# Dog doesn't want to leave the house - until it does!



## SeeBread (Aug 28, 2013)

Having been an owner of a dog and around dogs for quite some time now this is one of the strangest bits of behaviour I've ever seen, and I was wondering if anyone could explain it.

My dog absolutely loves walks. She adores them, and will happily go on for as long as her paws will carry her. This strange behaviour started fairly recently, but at the moment, as soon as someone gets a lead, poo bags, and looks like they're going to go outside, she'll take herself off to a corner and refuse to move at all.

She looks very apologetic and slightly scared which is very unusual, and will not move towards the door for any reason. That is until I do what I've had to resort to doing, which is physically lifting her to the gate of the house (she's completely passive), where she'll change her attitude completely, joyously run outside and enjoy her walk.

I'm completely stumped. Can anyone explain this?


----------



## Strawberryearth (Apr 5, 2012)

Cannot explain, but didn't want to read and run. MY dog does something very similar. She will go to her bed, or similar, when we are getting ready to go for a walk. I either have to bribe her to the front door, or if that doesn't work, do as you do and lift her (likewise she is completely passive). 

Mine, like yours, is completely happy on the walk, unless its raining, so I don't fully understand this. However I attribute it to her associating walks with discomfort. 

She had been walked on a harness from puppyhood, when she wouldn't budge at all and I felt awful dragging her by her neck. I really struggled to find a harness that fit well, they all seemed to rub her in some way or another. I went through about 10 harnesses in the space of a year before giving up and walking her on her collar. (She is a Dachshund and there are positives and negatives to both harnesses and collar walking- I was confused).

Despite not being walked on a harness for a good 6 months, she still exhibits this behaviour. I am inclined to think that it was her associating walks with the discomfort of the harness rubbing that just hasn't worn off yet. Fingers crossed it will at some point!

Has anything changed that might make yours associate walks with something negative? Even with the harness on Betty seemed to enjoy her walks- it seemed that the joy of the walk outweighed the discomfort, but the impending walk was marred by memories of discomfort....if that makes any sense!?


----------



## SeeBread (Aug 28, 2013)

Strawberryearth said:


> Has anything changed that might make yours associate walks with something negative? Even with the harness on Betty seemed to enjoy her walks- it seemed that the joy of the walk outweighed the discomfort, but the impending walk was marred by memories of discomfort....if that makes any sense!?


Interesting theory, but nothing that I can think of. Our family has taken her for many hundreds of happy long walks. Every one she seems to have enjoyed. As a collie she is naturally active and I can't think of any reason she wouldn't want to go...unless, of course, she is thinking we're taking her somewhere else (vet?).


----------



## Hopeattheendofthetunnel (Jun 26, 2013)

SeeBread said:


> Interesting theory, but nothing that I can think of. Our family has taken her for many hundreds of happy long walks. Every one she seems to have enjoyed. As a collie she is naturally active and I can't think of any reason she wouldn't want to go...unless, of course, she is thinking we're taking her somewhere else (vet?).


It could be a gazillion things.

From a new doormat, her hurting her paw stepping on the threshold, a car loudly backfiring just as you opened the door to set off....the possibilities are endless.

I presume you have ruled out the most obvious possibilities such as a new leash, collar, harness? Or adding a jingelling tag to her collar or leash?

The only other thing I can think of off the cuff....did you have an incident where she mistakenly thought she could come along for a walk, she was bouncing around, and she was firmly told to go to her bed instead? Doing this could yield this kind of behaviour from a sensitive dog.


----------



## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

SeeBread said:


> Having been an owner of a dog and around dogs for quite some time now this is one of the strangest bits of behaviour I've ever seen, and I was wondering if anyone could explain it.
> 
> My dog absolutely loves walks. She adores them, and will happily go on for as long as her paws will carry her. This strange behaviour started fairly recently, but at the moment, as soon as someone gets a lead, poo bags, and looks like they're going to go outside, she'll take herself off to a corner and refuse to move at all.
> 
> ...


Most logical explanation is somethings happened at some point between the door and the front garden and the house side of the gate. 
Something negative experience wise or somethings frightened or spooked her.
Dogs learn by association and can watch and pick up on cues too. So the lead poo bags and other routine things you do mean that shes going out, out means taking a certai route. AS they learn by association and that can go for good as well as bad experiences, they can also associate a point or location with something too good or bad.
Often something will spook a dog, they may startle and carry on and its forgotten don't give it a second thought. Sometimes too though they can be spooked or frightened or have a negative experience and it can become an ongoing association a phobia really.

I notice she is a collie too, from what I have seen and heard of collies from owners they or a lot of them can seem to be ultra sensitive too things, and they can develope what would be OCD in humans or become fixated on things.

As its happened recently and the fact that she looks scared and anxious when she knows inititally that shes going out, some negative experience or something that's spooked her could have happened. It may even be something you haven't noticed or even thought about, a loud noise, bin men that particular day, a peal of thunder anything.

I knew of one collie that started to get aggressive, and nipped owners and would go out but wouldn't come back in the house, and when asked it was finally realised the owner was having a kitchen refit, which was where the collie slept. The building works and the fact it couldn't sleep where it was used too and people in the house was enough to stress it out and become reactive, and once out it didn't want to go back in again. The owner was carrying him in as he wouldn't go in otherwise.

Its possible that once you have got her past the gate or along the road a bit, the area of concern has passed and she is happy again as the association is with that first intitial door and front garden.


----------



## Sarah Marshall (Jan 29, 2021)

SeeBread said:


> Having been an owner of a dog and around dogs for quite some time now this is one of the strangest bits of behaviour I've ever seen, and I was wondering if anyone could explain it.
> 
> My dog absolutely loves walks. She adores them, and will happily go on for as long as her paws will carry her. This strange behaviour started fairly recently, but at the moment, as soon as someone gets a lead, poo bags, and looks like they're going to go outside, she'll take herself off to a corner and refuse to move at all.
> 
> ...


----------



## Sarah Marshall (Jan 29, 2021)

I have the same issue recently with my cross collie pointer. He is very sensive to loud noises which has got worse since the first lockdown even though we still went out everyday. Any suggestions as to how to help with this would be very much appreciated sometimes i can't even bribe him .


----------

