LAGUNA CRYING WOLF

Adoptation of an adult dog. My experience: a big difficult love
In year 2003 I bought Ascù-Wani, a 52 days puppy of Czech Wolfdog, male, and with him I lived 13 wonderful months.
I went with him to exhibitions, to training school, throgh woods and to some stages, we stayd in home and we often went in the streets, we were always together.
With Wani, I have always had and I have now, a marvellous relationship!

Then, I wished to widen the family. I wanted a female with blood line different from his one, as I wished to reproduce Wani, with such a beautiful compaign.
At that time, it was Jly 2004, one of my friend told me that a breedng in Hungary was closing and they needed to let their dogs to be adopted.
There was a puppy, sisters of the one of my friend, only 10 month old, that could be suitable for me.
So, with great enthusiasm, I decided to bring Laguna. And let's say, I bring her at "closed box".

When I saw the puppy I had some perplexities. Morphologically she was very nice, typical and lupin, with wonderful yellow eyes, but the character...........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a disaster, poor puppy!
She was afraid! Unfortunataly I couldn't deepen the conditions in which she lived during her first lifemonths, the most important, the ones of knoledge, socialisation, opening vs the external world.
One thing is certain. She must be used to defend herself from dogs and humans, she was always closed in a place without stimulations.
She crawled with the stomach down, the tail disappeared under the legs, to score off the throat. If someone goes near her, she wanted to go away, with the eyes always afraid of people.
In my garden, I had some plastic chairs and Laguna has never seen those "things": she was afraid of them and she run to avoid them. I said to myself "and now? I cannot keep her closed where she goes to avoid her fears. And I don't want to send her back where she was". So, I started a long, slow and patient work. First of all I had to go near her. I must give her trust , she must realize that with me she was safe. Swetness, patience, coherence and many calmness. These are the main ingredients to treat a frightened dog. I was lucky as I had Wani, and she immediately agreed with him. Wani helped me a lot with his complicity behavious with me. Very soon Laguna learnt that I was a sure reference point for her.
She followed me in the wood during long walk in which I found to make her be sure of my presence, playing, distracting her, with great efforts, from the things that put her into alarm.
Very slowly also my daughter could go near her, and Laguna accepted her. But my husband, never!
In January 2005, Laguna was warmth and I went immediately to make the sheets fo displaysia.
The result doesn't give any hope. "D" degree. At this stage, what shall I do? The only solution was to sterilize her. Maybe, really on such an occasion, Laguna understood that she could trust me. She was afraid and she didn't understand what was happening and for one week, till when she keept out her tries, I stayed night and day near her. My costant presence should have let her understood that her pack would have remained near her and her attachment become almost morbous.
It was time to start again socialisation and slowy I tried to let her accept my husband ( who did she remember?). A long way, difficult, constituted mostly by insucesses than successes!
But for Christmas 2005, my little made me the best wished gift! She went close to my husband, she licked his hands, she moved her tail and she accepted a biscuit. I don't cover that I cried for happiness.
After 1 year and half, I succeed in it!

The work, also in training school, had been very slow. Even today, Laguna sit down near me, but she doesnt accept to go down, she deems, that, in case of damage, she is free to go away, and if somebody goes near her, she immediately moves and she is afraid. She is still very nervous if there are many people around, and she looks at every noisy. She really changed a lot, she can walk with leash almost correctly, and even if we are still far from a quite situation, I can say that we made big progresses.
Two years passed since her adoption, and even I know that we still have to work a lot in order to be able to bring her somewhere, as I have always done with Wani. Now I don't have any more expectation to have some puppies from her, but I think this purpose, will be attented by Eblis, latest arrived of my patch, when and if it will be the right moment.
Looking at my Laguna when she ran versus me, when I come back from my job, it is the best recompense I may have!

Rossella