Afraid of doorways???
Hello! Doc and I are new members here. It may help if you read about Doc in my profile before reading/replying to this question. It's not long at all.
Doc has a funny little "quirk" that we don't understand..... he seems to be genuinely afraid of doorways! If he is inside and I want him to go out for a while, I have to pick him up and PUT him outside. When he seems to want to come back in, he sits at the door and stares in at us. So I open the door and try to coax him in but he hesitates for a long time and WILL NOT cross the threshold. If I reach for him to give him a gentle tug through, he backs away from me, but he never backs away when we're both indoors. I have to open the door all the way (it's a sliding glass door) and walk to the other side of the room and call him, and then he will SLOWLY and very hesitantly come in. He seems to highly prefer being inside rather than outside, and we have made him an indoor dog.
Same thing when we get to my bedroom door. He seems to love being in there and sleeping with me, but I have to open the door all the way, stand back and coax him in, then repeat the process when we get up.
He does well on a leash, however. Every morning instead of putting him outside in the backyard, I put him on the leash and lead him out the FRONT door for a short walk, and he only hesitates slightly. I tried the leash with the back door that he seems to be most afraid of, and it helped a lot, but I don't want to have to chase him down in the backyard with a leash 2 or 3 times daily just to bring him indoors.
Any ideas on what's going on here? Could his previous owners have been so cruel that they would have somehow tormented him for crossing boundaries or something???? That sounds like a silly question, but I just don't understand this behavior. Any help?
Thanks!
Starr
Doc has a funny little "quirk" that we don't understand..... he seems to be genuinely afraid of doorways! If he is inside and I want him to go out for a while, I have to pick him up and PUT him outside. When he seems to want to come back in, he sits at the door and stares in at us. So I open the door and try to coax him in but he hesitates for a long time and WILL NOT cross the threshold. If I reach for him to give him a gentle tug through, he backs away from me, but he never backs away when we're both indoors. I have to open the door all the way (it's a sliding glass door) and walk to the other side of the room and call him, and then he will SLOWLY and very hesitantly come in. He seems to highly prefer being inside rather than outside, and we have made him an indoor dog.
Same thing when we get to my bedroom door. He seems to love being in there and sleeping with me, but I have to open the door all the way, stand back and coax him in, then repeat the process when we get up.
He does well on a leash, however. Every morning instead of putting him outside in the backyard, I put him on the leash and lead him out the FRONT door for a short walk, and he only hesitates slightly. I tried the leash with the back door that he seems to be most afraid of, and it helped a lot, but I don't want to have to chase him down in the backyard with a leash 2 or 3 times daily just to bring him indoors.
Any ideas on what's going on here? Could his previous owners have been so cruel that they would have somehow tormented him for crossing boundaries or something???? That sounds like a silly question, but I just don't understand this behavior. Any help?
Thanks!
Starr
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bonny on
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I don't know if you know/are a fan of Cesar Milan, but he has some really good ideas on how to integrate a new dog (puppy or rescue) into the family. A lot of times, people will adopt a dog coming from bad circumstances, and they feel bad for the dog, so try to comfort it with affection. But that doesn't help dogs move beyond the fears or bad habits they have developed, and can even reinforce them.
In dogs that have fears or phobias, he puts the dog in the situation that triggers the fear and asks them to face it. The dog will often fight it at first, but will eventually move forward and lose the fear. In your case, maybe you could do some leash work with Doc. Put it on him and take him around the house. Lead him like a pack leader would, calmly and confidently. Don't let him lead, and don't frequently look behind you to check on him. If he pulls at doorways, give him a bump or two on the leash to encourage his "forward" state of mind--constant tension will cause resistance. You will have to pass through doorways, and by going through them without expecting anything bad to happen, you can help him feel that way, too. Go outside, too. When he seems to show signs of fear or hesitation, maybe repeat that door a few times until he goes through without a second thought. Your goal is to remove any bad association he has with doorways, and replace it with a new association (using treats to reward him coming through might do the trick!)
Also, you could practice "come" with the leash until he's got it down, and then make the challenge harder by asking him to "come" through doorways. Again, using a few treats will really help him.
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by alynne on
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i personally would stop coaxing him. the leash idea is a good one, you could also just leave him on the other side of the door with it open and see if he comes in after a while if you stop paying attention. he could be sitting/hesitating because he gets your attention everytime.
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Permalink Reply by Sam on
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Many dogs have fear issues. If we know their background that sometimes helps us determine what caused it. Most often it is not abuse but isolation and lack of social and environmental training. I think my approach would be to use snack and meal times as a time to work with doorways. Avoiding them will only allow the behavior to persist. It must be done with patience and kindness but in no way feeling sorry for him. Dogs quickly pick up on our voices. You need to make the doorways a good place for him and he should be treated and praised every time he goes through it. If he likes to retrieve this may be a fine place to play the game. I think with good positive practice you will find he will leave this behavior behind.
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Permalink Reply by Starr Hawk on
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Wouldn't you know it..... the day after I posted this, after having put Doc out for awhile, I went to the door to let him in, fully expecting the same hesitation he has shown before. He hesitated..... for about 3 seconds! Then he just practically jumped right in! Needless to say, I praised him like crazy! He has been doing this ever since, with every doorway, although he still doesn't like to go OUTside. I still have to chase him down and carry him to the door and put him outside, but that's no big deal at all. He only "runs" as far as his bed, which is just about 7 feet from the door! lol I understand why he doesn't like going out there..... his people aren't out there! But I never leave him outside for more than an hour, 3 times a day.
He REALLY loves my bedroom for some reason. I take him in there when I go to bed, and I take his bed from under my desk with me. I lay it on the floor next to my bed, and he gets so excited! He runs right in and just seems thrilled to be in there, even though we're just in there to sleep! It's so cute.... he jumps all around, runs in tiny little circles, panting and wiggling all over! (You know, since he can't wag a tail, he just wags the rest of himself! lol)
Anyway, thank you all for the help and suggestions! I appreciate you all!
Starr
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