# My Dog Won't Go Out In The Yard Anymore!!!



## ScaredOfTheYard (Apr 21, 2007)

A little over a week ago, my dog (a miniature pinscher) started acting very different. When I would go to get him out of his pen in the morning, he wouldn't be there jumping up and down ready to go like normal. Instead, he would still be snuggled underneath his blanket, refusing to get up. 

After managing to get him up, he would not run to the back door like normal, but instead would either try to run into my bedroom or back downstairs to his pen. Obviously, this became very frustrating, but the real frustrating part is when I put him outside, he won't step foot off the back porch. 

This is a dog that owned my yard in every sense of the word. He would spend most of the day outside chasing off birds and squirrels and seemed to take pride in doing so. Now, however, he acts absolutely petrified about stepping foot out there. 

Just to be sure, I took him to the vet to have him checked out. The vet gave him a clean bill of health and theorized that maybe a bluejay had dive bombed him. She suggested that I re-acclimate in the backyard by first taking him out in the front on a leash, then walking him around the house to the backyard where I should walk him around the yard to reinforce the idea that it is safe.

My problem is this is not working out so well. My dog now refuses to step off the stairs in the front yard onto the grass. He plants his butt and basically flips out and starts choking himself on the leash/collar. If I do get him to walk, as soon as we reach the side of the house he starts to do this again.

Yesterday, I managed to get him out in the backyard for a few minutes and one time even managed to get him to stay out there as I slowly walked away. He was fixated on something in a tree but this event only lasted a couple of minutes and then he was right back on the porch...in fact, hiding underneath the stairs outside the back door to be exact.

I'm so confused/frustrated and was wondering if anyone here had dealt with this before or if anyone can give me some good training advice on what to do.

   

Thanks in advance for any help.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Wow, sounds like somthing really traumatized him. Did the vet ceck his eyes for glaucoma and cataracts? Do not comfort him, I'd reccomend a professional that specializes in fear and uses positive methods as they tend to work best in fearful dogs. You DON'T want a Cesar Milain type for this. Here are some resources

http://www.iaabc.org/
http://www.apdt.com/
http://www.ccpdt.org/


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## ScaredOfTheYard (Apr 21, 2007)

Carla,

Thank you for the reply. Through the APDT website your provided I've managed to get in contact with a trainer who has dealt with this before.

Thanks again.


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