7 year old pointer mix (up for debate, she's some kind of sighthound/hunting dog) that we adopted at age 3 months. She was found under a shed with her siblings at around 2 weeks old and was fostered with her siblings and other fosters with the same organization in a private home.
We have never used any form of punishment, only positive reinforcement with treats and praise. No one has ever, to my knowledge, hit her or physically abused her in any way.
Even though we have been incredibly gentle with her, she is extremely timid. She's afraid of the rain hitting the window. She flinches when we pet her. My brother raised his voice around her once and years later she is still terrified of him. Once when we were hiking with her a man tried to pet her and she flinched, so he started lecturing us on not hitting our dog 🙁
I feel awful when I startle her with my voice or by touching her. She sleeps in our bed (sometimes— we leave the door open and she often comes in and gets on the bed in the morning before her walk) greets us when we get home, and presses her body against us when we pet her. She is so loved and attended to.
Does anyone know why she acts like this? Is there anything we can do to make her feel more safe?
submitted by /u/zippy_97
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