We rescued Tucker about 5 months ago, (August 6th will be 5 months)  He is estimated to be about 3.5.  He is very sweet, calm and a great dog.  I let him out to go potty tonight when it was dark and he acted afraid.  Our neighbors directly behind us were having a party, it was not obnoxiously loud, but there were kids swimming in the pool, jumping in and having fun.  Tucker didn't bark or anything, he just ran to the door.  I picked him up and set him in the grass trying to get him to do his business, he wouldn't.  I sat outside for a little bit with him, and called him to me.  He came to me, no problem, but after I was done petting him, he ran right back to the back door, as if to say, let me in. Once again, no barking, he just wanted in. 

 

He doesn't have any problems going at night time any other time. He loves people, I am just puzzled what made him react like that.   They also had tiki torches lit, maybe the shadows from those. 

 

Any ideas?  Anyone ever deal with behavior like this?

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Maybe a bad experience from his former life? Maybe  something he never experienced before? I don't know but these would be my guesses. He must have sensed whether or not from previous experiences that he disliked something and that's what made him want to get to his safe haven:)

Ok, so I put Tucker on leash and just took him out again and he acted like he wanted to go in, a slight tug on the leash, but I gently tugged him into the grass, to potty and he did.  :)  I just acted like it was no big deal. It could be something from his past.  Such a quiet boy he is too, amazing!! 

 

This isn't a big issue, but is interesting.   Our neighbors usually aren't in their backyard at night a lot either, so maybe he is just unsure.  

Sounds like you handled it perfectly! Wish they could talk sometimes.
I am almost embarrassed to write this reply...but here goes...Most of the time at night I have to walk outside with Lilly.  For some reason she doesn't like to leave the pavement and go into the grass...so yes, I walk her outside so she will pee.  And if it is raining, I have to go out with an umbrella,  otherwise she just sits on the porch.  My other dogs go out just fine.  I do know that once she was a puppy, she was wandering around the sheds and didnt come in when I called her, and when I looked out the window, she was running full bore for the house...and she was terrified, her ears were back and you could see the panic.  So that may be some of the root cause. During the day she is fine. This is only after dark she is like this.
@Donna, dont feel bad. ever since he was a pup i HAVE to stand in the yard with him. at night, rain, wind, or shine. other wise he will get frantic and look at me like "your really not going just let me go into the yard by my self...right?"
Ellie always acts nervous going outside after dark.  She does her business, but is on constant alert like something is going to come out of the pasture and get her.  Even when we come out of the door of the house, she stops at the threshold and looks around before deciding if it is safe to proceed.  She was only 14 weeks when I got her so I don't think it was something from her past that caused this behavior--maybe dogs can be afraid of the dark just like humans.
How often has Tucker gone out at night? When we first got Gryffin he needed to get use to his new surrounding before he felt comfortable. Every little noise like the neighbor's a/c coming on would 'spook' him. After a while though he got over it. Maybe all the new noises from the party kind of 'spooked' Tucker!
u did great by acting calm and like it was no big deal. at least he didnt bark or anything. at night when i take teddy out he looks all around and is on high alert. he will do his business no problem but if he hears a noise he may growl but as long as i say "hey, its ok" he goes back to what he is doing
I opt for ghosts!  ^-^
I second this. I feel like there is something there that I can't see. I find that Emmy mimics my behavior. If I jump at a loud sound, she does too. If I see a wasp and tell her to get away, she runs quickly. If I am watching to make sure there aren't any raccoons outside, she does her business quickly. Cesar says dogs can feel your energy through the leash. When Emmy gets scared by trains or big dogs, I try to stay calm and help her see that there is no threat. You don't want to comfort an unstable mind though because then the dog will think its okay to be scared. You did a good job!

This is clearly the only answer!  Natalie, call in the ghost hunters. Tucker may be on to something.  

 

(Sometimes I seriously believe Waffle is seeing something I cannot, though.)

Emma (1.5 year old Pembroke) freaks out at the shadow of branches moving.  But it's not a consistent thing.  It's as if she doesn't notice them.  Then BAM!  One night they're attacking her or something.

 

On the other hand, Corgis, like most dogs, are a creature of habit.  I remember when we rearranged our furniture.  Emma just didn't know what to do with herself.  Maybe he just got a little concerned because it was out of the ordinary.

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