[schewe]

My mother has a dog that is always so excited to see me. She runs from one end of the house to the other, jumping onto the front of my legs, licking me hands, playing, and once in a while bringing me one of her toys.

Here's the problem though; when I go over my mother's house while she isn't there, the dog almost cowers. She'll sheepishly come to me if I ask and then goes to hide in the bathroom. It's bizarre and have no idea what I can do to assure her that everything is OK.

Any ideas of why she has such differing welcomes depending on the circumstances? And is there anything I can do to make her more at ease?

Thanks

 

[Poppy14]

My boy is fearful and I have found that he is so much bolder when I am around. If I'm not there, he hides. His circle beyond me is slowly expanding but he still feels safest/boldest when I am there.

I'd recommend just ignoring her and letting her do whatever she needs to to feel safe. You can try dropping treats on the ground when you move from place to place as well.

 

[gingerkid]

It is common for generally nervous dogs to be much more confident when they are around individuals that they trust, whether it's their humans or even other more confident dogs.

If I were you, when I went over to your mom's when your mom wasn't around, I'd more or less ignore the dog, drop treats behind you sometimes, and maybe occasionally toss treats towards her from a safe (to her) distance.