I just rescued a West Highland White Terrier from my friend, who got her from a shelter, that got her from a puppy mill. She was a breeding mom. Anyways I've had her in our house with our other 3 dogs for about a week now. I knew she was scared of doors because it was a small issue at my friend's house as well. My friend used to have to pick her up and carry her outside. It never was a problem for me until yesterday. She started getting very scared of our door that we use to let the dogs in and out. When she is outside she will run about 3 feet from the door then run away back in the yard. This behavior will last for 20-40 minutes until she finally gives up and comes inside on her own. I have no idea what to do because she is neither toy nor food oriented. When we try to pick her up outside she runs. I honestly have no idea what to do. I have always wanted a Westie so I'm not gonna give up on her. Any help would be appreciated.
Put her on a leash and run her in and out of the door 30 times.
Praise bravery, ignore fear.
Use a happy voice and get excited. Make the door, and going through it seem great.
The more she goes through the door without anything bad happening she'll realize that it's no big deal.
This isn't a quick fix. Don't look for lasting results for at least a month or 2.
***TIP***
Short, frequent, random lessons work better than epic ones where you both get tired and stressed.
***TIP***
Leave the leash on her all the time for a while.
That way she doesn't know when "lessons" are about to happen.
She could learn to guard the leash while it's on her. To prevent that, randomly and frequently pick it up and put it down with no lesson.
RANDOM is the key word.
Tags: Westie, west highland white terrier
Don't chase her.. Don't force her.. Praise her when she does come in… It'll take time, once she gets used to it all, she'll come around.. You just need to desensitize her to the door situation.
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I have a Westie and have had 2 others…it isn't something that is a breed issue…it is an abused dog issue
This rescue dog was probably hit with the door many times and probably kicked out with a boot in the rain etc….and has impeded in her brain the pain associated with doors….it is sad to think of the life she had..I'm very happy that you did rescue her I'd take her to dog obedience classes just to socialize her and tell the trainer the problem…She will need alot of love and understanding …..
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Aw, poor thing.
One of the dogs in my training class had a fear of doorways.
The trainer said to the owner:
''Put your dog on it's lead, and walk through the door with the dog, even if the dog pulls to get away from the door, don't take any notice. Just pull it through the door way. Once it's through give it alot of praise. Keep repeating this and the dog should get used to it and not be scared anymore.''
I've never tried this, as none of my dogs have had a fear of doors or door ways.
Seemed to work for the dog at training class though.
Good luck.
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Put her on a leash and run her in and out of the door 30 times.
Praise bravery, ignore fear.
Use a happy voice and get excited. Make the door, and going through it seem great.
The more she goes through the door without anything bad happening she'll realize that it's no big deal.
This isn't a quick fix. Don't look for lasting results for at least a month or 2.
***TIP***
Short, frequent, random lessons work better than epic ones where you both get tired and stressed.
***TIP***
Leave the leash on her all the time for a while.
That way she doesn't know when "lessons" are about to happen.
She could learn to guard the leash while it's on her. To prevent that, randomly and frequently pick it up and put it down with no lesson.
RANDOM is the key word.
References :
keep doing what your doing. just dont make a big deal about it dogs are taught alot of their behaviors she has been spoiled and got picked up early in life. you can change it. you could try putting her on a leash when you take her int he yard for a few days walk right through the door dont look at her or say anything just walk through fast and she will most likely follow. then have her go to the bathroom and walk right through the door to go back in. you can get a fast start. after a while it wont be a big deal to her any more. hope that helps!
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It's only been a week, and she has a lot to adjust to.
Put her on a leash and lead her around. Give her plenty of praise. Even if she doesn't care about toys or food rewards, she will in time respond to praise and commands.
Getting her into an obedience class will help make a strong bond between you, because you will be able to communicate better.
Be patient; I think she will adjust in time. She does come through the door eventually, so she will probably get more confident. Maybe in the puppy mill she wasn't allowed to go through doors.
Any behavior like this, showing that she's uncomfortable with things that normal pets do, you can help her adjust to.
She's a little unsocialized. She's probably not accustomed to human affection, but once she finds out about it, she will love it. With a caring owner and a good home, she will blossom.
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I have an Airport Police Dog, she will jump on moving conveyor belts, onto planes, up wire staircases, jump off a 10 foot ledge into my arms, she's nuts. I was doing renovations at home and I took the door off of my basement stairs, and the goofball wouldn't cross in front of the open space! The best thing is to ignore the weird behavior and expect your dog to do it. Dogs learn from each other too. Have the rest of your pack run in and out of the door with your dog. The others have good advice too. The basics are the same, don't make the behaviour bigger in your dog's head by making it a big deal, and go out of your mind with praise when the dog shows the behaviour you want.
Good luck!
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Police dog handler of an insane dog.
Visit this site to learn about how to help dogs change how they feel about scary things.
http://www.fearfuldogs.com
You'll be using counter conditioning and desensitization. I had a dog that was afraid to come into the house. He likes to chase balls so I asked him to target (touch) a ball before I through it. I gradually got him to do this closer and closer to the door and eventually he had to come inside to touch the ball before I threw it. This got him to think about something else besides his fear while at the same time he got to practice the behavior I was after. I'm not saying that this is what you should do with your dog, it's really up to what motivates the dog. But think about ways you can make being near or going through the door could be a game or pleasant for the dog.
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