Expert: Jill Connor, Ph.D. - 1/22/2008

Question
oUR DOG IS 2 1/2 YEARS OLD.  WE HAVE HAD HIM FOR NEARLY A YEAR.  WE HAVE TRAINED HIM TO LET US KNOW WHEN HE NEEDS 2 POTTY AND WE LET HIM OUTSIDE IN OUR BACKYARD.  THIS HAS WORKED WELL.  SUDDENLY, HE JUST REFUSES TO GO OUT OUR BACK DOOR.  IF YOU ASK HIM IF HE NEEDS TO POTTY, HE HIGH TAILS IT TO THE BACK OF OUR HOUSE.  HE WILL NOT GO OUT THE BACK DOOR.HE WILL POTTY IN THE HOUSE .E WILL HOWEVER  GO OUT OUR OTHER DOORS BUT THEY ARE NOT FENCED IN SO WE MUST PUT HIM ON A LEASH AND WALK WITH HIM.  i HAVE NO CLUE WHAT HAPPENED THAT HAS CAUSED THIS CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR BUT I WOULD LIKE TO RETRAIN HIM TO POTTY IN THE BACK YARD AGAIN RATHER THAN INSIDE THE HOUSE.  CAN YOU GIVE ANY ADVICE?? THANKS

Answer
A dog can obtain a conditioned fear response to a place, article, person, other animal, in three seconds and you may never know what caused it.  It may have been a loud noise that you didn't notice (such as a car backfire), the scent of another animal, a bird flying by suddenly, etc.  The question is: WILL HE GO BACK INTO THE HOUSE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR FREELY IF YOU PUT HIM IN THE BACKYARD?  Try this.  The fear response might involve him going OUT the door, not coming back in.  If he will freely come back into the house through the back door (after you have walked him on leash to the backyard and then removed the leash and gone back inside to observe), you can use this to extinguish his sudden fear of going OUT the door.  If he now seems fearful of the entire back YARD, you'll see this when you attempt to bring him back there on lead.  If he hesitates to go into the yard, pulls back, behaves fearfully, do NOT force him.  Repost with that information.  If he does NOT have this fear AND he readily comes back INTO the house through the back door, as he crosses the threshold pop a juicy treat into his mouth.  Be sure his body is half into the house when you give him the treat.  Take him out at regular intervals on lead to the backyard, take off the leash, let him do his business, and every time he crosses the threshold back into the house, pop a special treat into his mouth.  Do this for about a week.  This all by itself might extinguish whatever negative association he has to going OUT the back door.  If not, repost and we'll take his rehabilitation further.