BC...house dog?

[Shadow'sKeeper]

hey everyone,new to the boards.....Shadow our new BC pup(8 weeks old)has been doing well in his training but the problem i'm having is he has a tendency to like the indoors alot more than out....I GO OUT EVERY MORNING WITH HIM and give him some exercise,but as soon as i turn my head,he is running up the stairs to the door....I even went so far as to block off the stairs,but he just sits there and sulks,he even managed to jump over it today...wow!....I need help?...thanx everyone.

[Carson Crazies]

My dogs live inside the house. Most dogs prefer to be with their humans, and an eight week old puppy is WAY to young to be unsupervised, and WAY too young to be outside alone. Bring your puppy inside - problem solved.

[smileyzookie]

BC's (and most dogs I think) desire to be with their pack. I would not put my BC outside, I think she'd go insane. Especially at 8 weeks old, too young to be left. Is there a reason that you dont like him in the house? Is it possible that you could allow him into the house and let him be a house dog? I just really fear for this poor little puppy being alone.

[bailey44]

I guess I'm not understanding, are you outside with the puppy when he tries to get back in, or are you leaving him outside by himself?

[Shadow'sKeeper]

i guess i should of explained myself better......ummm no,i would never leave Shadow outside by himself...geez i know better than that....Shadow is like one of my kids ...now that we got that out of the way....what i meant is that when I'M OUTSIDE WITH HIM playing.....first chance he gets,he makes a beeline for the door...thanx....BTW...Shadow is never alone,i take him everywhere i go.

[HCBell]

It may have a lot to do with the heat right now, well at least here in Texas it is, my dog loves to be out in the spring, fall and winter.

 

Is the door shut, where all Shadow can do is sit and wait for you? I would try ignoring the behavior. Do be quick to open the door right away, are there any favorite toys or activities of his, that you can interest him in outdoors?

 

Hope others have more ideas for you.

[juliepoudrier]

8 weeks old is a fear period. Is it possible something (anything) is scaring him and making him want to go to a safe place (the house)? If you're reacting badly when he does it, then that could be reinforcing the idea that he needs to be afraid and find a safe place to hide. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it for the time being. You could put him on a drag line (light clothesline or parachute cord, 10-20 feet long, with knots for stepping on hooked to his collar with a regular swivel snap) and work on his recall whenever he runs for the house. That is, when he turns to run for the house, you call him, he keeps going, you step on lead and reel him in and then praise (or treat if he's food motivated) him like the dickens for "coming" to you. Just the consistency of that sort of training might get him through this phase, whatever the reason for it, not to mention the fun party aspect of all that praise for coming when called (even if it's not completely voluntary).... Just an idea.

 

Note: All the praise should be timed so that he associates it with responding correctly to your command, such as the recall. Even if you think his behavior might be fear motivated, do not try to make him feel better by telling him what a good dog he is or that he's okay or the like. That just reinforces--with praise--the fear reaction, or if not fear, the behavior of running to the door. By giving him something to do, like coming to you, when he's trying to run away, when you praise him, he perceives the praise as a reward for doing as you asked and not as a reward for the fearful/bad behavior in the first place.

 

The nice thing about this tactic is that no matter what is motivating him to run to the house, you can use it as a training session and prevent the mad dash to the house at the same time.

 

My two cents....

 

J.

[painted_ponies]

He may just be feeling a little insecure right now. How long have you had him? I'm guessing not very long, given he's only eight weeks old. He's awfully small, and the outdoors is awfully big, with lots of room for puppy-eating tigers in it.

 

I'd just ignore it - take him out for potty breaks and other than that let him go inside when he asks. I bet if you don't make an issue of it, he'll feel braver soon (once he gets to know what a great mom you are). Then you'll be wanting to know what to do to keep him from bugging you to go out all the time.

[Beth G]

Most likely it will get better. My male was just like that from 6-12 weeks. He jumped at every little noise. Scared of cars started, geese honking, people running...you name it.

 

He is now 7 mos. And I can't keep him IN! Lol...he always wants to go out and play ball. I think he is addicted...but don't tell him that.

[kajarrel]

I agree with painted ponies but would add that you could try to make being outside "wonderful" (what ever that means for your pup). Also, if I recall correctly, my dogs, when they were puppies, would do this but the behavior would go away the further we got from the house (when they'd want to come to me). FWIW, all of my dogs LOVE outside activities so I wouldn't start worrying about your's at this point.

 

Kim

[painted_ponies]

Originally posted by kajarrel:

FWIW, all of my dogs LOVE outside activities so I wouldn't start worrying about your's at this point.

I sure hope he grows out of it - think what a mess all the sheep will make if they have to stay in the house, too.

[BustopherJones]

Annie loves to play "out-ball" (an inflated ball thrown with a lacrosse stick in the backyard). But when she has had enough, it is time to go inside, and she heads for the back door and stands there until she is let in. Except for these play periods and her walks, she is an indoor dog, and seems to like it that way. No matter what we have been doing, when it is over, she heads for the house. She knows that this is the place where food, safety, and love are available. (And in Northern Ontario, it probably also means warmth...)

[bailey44]

If you have the time and the weather is o.k. I think I would, well, hang out by the back door!! Set up a chair, interact with him, play or whatever...then stand up after a while and walk away from the door. He will most likely follow you. Gradually increase the space between you and the door, continue to play and let him explore--the idea is that he starts seeing this area as an extension of your "den" and not a big scary place. When Polly was very small, we traveled in our motor home and each new place was sometimes intimidating to her. But as soon as we set up our chairs right outside the camper door and started doing everyday things, she would calm down. And Beth is right, Polly is now 6 months old and my most recent challenge with her is that I can't get her to quit playing and come to me!! Congrats on your new pup!! Charlene

[bailey44]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I would only do this if he seems to have the "going outside to potty" thing down pretty well. Otherwise, if you're outside too long with him, he may backslide on that! Charlene

[Shadow'sKeeper]

thanx everyone for their great ideas ....this is the youngest puppy we've had so i'll need all the help i can get lol....the retrievers we've had in the past were a little older when we adopted them and took to the outdoors pretty much right away so thanx for setting me straight....Shadow's breeder told us people with BC'S, never wish to own another breed and i have to agree....i'm loving every minute with Shadow...and he is the cutest little furball lol .

[smileyzookie]

aw cutie!!!!! What a little sweetie... Im so jealous lol

[Dixie_Girl]

I see from the pics your pup was born and raised outside. Looks like on a farm. My Skip was too(he just turned 3mos.)and when we first brought him home, he did not like going outside. I thought well that's weird! But thinking about it, the outdoors, as he knew it, is very different! Different sights, smells, sounds, etc.. Thankfully, my other dogs helped him feel comfortable outside right away. So, along with others, I wouldn't push it right now. He's so dinky right now, he can get plenty of excercise inside at this point, so I wouldn't worry. Just wait till the winter comes and brings the mud! You'll be writing wanting to know, How the sam hill do you get these guys to stay indoors?!

 

Welcome to the boards and good luck with Shadow! He's a cutie! Lots of great folks here with good advice!

[Allie+Tess&Kipp]

What a cute pup!!

 

Allie + Tess & Kipp

http://weebordercollie.com

[bc friend]

He's a cutie! Welcome to the board. I don't have anything to add about the indoor/outdoor issue because I think you've already gotten some good advice.

[Kat's Dogs]

I like the other things said already so I won't say much here other then that feeding him outside might help a lot. When Dazzle is scared of something all I have to do is give her a meal there and she is a-okay! But I had the opposite problem with Dazzle - she had never seen carpet before so she hated the INSIDE!

 

But cute pup!! It won't be long until that little cute furball grows up, so hurry and take lots of pictures!

[Ruger's Dad]

I bought Ruger from his breeder when he was 3 months. He stayed outside in a kennel near the sheep that whole time. One thing about him, if I am outside, he is outside. Our Springer will only stay out so long if we are not playing. When I am out working on a car, Ruger will be out there the whole time with me. Our Springer will eventually get bored and go inside.

 

Oh ya, and what Dixie Girl said about winter is absolutely true. Winter is when the dogs destroy the dead grass and create mud holes right up to the back deck. At least the mud darkens up the white hair as it falls out all around the house.