Fear of the Backyard or just bratty behavior?

We're having a problem with our 1.5 year old pemmie, Eva the Diva. About a month ago she started avoiding the backyard. At first she just wouldn't rush through the door like she used to, but now if you open the back door, she'll run and hide under the coffee table. If we go and kick her Jollyball around for a bit, she'll occasionally come running out, but usually only long enough to steal the ball and run back into the house.

Unfortunately she's also had a couple incidents of eating things she's not supposed to and having tummy troubles, leading to some very smelly accidents in the house.

We've tried to tempt her out with treats, play with her and we've even resorted to dragging her out, but she is just not having it! Is there something more we can do? or is she just being a brat and we're going to have to wait it out?

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on June 26, 2011 at 8:25pm

See if you can feed her out of the back door. Start small by feeding her with the door open and then , next meal in the door way etc. Somehow she associates the back yard with something bad. Be patient and she will eventually get over it. She is not trying to be a brat, something has frightened her whether it makes sense or not.

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Permalink Reply by Susan Rahmsdorff on June 26, 2011 at 11:50pm

We were playing with the dogs before bedtime and I think we've figured it out - we turned on our air conditioner about a month ago, which makes a loud noise as it starts up. The timing fits - that was about the time she started shying away. Feeding her out there is a great idea to get it , we'll start that tomorrow and see if it eases her anxiety.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on June 27, 2011 at 8:06am

That could do it! Corgis can be anxious re noises! They were bred to be watchful and the negative side to that is anxiety. It causes some weird phobias.