I adopted a greyhound in may of this year. she has been a great addition to our family. the only problem we have had with her is her fear of strangers who come into our house. she is slowly getting used to grandchildren and she has no difficulty meeting strangers outside the home. however, if a repairman comes to the house, she prefers to stay in the back bedroom. we recently had to replace carpet from a water leak and the house was full of noise and workers in and out. she preferred to stay in the yard but getting her back inside was very difficult. she would walk up the stairs, stick her head in and promptly retreat. she loves to eat and it was not easy getting her in at supper time. when she came in she would not get near her food, would look anxiously around and bark until she felt secure enough to eat. i just don't know what to do with her. i try to ignore her but this is very frustrating.
HELP

Sounds like you've got a real shy one who may take some patience to help her through this. How old is she? Since the repair work has been done and there's less noise is she returning to the security of the back bedroom?
Looking at your user name, saltwaterron, are you on the coast?

she will be 4 this month. no, this morning was horrible. we put a runner down the hall from my bedroom last night and she was scared to walk on it. i had to get the leash to make her come out. after her potty break she still did not want to come back in. i finally just shut the door and waited about 15 minutes til she was ready to come in and eat. she really is a very good greyt ,well mannered and loving but this side of her is very frustrating. no, i do not live on the coast but 75 miles from it. i am in sc but took the name because i love to fish along the coast although gas prices have slowed me down this year. thanks for the reply.

I am a Cesar Millan, The dog Whisperer, fan.

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Showing affection ONLY while the dog is in a calm submissive state of mind is very important.

Don't baby talk and comfort while the dog is scared or stressed, it only reinforces that behavior. Be calm and assertive, pay attention to your body language, keep a confident posture while handling the dog.
If the dog doesn't want to come in the house or walk on a rug, don't stand in front of the dog and look him in the eyes and pull. Instead, stand next to the dog, say "let's go" and start walking forward with a confident posture.
It may not be a quick fix as shown on Cesar's TV shows, but it will work in the longrun.

Let us know if you see any progress! I'll try and dig up some good books and websites about handling shy dogs.
Here is one:

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thank you for the help. i think what is so disturbing is that she is great around us. she loves to run and play and seems "normal" until someone she doesn't know shows up. i know she feels my frustration so i need to work on that. apparently, everything isn't falling into place as hoped. i think i just need to learn to ignore which is hard to do because i want this to work so much.

i know how you feel... i have a 5 year old male that is great until strangers come into our home. he will freeze where he is and shake like crazy. he is getting a little better but i always tell people to ignore him. if we go about our business and ignore him, he will eventually come up to people. it is great when he finally gets over the shakes and comes up to someone. when he does that, we praise him like crazy. just be patient...

thank you. that really helps because i love my greyt and want the best for her.

Try some of these things:

-Put a bowl of treats next to the door, and have anyone that enters it give the dog a treat. They may have to throw it to her if she doesn't come up to get it. Also, they don't need to give her any real attention. In fact if they walk up to her face to face and try to pet her she might be even more afraid. Maybe just have them say "hi" and throw a treat.

For the runner. You can try the Ceasar method, which I have found some people don't necessarily get the nuance of it if they haven't seen the show or have experience with shy dogs, or try sprinkling treats down the runner and see if that will get the dog to go on it.

In general terms, I would work obedience with her. Good disciplined walks where you are leading (she is not out in front) and where she is not stopping every 3 feet to sniff. I would work on commands such as "leave it", or "bed". By asserting your leadership she learns that you are in control of her environment, and she'll develop more confidence in you and be more at ease in strange situations.

Let me know if you need any clarification or have questions.

Good luck!

thanks guys for all the help.