart girl. Happily her curiosity always wins out! 
Now she can even play with my husband and my daughters. Sometimes at night she crawls secretly into my daughter's  ...;-) She hardly barks any more and has also found her place with our other dog. They do not play together a lot but are happy to share the same space! If one lingers the other waits as if he would say: hey, hello! Hurry up!

We take long walks in the woods every day or in the floodplain where Rose is like a fish in water. She runs and scans and sniffs a bit! In the beginning she would sometimes wander too far, but now she comes back quickly on her own. She constantly seeks to make contact and then 'disappear' again. Completely in her element!

We feel very supported by the ACE/Shin organization. They don't treat it as if you were just simply buying a dog. Instead they are always at hand to help with any problems. Very reassuring and pleasant for us. Certainly also for the dog!

Sincerely,

Family Bouman, Bikkel and Rose.

Rose and Bikkel

Bikkel and Rose on the beach