Here is a video of Murkin and his many kitten friends hanging out. They are nestling against his tummy, as if snuggling with Mom. You see the kittens hopping over Murkin’s nose, as if he is their parent? That’s how kittens feel around Murkin. This dog adores cats, especially kittens.
His household has seen many foster cats coming through before they are ready for adoption. Murkin seems to have a calming effect on these rescue cats. He is a source of stability, of tranquility for them. They probably don’t know Murkin is a dog. And Murkin does not see species. He only sees little ones who feel comfortable around him and want to be near him. When Murkin was adopted from a shelter in California, he was not the confident dog that he is today. His human parents work with him to feel comfortable around new people. They certainly did a wonderful job because today Murkin will shower his love on anyone who gives him attention.
How to train a shy dog
Murkin’s parents did a wonderful job socializing Murkin. If you have a shy dog, there are some things you can do to help him build confidence. Homeward Trails Animal Rescue offers some helpful ideas on this topic. The general idea is to expose a dog to what he is uncomfortable with, but a very mild version of it, accompanied by positive associations such as praise and what feels good to him.
For example, if a dog is shy around children, you can take him to a park where some children are playing far away. There is no interactions involved, yet he can see the children. You can praise him and speak to him in a loving tone, maybe offer some kind of reward, so he associates children with something good. Or if loud traffic noise frightens him, play a softer version of audio track with traffic sound, but at a level that does not frighten him, and praise him for not running away from the noise. Then gradually increase his tolerance level. If he is a new dog to your home and he wants to hide from something that frightens him, then just let him. He needs to honor his own timing. And he’ll come to you when he’s ready. You can read the entire article for more ideas here.
If you enjoy this video, here is another video of rescue dog Murkin for you.
Article source: Homeward Trails Animal Rescue
