Haley Merrill Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 I recently just bought a 7-month old girl and she's absolutely adorable! However, it seems that she's scared of my sliding door/backyard. Whenever I open the door to let her out she refuses to go. I tried calling her over but she just sits down and will not move. I don't want to force her outside since that might traumatize her even more. I've been forced to put her on a leash and take her around the side of the house and pull her through the gate to the backyard. Once she's there she is completely fine. So I'm at a loss here! Also, when I do this and try to call her over so I can let her inside, she won't come. I say her name and she runs in the opposite direction! But any other time, while in my home she comes immediately. I've tried to introduce her to the doggy door, but alas! She is quite afraid of that as well! I'm not sure what to do with her. I'm not home all the time and there won't be anyone to let her outside. So if she refuses to use the doggy door, I'm not sure what I'll have to do! Is this a typical thing for huskies in a new home? Or is it abnormal behavior? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 will she go back IN thru the sliding door?? - they go thru a fear period in between 6 to 14 months so she could be going thru hers now - http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/developmentalstages.html Many dogs will show a rise in their level of aggression (reactivity) during this time. They may become protective and territorial. Incidents of teenage flakiness may recur. In large breeds this period could extend longer since it is tied to sexual maturity. Incidents may occur more than once. Corresponds with growth spurts. Therefore it may happen more than once as the puppy matures. May suddenly be apprehensive about new things or shy or timid of new people or situations. Most of height growing is over, but pup will start to fill out over the coming year. Puppy begins to mature sexually: male begins to lift leg, and female has first heat period anywhere from 6-12 months. Puppy coat being replaced by adult coat, starting down the spine. his is a fear of new situations and are handled with the utmost patience. The dog is encouraged to work it out on his own. If anything, it is better to ignore the whole situation than to reinforce the fear by praising the dog or petting him while he is afraid. When you "reassure" a dog with pets and "it's okay, fella", you are telling him it is okay to be frightened and you are creating a potential problem. If your puppy appears apprehensive, avoid confrontation. Build confidence through training. Avoid any potentially overwhelming circumstances you cannot personally oversee, such as shipping your pup in the cargo bay of an airplane. hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangled-musher Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 did you get her as a rescue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebe03 Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 Can you confirm what you've tried to get her to use the sliding door or doggy door? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haley Merrill Posted June 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 -No, I actually received her from a family friend, who I know very well. -With the sliding door, I opened the door and called her over. She just stood about 1 foot away from the door and didn't move. So I tried using a treat and walked out back, but she didn't come either! Then I was playing with her and took her ball with me outside saying "Come get the ball!" But, as usual, she immediately stopped. With the doggy door, I showed it to her. And she seemed wary of it. So I tossed her toy through it while she was watching. I sat her down in front of the door and said "Go outside!" since she'd been whining to go to the bathroom. I nudged her toward it and she freaked and ran off. I've tried several times, but I'm not sure what to do without actually forcing her through the doogy door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 does ur family friend have sliding doors? if so how did she react with them? do you know - or can u find out - if she had any bad experiences with these doors ? - it might just be the noise the doors make when sliding open that scares her - have u tried leaving the doors open n just leave her to it to see if she investigates them? it might be that its just something new that shes not used to - even now my male who is nearly 3 is abit cautious and weary of new things he hasnt seen before untill he investigates them at his own time and pace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haley Merrill Posted June 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 Yes, they had a sliding door and she was absolutely fine! I have left it open to see if she'd go out at her own pace. But my attempt failed since I did this for hours and she wouldn't even approach the door. I thought maybe it was the noise the door makes but even left open she didn't go near it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangled-musher Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 could have been a bad experience with doors in the past. also coming to a new pack, new surroundings is often very unsettling, they, being very pack orientated dogs, cannot understand why their pack has kicked them out. just be patient, take your time, dont force or get stressed and annoyed and work through it. try leaving the door open fully and seeing if she will eventualy go through on her own accord. remember to praise her when she goes through or even near it so she learns its not a bad thing to be scared of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 hmm strange - how long have u had her? when u picked her up did she leave from the sliding door? just trying to work out why she might not like them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangled-musher Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 you beat me to my post. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebe03 Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 I would try leaving the sliding doors fully open and just go about your normal routine. If you go outside several times during the day this should let her know that they're safe to use and that it's ok to go outside. If you give her time to investigate the sliding doors she will eventually ignore them and join you when your outside in the garden. It may take sometime for her to be comfortable to use the doors but she should get there. It would be good to know if she had any similar issues with her previous owners Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahursty Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 Could it be something on the other side of the door that is startling her.!! Can she maybe see something that you've not noticed.. Crouch down beside her and take a good look from her height.. Might not even be the door in itself.... Have you a friend that she could have round to play let them play around inside for about 20 mins and then leave the doors open and let the other dog lead her out in excitement that also may help.!!! Good look :-) X Angie & Rico X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haley Merrill Posted June 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 -Thanks for all the helpful tips! I really appreciate it! -I've had her for about a week now and I even saw in her old home that she was totally fine with the sliding door! -I also thought that it might possibly be something on the other side, but when I take her through the front to the back, she's completely fine! It's the strangest thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj lastimosa Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 I experienced this for a month or two upon having Jacob in my home, it's normal you just have to show them that they don't have to fear and give them time to familiarize the place, she'll be comfortable with you soon you just have to be patient it's important to give them more attention, love and care; since she's quite big already when you got her try to make a special bond between the two of you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirbysowner Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 siberians have a horrible time coming to you, specially when you first adopt them, so dont worry about her not coming out when you call her. try playing with her next to the door, try feeding her treats and stuff and let her inspect the area at her own accord. try leaving the door open and see if she ever goes out by herself. if you stand there and continuously call her and make noises can sometimes tell her that it is your area, your claiming it and she wont come since she doesnt see the house as "her" house, let alone the backyard. after a certain point if nothing works you are just going to have to push her through. and show her that there is nothing to fear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin Phil Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 Adak has a similar phobia. He will not and has never gone down the stairs in the house. He never had any problem with the back deck stairs so we know it's not the stairs themselves that freaks him out. In two years of having him, the furthest down the stairs toward the front door he's been is to have his front feet down on the first step. Similarly, if I took him out for a walk through the back gate and tried to return through the front door, he'd freak out. Eventually we decided (for us) this is a good thing. I never have to worry about someone opening the front door and having Adak bolt through it. So we stopped trying to fix this a long time ago. Your circumstance is different however. But I know how my dog would react even now if I tried to force him down the stairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahNukka&Shadow Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 Sorry to just contradict everything thats just been said about softly and gentley etc.. but personally whenever my girl gets nervy about something I go up to it first to show her Im not scared and then make her do it to, she works out that actually its not scary and we get on with it... has worked for me on numberous occations when I didnt have time to be softly softly about it! But failing that if you want to try being soft I would recomend getting a mates dog round and getting them to go through the pet door.. always works best with a member of their own species demonstrating.. thats how my two worked out my friends pet door. We went round there and hers all dashed through so my two went after them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arooroomom Posted June 15, 2011 Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 What would happen if you dragged your dog through the door? Panic? Freak out? Put the breaks on? Or just skitter through the threshold as fast as possible? Cheyenne has this ridiculous fear of vacuums. And it doesn't even have to be on for her to panic. She will do anything/everything in her power to be as far away from them as possible. There's a "game" called the 'Look at that' game which can really be used for all sorts of things. You want to get the dog close enough to the sliding door so that they know how close they are, but not quite yet at the point where they panic or start to pull away. mark and reward for every glance at the door. Slowly begin to get closer to the door. You can also repeat this exercise with someone opening and closing the sliding door. It takes time, but this is what we had to do with Cheyenne. She still doesn't love the vacuum, but she also doesn't have a heart attack and practically trip over her own feet trying to get away from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahny Posted June 16, 2011 Report Share Posted June 16, 2011 As cravy as it sounds, have you tried petting the door which your husky watching?yes crazy I know, but it a human signal dogs seem to understand. You can also try touching both the door and your dog at the same time. Have you also tried being outside with her favorite toy, maybe some treats and leaving the door open? this can take a few hours, but it helps. As stupid as it sounds, its how I got Blue to adjust to his crate. I sat in it for a couple hours. Now he loves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules dief taz tor Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 my dog taz does the same thing with the automatic doors at our pets at home, he did it from our very first visit, shys away, pulls backwards etc. i just drag him in, the othert wo dogs go through no problem. so now taz doesnt get time to think or react , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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