Peculiar fears in new dogs:
Imagine you bring your new dog into your home. It is perfect in every way, except he refuses to go through your front door. And, when he finally does, he bolts through it as if you’re chasing it. Oh no, your dog is broken! It has a phobia of...doors?!
Imagine you bring your new dog into your home. It is perfect in every way, except he refuses to go through your front door. And, when he finally does, he bolts through it as if you’re chasing it. Oh no, your dog is broken! It has a phobia of...doors?!
Ok, but why doors?
To most dogs, doors mean
home, safety and warmth. Unfortunately, once lost that very understanding causes them to approach as many doors as possible looking for the "right" one to come back to the life they knew. However, people behind those other “wrong” doors are not always dog lovers or understand what's happening, so they shoo and scare those dogs away from their property, in some cases, by all means necessary. As a consequence, your dog develops a deep-seated distrust of...doors.
To most dogs, doors mean
home, safety and warmth. Unfortunately, once lost that very understanding causes them to approach as many doors as possible looking for the "right" one to come back to the life they knew. However, people behind those other “wrong” doors are not always dog lovers or understand what's happening, so they shoo and scare those dogs away from their property, in some cases, by all means necessary. As a consequence, your dog develops a deep-seated distrust of...doors.
Is this behavior here to stay?
Not if you undo the association. Here is how. In your dog’s mind doors are not created equal, with front doors being the worst "offenders". Knowing that start rewarding your dog for walking through any door as if they accomplished the impossible feat. Praise and play with him to break his old expectation and establish a new and much more positive one. If you have another dog in your house/neighborhood, start rewarding that one for walking through doors as well, while yours looks on. This works 100% of the time, since no dog will refuse FREE biscuits for what it does anyway. My dachshunds even figured out how to take turns walking through doors, while the fearful foster looked on. Dogs peer pressure plus love of yummy food will retrain your dog’s thinking in no time. Just make sure you get plenty of his favorite treats!
Not if you undo the association. Here is how. In your dog’s mind doors are not created equal, with front doors being the worst "offenders". Knowing that start rewarding your dog for walking through any door as if they accomplished the impossible feat. Praise and play with him to break his old expectation and establish a new and much more positive one. If you have another dog in your house/neighborhood, start rewarding that one for walking through doors as well, while yours looks on. This works 100% of the time, since no dog will refuse FREE biscuits for what it does anyway. My dachshunds even figured out how to take turns walking through doors, while the fearful foster looked on. Dogs peer pressure plus love of yummy food will retrain your dog’s thinking in no time. Just make sure you get plenty of his favorite treats!
