Hi I have a black lab shes awesome, loves to be with me, will do almost anything to please me, and such. However there is this one thing and I hope im not nit picking but sometimes she refuses to go through door ways she'll go half way in then freak out spin around and run off. The wierd thing is she'll only do sometimes and only at my house. i've tried so many things to try and make her feel more comfortable but its not working and now she's even afraid to go through spaces narrower than 4 feet. I've been dealing with because this her only problem but iI was wondering if I could do anything to help her?

Hmm... Is this something that has happened suddenly, or has it been going on for a while? Did anything happen that you are aware of that might have spooked your dog? Is it a doorway going into one particular area or is it several? What sort of techniques have you been trying? What happens to your dog before approaches the door way? What do you do immediately after she exhibits this behavior?

I know, lots of questions, but I think it's important in finding out why your dog is reacting this way to get the best resolution.

thats right... is there any particular thing that happen to her?

Probably there's something happened to her that makes her refuse to go through door ways...find the reason and then you will find the solution with it...IMO but I think that's quite hard...

I dont really have any idea as to if something spooked her. I haven't seen anything that could of scared her. This has been going on for roughly 2 years but sometimes she'll go a month in and out of the areas fine and then refuse to be moved past. At first i ignored but as it got worse I would bring her into the worst place and pet her and talk to her, you know make her happy, It worked a little, but not much. Then shed be fine then she'd freak out again.

Could there be anything other than something visual that is causing your dog to be stressed, such as sounds coming from an object, scents from paint or candles, etc.?

It's important to keep in mind that when a dog is stressed, petting and talking to the dog can actually reinforce to the dog that "it's okay for me to be stressed because she's rewarding me by giving me attention". In a lot of cases, it can actually cause the dog to become more stressed as well. As humans, we like to hug and console when people are down or stressed, but in the dog world it's different. Also, forcing her to go into an area she's scared of can become a very tramatic experience for her.

Something you can try is to get her to build a good association with whatever is making her nervous. When she exhibits this behavior, toss a small piece of treat just outside the doorway (not in the room just yet). If she doesn't get close to it, try moving the treat closer to her and figure out what her comfort zone is. She may go to get the treat and back up again, which is okay. Do it several more times. Slowly, you can start to move the treat closer to the doorway, then just inside the doorway, and then inside the room. Make sure you do this incrementally. This exercise will allow her to go into the room on her own AND she'll get a yummy treat. Try to give her a treat that's very high value. Instead of biscuits, try small pieces of hot dogs (the cheapo ones can work great), cooked chicken, or even liverwurst. Dogs LOVE liverwurst!

In the meantime, the next time your dog displays this behavior, take note of anything that might be the slightest bit different - was there previously a visitor in the room that made her feel uncomfortable, did you burn a particular scent of candle, we're you hammering a nail into the wall, etc. Also, when she is going in and out of the room without hesitation, make note of what happens when she leaves the room. Were there any aversive sounds she may have heard, was there an object that she may have stumbled over, etc. Dogs are constantly making good and bad associations with things and unfortunately since they don't speak English, it's up to us to play a sometimes frustrating role of detective.

I wonder if it could it be a ghost? Dogs can see things we cant. Try burning a sage smudge stick and doing a blessing. I know it sounds weird but it might help.

I guess something strange happened to her ...

[lil mutt]

Originally Posted by dogforever

I guess something strange happened to her ...

i guess you are right... something happened to her that made her traumatized with such situations...

Habituation usually doesn't work at this level of fear. You need to Densensitize your dog instead. This is your only hope for rehabilitation.

How much would you say your dog is under constant supervision? If not 100% for all you know she could have cut herself going through a small door way, scratched herself, bumped into something, the doorway lead to a scary place, etc etc the list could go on and on.

It is a down fall that you have no idea as to why she has such fear, but you can still have hope to provide balance.

If you don't feel capable of rehabilitating her please hire a trainer to assist you (that's what we are here for)

Never look, touch, vocalize, or anything when a dog is expressing fear. Ignore and walk away. Don't ever pull a dog through a door. Lure or physically pick the dog up. Pulling is going to regress the behavior.

Tips to begin. Leave treats (and I'm not talking about little dog treats, something wonderful, boiled liver or steak would work) through door ways to have her retreive the food. #1 If she does not retrieve the food her fear level is at the highest and you need to seek professional help #2 If she is willing to reach for the food then PRACTICE PRACTICE.

never heard of this happening before but something must of happen to her that cause her not to like small spaces.

I would lure her through the door with treats until she gets used to going through on her own.