Dog refuses to leave apartment

[kishka]

Hi. I live in NYC with my wife, son, and two great labs- one male 9yrs, one female 7yrs. The two dogs get along great, love my son, and are generrally a true joy.

However, My female dog has in the past month exhibited a disturbing behavior:

She refuses to leave our apartment building.

At first she insisted on running into the street do her necessities and run back in. Now I have to pull her out of the elevator. When We make it outside she takes care of her necessities and then , with the strengh of Samson, pulls back in.

Nothing to my untrained eye has happened outside that scared her. A vet suggested giving her bufferin for possible arthritis, but that hasn't helped. She use to love a leisurely walk in our neighborhood park, and I can't understand this behavior. Two facts that may be helpful: she was trained to be a guiding eye dog, but "was afraid of opening umbrellas", and I walk the dogs (for years now) with a two leash prong. She's alwaysbeen a bit high-strung but nothing like this.

I am at wits end, please help!!!

[Karen]

Okay, she's obviously been spooked, and you're going to have some work convincing her that the outdoors is an okay place again. You need to redo some training with her, to have her focus on you. Can you take her out by herself, not with the other dog, so you can focus on redirecting her focus to you?

[kishka]

Karen,

Thanks so much for your advice. Just to clarify: by exercise do you mean the basics (stay, down, come etc)?

[Karen]

Yes, work on reinforcing those commands, so she knows to focus on you, not her surroundings. If she starts to pull, interrupt her with a command (maybe sit) and a quick, sharp tug on the leash, and refuse to move until she is looking at you, and not pulling. Then you can go forward a few steps, but as soon as she starts pulling, repeat. You may feel silly doing this, but the people you care about, other animal folks, will recognize that you're training, so don't worry.

At another job, the boss' dog would literally choke himself pulling to get back to the office (because he got a treat when he got inside). He was a little dog, so my arm stayed in its socket, but I was worried he was hurting himself. So we got to the point where I'd have to say "heel," every three feet, (he knew heel better than sit), and then every 6 feet and so on, until I just had to remind him maybe once a block.

[elizabethann]

Do you live in a walk-up or do you have an elevator?

If it's a walk-up, perhaps your dog is hurting everytime it walks up & down the stairs? If it's an elevator, could your dog be afraid of it all of a sudden?

[bckrazy]

I would definitely see a behaviorist, as that is VERY troubling. Especially considering she is an active breed, and has no business living her life in an apartment.

[IloveMyDogs900]

[FONT=Century Gothic] Ok just talk really easy! Let losse explain to him that its time try hard tell him he will meeeet new doggss OKay Good luck!!![/FONT]