of a rescue whippet I am going to visit. From her description and photo  I love her already. Apparently she is gentle and kind, relaxed in her kennel, happy on walks. But when  all the dogs are let out in  the confined space , she screeches and wants to go back to her kennel and is clearly distressed.

Something has freaked her out I suppose, at some point. poor thing. What I am wondering is, wether  anyone here has encountered this before and has any thoughts..

the thing is, in real life, she will never  have to deal with that sort of experience again .... but I 'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on it. I'm wondering what the implications of it may  mean. (trying to second guess potential problems..)

Could you not go and see what she's like when she's let out on her own?  It may be that she's been attacked or scared when out with other dogs and this is something you'll have to overcome.

yes. I will go and see her, and see how she is on her own .... have been told the only issue so far seems to be the one I described. She has been frightened by something about off lead dogs... and of course, in my local park there will be off lead dogs  playing and having a wander and  a run.. if she freaks out in the park... how would I  best deal with it?

You need to suss out what it is tahts freaking her out. My saluki x does NOT like huge big hefty dogs hurtling up to her, she SCREAMS.

What you DONT do is put her in a situation like busy park, loose dogs straighta way.

Keep her on lead, take her to places wih very very few dogs, and find out what her most favourite treat is, and reward her well for NOT screeching with the nice treat.

So 'loose dog in sight = bucketful of fantastic treats'.

Work on taht, as well as general training to improve her bond and trust in you, and gradually increase the level of 'scary'. IF it gets too scary, go back down a level.

You also need to teach her a method of coping with 'scary', whether thats redirectin gher attention onto a toy, or hiding behind you or whatever.

Em

thanks theemx - all good  tips, and good to hear about the specific thing that freaks your  dog out, too...  reassures me that this rescue dog isnt necessarily 'neurotic'. just naturally responsive to bad experiences as well as good.