# My 9 month old is afraid of the outside and won't potty train



## Lucy10 (Mar 20, 2011)

I have a 9month old golden that is extremely afraid of the outside. So much that she would rather go potty inside my house than out. We lived in a fenced in backyard but have an alley behind us. Any little noise scares her that she wants to go right back in the house. She always has her tail in between her legs when she is outside and shakes. She will go potty outside but will stop if she hears a noise. My kids have been trying to get her outside more and more lately since the weather is warming up but all she will do is sit by the gate wanting to come in.
Any help would greatly be appreciated!!


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

That is pretty common at that age to have a "fear period". The best thing you can do is to ignore it and not to try to console her. Just go on with what you are doing. You can also show your confidence by having her do basic obedience to take her mind off the scary noises.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

Is this a new behavior or has she always been afraid to go outside. It is not normal for a golden at any age to be afraid of going outside unless something happened to scare her. You need to build up her confidence. 

It sounds like you live in a downtown area in Illinois. I'm in Naperville and would be more than happy to talk to you about what is going on and try and figure out what is going on. I also can provide names of extremely good trainers and behaviorist that can help out. Please send me a PM and I will give you my phone number.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Is this a new behavior? How long have you had this dog? Do you know anything that may have contributed to this? What does your vet say?

With this level of fear or anxiety, a consult with a veterinary behaviorist (Animal Behavior Partners or index.gif ) would likely be a good idea.


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## Lucy10 (Mar 20, 2011)

Lucy has always been shy since the day we got her. The breeder we got her from said she was shy and would need to be around people more...she was raised on a farm. We got Lucy last October and she seemed ok outside, but ever since Winter hit that when it got worse. We literally have to chase the dog around the house to get her leash on to go outside and then we have to drag her out the door and into the backyard.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

Did Lucy go to puppy kindergarten? What type of training has she had? What did the trainers at puppy kindergarten tell you?
I would recommend training classes to build her confidence.
However, you must first have an animal behaviorist evaluate her so that you can handle her on a day to day basis. It was irresponsible for the breeder not to provide more guidance other than she needs to be around people. She needs more than the normal socialization. This behavior is far from the standard.

I live in Illinois and know of two animal behaviorist and trainers who can evaluate her. Do you live in Northern Illinois?


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

Another thing I wanted to add.

Contact your breeder and talk to her/him about the behavior. They should know what you are dealing with. Ask if others in the litter are exhibiting the same behavior.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Due to how long this has been going nad the extent, contact one of the facilities I mentioned in my above post. Both have a board certified veterinary behaviorist on staff, this means the vet specializes in behavior and has had extra education specifically for behavior.

The sooner you contact someone, the better your chances for a good outcome. It's not fair for your dog to spend so much time stressed and afraid, and that constant high level stress can increase the probability for some types of health problems. NOT doing anything is not an appropriate way to help your dog.

Thanks for learning how to best help her.


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

I thnk the first thing you need todo is stop chasing her around to take her outsie. This would only cause more stress I would think. I would get some great smelling treats that she only gets when you take her outside. cal her to you with have the treats where she can see and smell them. Then hook her leash up to her collar offer her treats and lots of praise. really lots of praise. Then head outside. Does she have a favorite toy? if she does try to get her to play once she grabs the toy offer a treat and praise. I have worked with many shy dogs and I have only had one not come around to this type of training.


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