The Dog Charmer by Tom Shelby

Why Won’t Lara Go Through the Doorway?

Dear Dog Charmer Tom,

Our 2-year-old Dalmatian, named Lara, suddenly developed a crazy fear of going out the door to our two-acre fenced yard. And it’s not the yard; she’ll enter at either of the two other ways of getting into the yard and have a great time, but will not pass through the doorway from the game room. We’ve tried using dog treats, and her response? No way! Any helpful suggestions will be appreciated, or is she just starting to lose her mind?

Jane and Jim

Dear J&J, 

The first thing to realize is that Lara’s not losing her mind. I’ve encountered this type of sudden behavior several times over the years. The likelihood is, unbeknownst to you, something scared the heck out of her just as she was about to go through that door. It could have been a thunderclap, just as she was about to cross the threshold, a car backfiring, a bee sting, a cruciate ligament rupture…We’ll never know.

Not being an “all rewards” trainer, this is what I did, with total success in about five minutes every single time. First thing, dog treats ratchet up to chicken (or something comparable). Then, with the chicken in front of Lara’s nose, I’d try to lure her across the threshold. If she won’t move forward for the chicken, I’d quickly drag her butt out the door and then give her the meat. No muss, no fuss. Then we’d step back in the house and do it again, and again, and within a few exitings there should be no need to drag her. Lesson learned. “Stepping through here doesn’t hurt!”

I’m reminded of a single lesson I had with Chris Rock and his wife. They had an invisible fence installed in their yard and their Yorky all of a sudden refused to leave the stoop to enter the yard; just refused to go out. I explained that the dog was poorly trained to the invisible fence. She didn’t relate the startlement or pain of the invisible fence to the border she was to respect, but rather to the whole back yard.

The Yorky being a very sensitive girl, I told the Rocks to get rid of the invisible fence and install a physical fence. In the meantime, I gently pulled her off the stoop several times to get her piece of chicken until she happily left the stoop, going further and further into the yard for her reward. Then I told Chris I’d lend him the money if he couldn’t afford a new fence, and he asked me what the interest charge would be, and we had a few laughs together.

My response to this type of thing? Not a lot of time spent cajoling. Make it happen—no muss, no fuss.

Dog Charmer Tom

Tom Shelby, “The Dog Charmer” Cooperstown author, answers pet owners’ questions on training their dogs. E-mail questions to dogsrshelby@msn.com. Tom’s book, “Dog Training Diaries,” was judged one of the three best training books by Dog Writer’s Association of America. Look for his new book, “Dog Training: It Ain’t an Accountant’s Job.”