Fear of Back Yard

[Cass C]

I have recently started renovating my backyard, as until this point it has been a giant cheat grass mess. We removed all the cheat grass and have just finished up running sprinklers, and we will be laying sod next weekend. I'm sure all the loud noises and changes in the yard is causing this problem.

 

The problem I'm having is since the work on the backyard started Lily is terrified of the back yard. When I take try to take her out to potty she pees on the floor as soon as she is near the back door. If I forget to close my bedroom door she will sneak in to poop in there. We are back to potty training 101, but I cannot get her to potty in the back yard and even if I take her into the front yard to pee she refuses to poop out there...

 

I know how to re potty train her, So my question is what do you think the best way to desensitize her to the back yard again?

[GentleLake]

That's a tough one. I think I'd try taking her out the front door, letting her pee with lots of praise and then either go for a walk or a quick ride to somewhere she might feel comfortable enough to poop.

 

In the meantime, I wouldn't even try to take her to the back door until all the work is done and maybe for a little while afterwards to let things get back to normal and see if you can get her out without any pressure to eliminate and let the back yard become a fun place again.

 

I'd also close the bedroom door and either crate her or tether her to you when you can't watch her. As you say, House Training 101 for a while.

 

Good luck.

[CMP]

I agree with Gentle Lake - don't even try it until the backyard is ALL done and you can reintroduce her to it with some positive fanfare and her sense of all being right with the world will return. If it keeps changing every time she gets used to it she might decide to give up getting used to it.

 

Then when you are ready, it will probably be a Horse Whisperer experience - might take a lot of patience. But it will likely all go back to normal once it .... you know ... all goes back to normal.

[Two Labs & Mia]

Hi Cass C, you have probably thought of this, but will mention it just in case. Sounds like a friend's Shepherd last year. He became afraid of the back yard, started going in the house, wouldn't go out with the other dog for nothing, not even to play with toys and accompanied by his owner. Would bolt out front as usual for walks, just wouldn't go outside in his back yard anymore. Fully trained 7 year old dog. Then one day when she was out there with him she started to hear a faint "pop" in the distance. Fireworks. He shot straight for the door and almost clawed it up trying to get in the house. He'd never been afraid of them before, but the problem did start exactly at the time the big profession celebrations happened, then neighborhood kids had the small ones they were setting of daily for weeks after that. I don't know why he'd suddenly become afraid of them, but he sure did. This year was a repeat, she goes out for a quick listen and only takes him when clear. Kept him in an interior room with her during the professional ones with several fans going for white noise and turned up the TV, had a shorter less severe phase this year.

[Cass C]

Thanks guys I have stopped pressuring Lily to go into the back yard and played some fetch with her to get her comfortable enough to poop in the front yard, but as a pleasant surprise I opened the back door after I got home from work, to let Lyka out (who doesn't really care about the commotion in the back yard) and Lily decided to bolt after her. She stuck by Lyka's side, but she hasn't panicked at the back door since that. I will continue letting her go out back only of her own free will, and taking potty breaks in front otherwise.

 

Two labs: I will take your advice to try and cover up the noise in the back yard when we lay the sod. I feel a little bad and wish I could just tell her that we are trying to give her a nice green yard...