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Coaxing a Timid [Outdoor] Dog to Come Inside


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Any suggestions on how to get a very timid, people shy Border Collie (freshly out of a shelter after 4 weeks of captivity) to come inside the house?

 

One of our foster families pulled a little BC from a shelter today and she is extremely timid and shy around people. She has been having a lot of fun playing with foster family dog and is not at all eager to come back inside the house. She is thin-furred, dry brittle coat and skinny, so her foster mom is not wanting to leave her outside -- it's supposed to be down around 19 degrees tonight. She has put the large crate out on the porch with a nice dog bed and blanket in it and left the door open for now.

 

The little BC is an owner surrendered, working dog with papers who lived on a rural ranch, so may have not been inside a house much.

 

I had the foster mom try yummy treats in the crate, sitting on ground with a fun toy and yummy treats, kneeling (so as not to hover) and gently calling her name, etc., but so far no luck.

 

Anybody out there with some bright ideas I might forward on?

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Can the foster mom get her hands on the dog at all? If so I would suggest a drag line (something light like parachute cord). Then she can catch the dog as needed and bring her in. If the doggy playmate goes in the house and the foster can take hold of the drag line, she can encourage the rescue to follow.

 

J.

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Nope. Unfortunately, we didn't know much about the dog when the foster mom picked her up and now, in retrospect, we've figured out she may not have spent much time inside a house.

 

We were kicking ourselves because we didn't think about leaving the leash or dragline on when she went out in the back yard (which is pretty large) earlier.

 

The yard is pretty well fenced and secure, so the dog will probably be fine, but it's kind of stressing out the foster mom as this is her first foster dog.

 

I have suggested she (the foster mom) put on a warm coat and sit outside for a while, gently coaxing the dog (whose name is Meg) to come closer. She is going to try sitting on the steps (lower than the dog) and gently calling her and praising her to see if she can get her close enough to grab her collar.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, Julie! We appreciate your expertise.

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Believe it or not I acutally herd dogs like that inside. I alllow them to run but, keep pushing them towards the open door and they will most likely go inside to escape me and the pressue i"m exerting. The sitting down will work with a previously socialized dog who is in overload so I hope that was the case for your foster.

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Well, the foster mom tells me that around 11:30 p.m. the dog went into the kennel and settled in for the night. The 20 yr. old son quickly went outside and closed the crate door and carried it into the kitchen, where the little BC spent a nice warm night.

 

Today, the dog is currently on a dragline in the backyard (which is around 3/4 of an acre, but completely fenced), but has been spending most of her time resting inside the crate with the door open (she was not crate trained, but is discovering it is a nice "safe" spot). Julie and Sheryl, thanks for your advice and we'll see how things go.

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Well, the foster mom tells me that around 11:30 p.m. the dog went into the kennel and settled in for the night. The 20 yr. old son quickly went outside and closed the crate door and carried it into the kitchen, where the little BC spent a nice warm night.

 

Today, the dog is currently on a dragline in the backyard (which is around 3/4 of an acre, but completely fenced), but has been spending most of her time resting inside the crate with the door open (she was not crate trained, but is discovering it is a nice "safe" spot). Julie and Sheryl, thanks for your advice and we'll see how things go.

 

I was watching this to see how things unfolded and am really glad to hear that she was miraculously transported inside for the night :D .

With that kind family looking after her, I'm sure she'll start to come around quickly. What a sweetheart she must be.

Any pics? :rolleyes:

Ailsa

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My first BC, years ago, was a 5 yo rescue from a shelter, she seemed very sweet at the shelter and during the ride. But when I got home with her she would'nt let me near her and got very agressive. She refused to let me touch her, crawled into the back of my Jeep, cornered herself up and growled. Out of frustration I just opened the tailgate and went in the house and she finally hopped out but refused to let me near her.

 

She was very thin and undernourished so I knew she was hungry... I opened a can of food and left spoonfuls on the ground leading into my basement, hid behind the door and waited. she fell for it hook, line & sinker and walked right in eating the little bits of food as she came. As soon as she cleared the door I closed it and just left her alone for a couple of hours and she eventually came around. LOL, pretty funny now when I look back on it...

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