4 month old thinks EVERYTHING is a game!

K

Kim W.

Forums Novice
I have a 4 month old sable and white sheltie puppy (Murphy). Everytime he needs or wants to go outside he will stand by the back door and whimper..this is great. However, once he is outside it is almost impossible to get him back in!

Usually he will jump at the door when he wants to come back in, but when I open the back door he just stands there. I tell him "come" and "come here" but he just looks at me. If I attempt to approach him, he runs back into the grass. The ONLY way he will come back into the house is if I HIDE behind the back door and he cant see me!

I have tried to use treats but he isnt always interested. I have resorted to putting a long leash on him and tying it to the fire pit out back so I can literally "real" him back in when he refuses to.

And I can't just leave him outside, we live in Texas and we commonly get temperatures that are outrageously high.

Does anyone have any suggestions??
 
Rather than moving towards him try running away. Dogs find it hard to resist a moving subject and it seems he wants to play chasey - so let him chase you.
 
I would also want to nip this in the bud before it becomes a habit. Lexi did the same thing when she was little (apparently she did it at the breeder's too!). She basically lost privileges to be outside without a leash.

I would take her out on a leash, then when she was done we would have a huge party and run back in together (no yanking or pulling, just encouragement and fun) and when she came in willingly we had another party. I would add a word to it like "let's go inside!!" And she will learn that means come inside for another party.
 
I have a 15 week old pup who was doing the same thing a couple of weeks ago. I tried two different things with her which have helped.

1. I taught her to come inside with the word "Inside" instead of "Come", because I read somewhere that if you say "Come" and then do something that they could perceive as bad (like ending their fun time outside) they'll start running away. Of course, she started running away with "Inside" :rolleyes2:, but she did learn to come to me outside for nothing but pets, treats, and cuddles instead of fleeing.

2. I started making coming inside the most fun thing in the world. As soon as she comes inside she gets LOTS of play time and or some treats. Now she runs inside as soon as she's finished!
 
LOL... I just had to laugh as my Zak was a little devil when it came to coming back inside. But after a while we worked it out. I like Ashley's idea of making it a huge party inside. Make him want go back inside for more fun. But enjoy this age and his antics as they grow up way to fast.
 
LEASH LEASH LEASH! A 4 month old won't come if it doesn't want to. I would definitely recommend a leash for this and then try in like 3-4 months of taking him off again.
 
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