# dog will not go into garden. Ideas please.



## Llewellyn (17 January 2011)

Dog will not go into the garden out of the back door. She has never been shut out, it's not the scent of foxes as she has no problem in mums garden. It is lit by solar lights. Poos are picked up everyday so its not dirty. No bad experiences ot there. Even if the whole family are out there she won't join us. She won't go out for toys or food. She will only go out in deep snow or if the rabbit has been out she will follow the scent on the patio but not on the grass. She walks fine grass, mud and will do her business on any surface. I take her out several times a day to do her business but need her to start using the garden because husband is about to start nights and I can't get baby out of bed to go for a walk at midnight for a last wee.
She will hold it in for 20 hours always having the option to go out the back.
We can lead her out there but she has a melt down lies on her back and def won't do anything.
Ideas please. Ask away if I've not covered something.


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## bex1984 (17 January 2011)

Will she go to the toilet on a verbal command? My doglet dislikes going out for his late night wee if it's cold/raining/he's too tired, but when he tries to come back in I just tell him to go to the toilet, he dutifully does it, and then gets to come back in. It might not be really getting her to go out and enjoy the garden, but maybe a means to an end...


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## Brownmare (17 January 2011)

Sounds odd. Might be worth asking your neighbours - we once found out our neighbours had been spraying mum's cat with the hose pipe to keep her away from their bird table only after months of worrying why she was refusing to go outside and becoming shy of people 

Also worth asking if they are using one of those sonic mouse / rat / mole / cat repellers which could definitely be upsetting any nearby dog


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## nikicb (17 January 2011)

Ok, I am a relatively new dog owner so not really experienced with possible behaviour issues, but is it something to do with the surface of the path/back door step, maybe she's slipped on it and is worried about that happening again?  Ditto the possibility of one of those sonic repellers (sp?) or even a chemical that may be put down in neighbouring gardens.

Or, if you believe this sort of thing, maybe the garden has some kind of aura (is that the right word?) that she doesn't like.  When we took our puppy to dog training she wouldn't go past a certain area in the hall.  Wouldn't even be dragged there (not that I would have literally done that, but you know what I mean - she just dug her feet in and wouldn't move).  Would walk along, then loop around the area, then back to the original path.  I thought she was being naughty, but the trainer (who wasn't totally convinced about the supernatural kind of things) told me that a lot of dogs just wouldn't go in this area.  She said that if she hadn't seen dog after dog avoiding the area then she wouldn't have believed it, but there was definitely something they didn't like.

Maybe you could see if a friend's dog will go out there, just to see whether it's her or something else you need to look for.


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## spaniel (17 January 2011)

Do you have drains that run under the patio?  It may be that she can hear water running through them,  I had a horse who had a problem with this!  Could it be ants.....I know Im clutching at straws but a) ant nests stink and b) the little devils nip hard!  

Other than that Im stumped but as others have said it could be a sonic repeller.  We have one for rats but you can definitely hear that,  it may be that you have a neighbour with one set up to deter foxes and cats and they ARE inaudible to human ears.


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## Brownmare (17 January 2011)

spaniel said:



			Could it be ants.....I know Im clutching at straws but a) ant nests stink and b) the little devils nip hard!
		
Click to expand...

Weirdly, my whippet loves rolling in ants nests


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## jendie (17 January 2011)

Sonic devices can def upset dogs.

I would take her into the garden and stay there with her. Try to get her to play games or do some simple obedience work, being very generous with the treats. Something is obviously upsetting her and you need to desensify her so that she feels at ease in the area. If she enjoys the company of other dogs it might be an idea to invite one over to play with her in the garden. \ Good luck!!


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## littlemisslauren (17 January 2011)

Is she small enough to carry outside and then plonk her in the middle of the garden on a longline?? Giving treats for any calm behaviour outside and ignoring the dramatics?

Just an idea


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## Llewellyn (17 January 2011)

Quick reply as dinner is on. 
Thank you so much for all your ideas.
The staffy two doors down will go in her garden happily and Humpy our friends dof has no problems in our garden. We have carried her into the garden getting weed on (see earlier posts on submission weeing )
She runs back to the back door same with long line she sits as close to the back door as possible. Tried playing, treats, we even spent the day doing gardening and she just sat by the back door wanting to go in. Got her a coat incase she was getting cold. Tried feeding her outside and she drags it back into the kitchen.
She has 'twinkle time' at mums she will run out and do her business but here means nothing to her.

Will do an ant search tomorrow don't think we have water running underneath the patio. Our neighbours are a lovely old couple who always give her a cuddle and nobody next door otherside.
She is fine with the house 'presence' just doesn't sit in 'his' chair (not mad I promise we seriously have a ghost).

Will keep thinking unless the rabbit is giving veiled threats from her cage oppersite the back door. 

Thank you again


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## Sunny08 (17 January 2011)

I sympathise with you completely, I have a 4 1/2 yr old beagle who refuses to go out in the back garden as well, problem started suddenly at end of summer. I can only guess but I think he may have been scared by something (and knowing my dog it could have been anything!!) and thats that, like yours he won't go to toilet out there, won't even leave the garden step! 
The only way i have improved the situation is to not make a fuss, I will take him out for his walks twice a day and go out in the garden to do things, he can come if he wants or stay inside, basically we have ignored the dramatics and not forced him. He will now run across the garden to the garage if my husband is in there so I hope in summer that when we have dinner oiut there etc he will join us.


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## CAYLA (17 January 2011)

Can u get into the garden any other way than through the back door? i.e do you have a back entrance?
It may be worth starting to walk her this way, by putting her collar and lead on and walking round to the back/side entrance of the garden (before OH's night shift starts),walk on through it ,no fuss just walk her straight back into the house and treat her once back inside the house.


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## Ruth_Cymru (18 January 2011)

My dog sometimes has garden issues and is very reluctant to go out, usually at night and if it's wet/cold.  But he only does it with my partner, and the only explanation I can see is that when I say 'wee wee times' I mean it, no fuss or cajoling- I just expect him to go outside, do his stuff then come back in in a couple of minutes when I open the door.  OH isn't as strict with him (not that I beat my dog with a stick or anything!)  and panders to him a bit more, he'll go and stand outside the back door with him talking to him, he also gets a bit stressed with the dog, which to me just confirms in my dog's mind that there is something to worry about when going out to the garden.  

I guess what I'm trying to say is perhaps try getting your dog in to a routine of verbal command to toilet, take dog calmly to garden, close house door for a minute or so (making sure you move away from the door area), then dog comes back in to house.  I have no idea whether it would work for your dog, or whether this is the issue for your dog, I just know that it works for mine.  Good luck!


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## Goya (18 January 2011)

"She is fine with the house 'presence' just doesn't sit in 'his' chair (not mad I promise we seriously have a ghost)."

Silly as it may seem, this could be an answer. If she senses your ghost there may be some significance with the presence and the back garden.
Not very helpful but does seem strange and dogs are really sensitive to this kind of thing.


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