Claude...

Claude has a phobia about doorways. He has yet to leave the living room and enter the hall. Getting him out for a walk has been really difficult. We didn't want to force him and make his fear worse. Despite his not liking being picked up, that's what I resorted to. Once over the threshold he was fine. The odd thing was that it was the threshold out of the living room into the conservatory that stopped him on the way out, and the one from the garden into the conservatory on the way back in. In either direction he crossed the second one without a thought.

So last night Claude had a visit from Canine Behaviourist Sue Kinchin. Because he has problems with his teeth he has also not taken treats. But Sue had some that were tasty enough to attract him and small enough to swallow without chewing. We spent a long time gaining his confidence, rewarding steps towards the door and relieving the stress that built up when he got too near.

However this morning we got the first fruits. I wanted, if it was at all possible, Claude to decide to cross the threshold and go out. He loves his walk, and with his lead on he is highly motivated. He came to the doorway, put a foot across, and then backed off. Then he tried again, but at the threshold he lifted one front leg in the way he does when wanting his chest rubbed. So I did that, and he obviously felt better and put a foot over the doorway again. I rewarded his progress, he backed off. But the next approach he managed two feet through. The point is that he wants to go out, but for some reason he can't. So I rewarded him for his effort - all I had was kind words and my hands - and he backed off but came straight back and tried again. After 45 minutes of to and fro he finally stepped through with all four feet. I made a big fuss of him and he trotted off to the car, through the remaining doorway, no problem.

He also has a issue with getting into the boot. Where we walk in the morning I reverse up to a grassy bank, so he has no trouble getting in and out. After a vigorous walk when he is limbered up he can walk up to the car and leap in. But when his arthritic hip joints are cold he bangs his back legs as he can't get enough height into his jump. I've been trying to teach him the Laddie method - put his front two feet into the car and wait for me to hoick the back end up and in. So he came up to the car, but not near enough. I got him to walk in a circle and this time he stopped closer to the car. But he sat down, clearly recognising that he was going to have a problem leaping in. Then, of his own volition, he put one paw into the car. I praised him and lifted the other paw up and praised him some more. But he was still sitting down and I needed him to be standing up to lift him. So I put my hands under his rear and raised him into the standing position, but before I could get my arm under to lift, he leapt. He didn't have any momentum and banged his legs again, but at least he was a step further towards the right method, so we had a big praising and comfort session before setting off.

After a vigorous walk and many friends to sniff - he as so gained in confidence in the week he's been here - we had to face the reverse issue of getting him to decide to go back into the house. It was exactly the same as it had been in the other direction, just a different doorway. But he was highly motivated - his breakfast was waiting inside, as he well knew. It isn't that he doesn't want to go in. He wants to very much, but some interior mechanism is preventing him, and he can't. So we started the one foot / two feet routine again, with much backing off and walking round. I did my bit, supplying praise and stress-relief. It took him half an hour to make the decision, but he did eventually put all four feet inside and we had a major "well done, take your time and feel better" session. Then he happily trotted across the other threshold that had stopped him on the way out, tucked in to his food, licked his bowl clean, flopped onto the floor and fell asleep.

The Little Man had a demanding start to the day.