DOLLY Chihuahua Springfield, MA

Dolly is what we call a Chicken Little Dog. Some dogs are naturally timid or shy, while others may not have learned to trust people while they were young. These dogs need to feel safe before they will interact with people; the work to build a relationship of trust could be a long and hard one but the experience can be one of the most rewarding of dog ownership. Chicken Little Dogs: are fearful of new people and places, take time to trust, shut down here at the shelter, and will bite if people push or try to interact too quickly. However, once they trust a person, the often become very bonded. OTHER PETS: Dolly is calm with other dogs and attempts to solicit play appropriately. She would likely get along with other dogs but to ensure a good match any dogs that Dolly would be living with should meet her prior to adoption. [Case-By-Case (Must Meet First)] OWNER EXPERIENCE: Experience with very frightened dogs would be a plus but the most important thing Dolly will need is patience. With support from her owner (such as engaging in positive reinforcement training) she will begin to warm up to them and start working on building an amazing trust bond. [Some Experience] KIDS: Dolly should live in an adults-only household. [Adults Only] ACTIVITY LEVEL: Dolly is very cautious of new environments. Once she settles into her new home, is comfortable with her surroundings and is building trust with her owner, neighborhood walks would be appropriate. Prior to that, it is more important to work on building trust with Dolly than getting her out to exercise - she is more relaxed outdoors so supervised playtime with a drag leash in a fenced yard would be appropriate. [Couch Potato / Good Walking Buddy] VETERINARY CARE: [Routine] GROOMING: [Minimal] LEVEL OF TRAINING NEEDED: Positive reinforcement training will help Dolly build her confidence and bond with her new owner as well as ensuring that she has a mastery of basic cues and skills. The trust built during positive training will help Dolly and her new owner work through future challenges together, and ongoing positive training will continue to improve Dolly's confidence. [Intense]