[akebaje]

I think my dog is traumatized or depressed in the house! He won't come out of his crate or walk around the house. I have to remove him from his crate to get him to come out and when he does he goes straight to his bed and stays there. The odd thing is that he's a different animal when he gets to the yard. Once I put him in the yard, he returns to his normal self. He plays and runs around like his normal self. Getting him back in the house is difficult and he acts scared and depressed again once he's in the house. This is very odd as he's never done this before!
He's only 9 months and I've had him since we adopted him from the shelter.
Please help! I don't know what's wrong.

 

[Nuclear_Glitter]

Do you have other animals? Who else in the house cares for the dog? Is the dog left alone with other people?

 

[akebaje]

Do you have other animals? Who else in the house cares for the dog? Is the dog left alone with other people?

No we don't have other animals. My husband and I are the only ones around him most of the time and we both care for him. He's pretty independent; we leave the door open and he goes out to the yard to play with his toys and comes back inside when he's done. Our yard is fenced

 

[akebaje]

Here is a picture of Riko

 

[Nuclear_Glitter]

What type of training do you guys do?

Has Riko had any bad experiences in the house? Even accidental ones, like maybe getting stepped on?

Have you guys tried making the house fun, by playing games with him in the house?

Also, I wouldn't force him to do things he doesn't want to, right now. Don't force him out of the crate or anything like that. Let him come out if and when he wants to.

 

[akebaje]

OK. We play fetch in the kitchen and dining areas all the time. He knows he's not allowed in the living area and doesn't go to the living area.
We've had ocassions where he gets stepped on accidentally especially if he creeps up on us in the kitchen but he's never been this weird in the 8 months we've had him

 

[Darkmoon]

A sudden behavioral change in my house means a trip to the vet. When dogs don't feel well they sometimes get depressed, sleepy, and don't want to come out of their safety area.

 

[akebaje]

Thanks for your recommendation

 

[Kritter]

Have you installed anything new in your house that he can hear but you can't? Or that's normal to you but scary for him? I ask because I have a dog that cowers at the sound of the heater in our garage, where her apartment is Once she's in there she's fine but the initial sound of it freaks her out, every single day.

 

[spotted nikes]

I'd get a carbon monoxide detector, or see if the gas co will come check for leaks.
I might also have an electrician check for stray voltage. http://nypost.com/2012/09/10/stray-volt-ordeal-turns-westchester-couples-home-into-house-of-horror/

http://www.mikeholt.com/mojonewsarchive/SV-HTML/HTML/StrayVoltageNotCrazy~20031020.htm

http://www.intelligentutility.com/article/13/04/expert-witness-dissects-stray-voltage-part-one

Could also be static is making him uncomfortable inside.

 

[akebaje]

Wow, never thought about this. Thanks a lot; will look into it

 

[andreasmith]

Why you guys do not consult with a pet trainer. They are highly trained in taking care of pets where your pet would get training for following your instructions and also learn some amazing moves. Also consult the vet to make sure that the problem is not health related.