Help! Please help us figure this behavior out!!!!

4

4sheltie

Forums Novice
hello! i'm new to the forum and i've joined the forum because i'm absolutely stumped and i desperately need the help/advice/tips of somen experienced sheltie owners.

our dog's name is romney and he's 14 months old. he's our 4th sheltie and our family loves the breed. we have a fenced in yard (1/4 of an acre) that we've always put our dogs in when they have wanted to go outside but we weren't able to do so.

for the last 3 weeks, romney has been refusing to come inside for us. he will come up to the door and tap his paw on it to tell us that he wants to come in, but then when we go to let him in, he runs around in small circles in front of the door and won't come in. we've tried treats (hot dogs, roast beef, cheese, salami, chicken, etc) but he will not go in the door. his gaze is focused towards the outside angle of the door. when we shut the door after trying to get him to come inside for around 15 minutes, he will jump on the door to tell us that he really wants to come in. we will then open the door and try and let him in and the cycle starts again. he does not seem like he's trying to play a game with us. something is making him not want to voluntarily come in the house anymore. yet, when he does some in the house he is very happy.

we've also tried playing chase with him to get him inside (he chases us) but he stops at the step and won't go in. one time it took 3 people 4 hours to get him in and we had to do so by trapping him.

at first, i thought that he might be seeing some kind of reflection on the door so i put nonreflecting wallpaper on the glass door - but that did nothing. we also have another door (a slider) that he sometimes enters/exits, but we couldn't get him in that way either.

around 10% of the time, he will come inside, no problem. he is not a jittery sheltie and he is loved by all of our family members.

has anyone had a problem like this problem??? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Have you tried a long line?

Get a 50 foot cord, like a clothes line cord and tie it to his collar. When he comes to the door, make sure someone has the line in hand, open the door inviting him in and pull in the cord gently if he doesn't come in right away.

When you get him inside treat him and pet him and get really happy. It sounds like you are overcoming a phobia or fear of some kind. Did he have a trama at the door? Like did he get his tail caught or loud noise right when he was at the door?
 
I agree...a long line is the way to go.
All that fun he had..wow 4 hours trying to get him to come in!! If you put your arms out to your side and just calmly walk him down, its alot easier to catch them. Putting your arms out like that, makes you look bigger..and wider..LOL I was taught that in a doggy class...a wiley poodle was always running a muck and thats how they showed us to walk them down to catch them...
My Abby would do this from time to time too...I would throw treats in thru the door...she'd run to get them...I'd shut the door..LOL You gotta think sneaky sometimes!!

Julie
Clancy & Abby
 
Hum hard to know what's going on without seeing it. Could be that something spooked him at the door since he would come it the another door either. The strange part is 10% of the time he will do it no problem. Is a certain person letting him in when he doesn't have a problem or is it just random? What time of the day does he came in willingly or is that random too.? It could give you a clue about what is going on.

For the time being if you are in a time crunch and need to get him in take him out and in on a long line or leash, that way there is no pressure to get him in. When you approach the door on lead just walk up to it and in like you know he is going to follow. Don't look at him or talk to him, just do it. When he is inside praise and go crazy with treats. Do not show him treats outside, we want to reward him not bribe him. Practice going in and out on lead several times a day.

When you have time and after he has been going in and out with you on lead sucessfully for awhile. Let him outside by himself. When he scracthes on the door, open it and turn our back on him, do not look at him and do not talk to him. If he comes in , party with the best praise and treats you have. If he backs away or circles(immediately) ,close the door and say nothing. When he comes back do the same thing if he move towards the door with one of two steps drop a treat in the door way. Do not look directly at him or talk to him. If he takes in and goes back a step or 2 wait, if he turns away from the door close it and start again, if he continues in party. Obviously, if you need him in don't not let him outside by himself until the problem is solved. Hopes this helps. :smile2:
 
Everyones response was spot on for what you should do.Long line is definately the way.

There must be something in the past that has spooked him,to not cross the threshold.

Back some time ago,we were going thru the same thing here with Trapp.But he wanted to play frisbee.He just loves it outdoors,and we found just a few throws of the frisbee was all he wanted. Another wards..he wanted to get some play time in,and one on one with us.

At first I would look at him,and get frustrated in wonder..what is his problem?He's asking to come in,but actually it was him wanting us to come out to play.

This was happining before we brought home Jasper,his half brother. We have'nt had the problem since.Now they have each other to play with.And seem perfectly content to come in now.
 
we've also tried playing chase with him to get him inside (he chases us) but he stops at the step and won't go in. one time it took 3 people 4 hours to get him in and we had to do so by trapping him.

Chasing him was not the answer,even though it sounds as if you were desperate.3-4 hours of a chase game,he probably thought..ohhh weee they're gonna chase me,I like it!:winkgrin:

I've heard that dropping down to the ground (you) will work.As they will come close enough to investigate why you are laying down.
Spreading your arms out to the side,I've heard also works,and just calmly walk towards them.Do not speak a word to them while doing this.

Or reverse the chase,and get him to chase you,by running away from him,calling his name.When he responds,click & treat.

Do you use a clicker? You may want to give it a whirl if you do.Reward the good behavior by high value treats.It won't take him long to catch on.
Good luck!

And a big welcome to you.
Hopfully this stressful phase will pass.Maybe he just needs a little more excersise,or some fun outside games with you or family members,to get excercised more.
 
I had this same thing with Cadbury (labrador). I think part of the issue was he came home in the spring/summer and so the back door was always open and he got used to just bouncing in and out. When the winter came he still wanted to be outside, but he didn't like the door being closed, so he taught himself how to open the door, but he wouldn't come in - but he liked to know the door was open. It was security, he knew he could hop indoors if something was up. (he is a little insecure).

I would say it sounds a little similar with Romney, sounds like he wants the door open and actually wants you to come outside and pay attention to him. (hence four hours chasing).

I've worked with Cadbury teaching him that the door sometimes has to be shut when he is outside. Most of the time it is fine, but sometimes he will still want the door open while he is outside :rolleyes2:

As for getting him in, the long line is a good plan. I trained Cadbury a special command 'In' rather than use his recall command. Now when I say 'In' in a firm voice he comes straight indoors.

But he plays up like crazy for my dad. If my dad tries to come in he just will not. So my dad will walk away from the door, Cadbury will come in, and then as soon as my dad goes to close the door Cadbury zooms out again. Cadbury has also got my dad trained to open the door for him the instant he looks at it even if he has been out just a few minutes before.

This goes on and on and on. With me there is none of that. If he wants to come indoors I open the door, say 'In', if he doesn't come in, then tough the door is shut again and I walk off. That was how I taught him that 'In' means in.

As I write this dad is trying to get Cadbury in as Cadbury has opened the door but is standing outside - he is not having any success.

Use the advice you have been given by other posters and don't pander to Romney. You'll get there :wink2:
 
The long line is a great idea. Another thing you might want to consider is that he may still not want to come in on the leash. Lexi went through a phase where she did this as well. I think for her it was just her being stubborn.

I wouldn't recommend dragging him in--that just creates more of a negative association. We led her in with treats. And sometimes, you have to just give treats around the door, then on the steps, then lure them inside.
 
Just out of curiousity:

Are you sure he wants to come in as opposed to wanting you to come out? Maybe he wants to play outside? Jake would be outside all day long if we let him and often takes his time coming back in.

Another suggestion: a trail of high-value treats. Drop one or two outside the door. Make sure he sees you do it. Then drop them on the eave and inside on the floor, etc., leading him in. Repeating a command like "in" is a good idea to help reinforce. If indeed he values being outside over in, then you have to provide something he wants even more (at least temporarily).
 
Ok, I'm gonna go against the grain here and say absolutely do not do the long line, FORCING a dog, any dog is a bad thing, especially a sensitive breed like ours. Something is causing him to not want to come in. Have you tried propping the door open and walking away to see if he will come in? Also, when he comes in what are you doing? He should get some kind of fun reward every time he comes in, a cookie or quick game of tug or something. Is he clicker trained? you could try clicking when he gets closer to the door.

Again, I advise not forcing him to come in that way, it could make the problem worse, or create new problems in that he won't come to you at all.
 
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