I am in the same boat as well. My son and I are the only ones that ever come into contact with my dogs. Mostly it is me, but he does rake and feed when I need him to do so. I have had only a couple of shy dogs over the years and I did not raise either of them. One was a female that had produced multiple winners and when her owner got out I ended up with her. I went to pick her up and we had to pull her out of the box. If this bitch did not have the production track record I would have walked away. She might lay in the sun when no one was out there but other than that she was in the barrel. Like "Chosen Solitary Confinement". Of the dogs I kept off her I never had a shy one. What caused her to be this way I never knew. EWO