I have learned to accept the snail pace progress we are making with Skye and to manage everything around her so she feels safe. But I am having a hard time loosing what we've gained.
The last 2 weeks Skye decided she didn't want to be in the house anymore, especially at night. We have been able to lure her in till now, but yesterday we couldn't until midnight and I fear it will be impossible tonight. (And the problem of leaving her outside all night is that she barks after the rats waking up the whole neighborhood...) This morning, she ran outside as soon as we opened the door and curl up next a veggie bed to sleep.
She also doesn't greet visitors anymore. We had established a nice routine of greeting visitors through a gate in the kitchen. She would get tons of treats while getting the opportunity to meet the newcomers and relax in their presence. This week, she left when Tanya came over. And did the same things with our cleaning ladies who she knows very well.
I don't know what happened. Did she get scared by something we didn't notice? Is the cat next door stressing her out? Is the nice weather make the home useless to her? Are we demanding too much? too much training?... I don't know, but I feel sad and frustrated. We have no control on Skye, and all our efforts seem to go nowhere. What more can we do than working with a vet behaviorist, a dog trainer, dedicated friends, and giving her time? It's hard.
My only hope right now is that the sertraline will be effective (she is currently taking a sub-therapeutic dose so her body can adapt).