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A dog who "won't go"
I have a potty-training related problem of a different kind. My dog Maddie, a border collie mix, is extremely smart and well behaved. She hasn't had an accident indoors since the day I brought her home at 8 weeks of age and she's 5 years old now. However, she's also extremely fearful and submisssive. If she hears thunder she won't go outside for several hours until after it has passed. Noises like fireworks and loud car engines have similar effects. If I force her to go outdoors, she panicks and digs at the house even if I stand in the yard with her. My concern is that sometimes she will refuse to "go potty" of any kind for nearly 24 hours- this cannot be healthy! Any suggestions?
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Keyword tags:
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
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| Anonymous | A dog who "won't go" | 0 | Feb 8 2007, 2:28 PM EST by Anonymous | |
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Thread started: Feb 8 2007, 2:28 PM EST
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It sounds counter-intuitive and even "mean". But you need to concentrate on correcting the fearful behavior. This is NOT accomplished by soothing or comforting the dog when she responds to the thunder or other noises. You should put her on a leash and give her very small corrections like a slight tug on the leash or a tiny poke with your fingers. A calm, quiet, "no". If she whines, shakes, tries to hide, etc, give the correction. It could also help to walk her (even indoors) while she is working through the issue. This will give her something to concentrate on and will show her that you aren't nervous and you will correct her if she acts nervous.
Good luck! |
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