[pdaddy]

Hi I am new here and looking for some advice on some weird behaviour from our new dog. Sorry if this is a bit long, but I don't understand her at all.

A bit of background: last October we got a new female puppy. Yay! At the time we had an older male dog, who tolerated the puppy fairly well, but they were not exactly friends. That dog passed away at New Year, and since then we have just had the puppy. She has been spayed, and is generally on good health, although the vet says he suspects her vision is poor, especially in low light.

When we first got her she seemed like a typical "have to love everyone" kind of critter, and there were no issues. Then I had to go away for a weekend trip, maybe a week after we got her, and since then she won't have much to do with me. My son was also away with me, and she always adored him, as well as my wife and daughter. She has even warmed up to my in-laws, who live with us. She took longer to get to like my father-in-law than my mother-in-law, but that was all sorted out months ago.

As for me, I get greeted with barks and raised hackles when I come home, or even if I just come from another floor of the house. She won't let me come near her, often running out of the room as I come in.

The weird thing is that tolerates me on our bed, so long as I am lying down and someone else is there too. If I head towards the bedroom and lie down she will follow me and stand in the doorway, or sometimes lie on the foot of the bed. She is obviously eager to be with me, but won't come near until someone else joins us. Then she races over to me, tail wagging, and licks my hands and face. She happily laps up all the attention I can give her, but if the other person leaves she backs away again. Nowhere else in the house does she show any desire to be near me at all.

The only other place she tolerates my presence is in the trampoline, of all places. She loves to go in there with the kids, and I went in with them a few times and threw some racquetball balls for her to fetch (the tramp has a net enclosure, so she just races around inside). Now she sometimes brings a ball from the trampoline and drops it at my feet, then stands by the trampoline, as clear an invitation to play as you can imagine! She won't let me touch her, though, just throw balls.

I have been able to walk her a bit, although she always resists a little at first. Usually I can reach down and pat her during the walk, but sometimes she just freaks out and tries to pull away. When walking she is not generally afraid of strangers, although sometimes (but not always) will bark at men.

I have been her feeder for a while, and handed out treats like candy, with no obvious change in her regard for me. If I get down on the floor she just grows and barks at me, unless the kids lie with me, then she wants to be part of the action, although she is still wary of me.

I am just about out of ideas. Aside from cuddles at bedtime I barely get to see the animal, and being barked at by my own pet is wearing me down. What can I do for her to help her over this?