We adopted a beautiful 3 year old dog from a rescue shelter a little over a year ago. I wasn't quite sure what he was, but since seeing pictures of Malinois on this website, I believe he may be a mix of that breed. He looks a lot like Rush, but he's blonder. Anyway, he loves people and adjusted very well to our family. He is a much loved house dog. I consider him a soft dog. He knew basic commands and was quite well behaved when we got him. I ordered the basic obedience dvd to help me train him to walk properly on a leash since I take him for an hour long hike every day and I couldn't get him to stop pulling on the leash. I now successfully use a prong collar when we walk, and we both love the walks.

About 4-5 months ago, he suddenly seemed afraid when we would run water in the kitchen sink, or open or run the dishwasher. He bolts out the kitchen doggie door and refuses to come back in the house for hours. He will scratch at another door like he wants to come in, but when we open it, he runs backwards and refuses to come in the house. I sometimes end up bribing him with food just to get him in the house. This is the only time he won’t come when called.

No one in the house has teased or mistreated this dog. I’ve tried to desensitize him by feeding him his favorite treat while I turn the water on and off in the kitchen sink, or open and close the dishwasher door, and he will nervously take the treat, but this has not lessened his anxiety. Have I made things worse by verbally reassuring him when he stays and takes the treats?

By the way, he is not afraid of any other running water in the house –shower, laundry, and bathroom faucets don’t bother him.

Now, he bolts out the door when I start to make dinner. I figured that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's odd since I had been working with him to down/stay while I was fixing dinner to keep him out of the way and keep his nose away from the counter. I was not giving corrections, only positive reinforcement. He got to the point where he was doing a good job staying down and out of the way while watching me make dinner.

Well, today the problem escalated. Our washing machine and dryer are right off the kitchen, and tonight he refused to come in the house long after dinner dishes were done, and I realized it was because the washing machine was running. He wasn’t fearful of it before, but now he seems to be.

Can anyone help? I just can't figure this out, and I don't want to make the problem worse. Thank you.

How much running does he get in on an average day?

Are you continuing training or doing any other mentally stimulating activities with him?

If he is a mal these are definite things to consider. They are a very intelligent and super athletic breed.

I've noticed that when my dog isn't getting enough physical exercise and mental stimulation she gets really jumpy, acts nervous and does a lot of the same PITA kind of stuff.

For us the cure seems to be to go to a field with a frisbee or a ball, and spend an hour or so giving her an obedience command or trick to perform for every three throws.

Another consideration. Has he been to the vet recently?

Thank you for your suggestions. He had his yearly checkup a week ago. Perfect health.

He doesn't really get to run with me, just fast walking (mostly for me, I suppose). Sometimes my adult sons run with him, but not daily. I don't let him off leash on our walks. My immediate neighborhood is too urban, and I'm concerned about rattlesnakes or worse on the hiking trails.

I am continuing to work on "come" and "down/stay".

Thank you for recommending more exercise. That makes sense. Oddly though, he doesn't seem to know how to play. He is not interested in tug games, frisbees, and balls. Even though he expresses a mild interest in the toys we've bought, I have not been successful in getting him to retrieve. He will play for a couple of throws and then lose interest. I was thinking I needed to wait to train the retrieve until he is more consistent on "come" and "stay". ???

Yes to the vet. Last week, perfect checkup.

The kitchen and laundry room have smooth travertine tile, as do the hallways, entryway, and dining room. He doesn't seem fearful of the floors and enjoys laying on the cool tile in the warm weather.

We've never crated him. I'm not experienced with crating and haven't seen a need. He has never been destructive or caused any problems like barking when we are at work. He's the perfect gentleman. He knows which beds he's allowed on - the boys, not ours. He knows which couch he's allowed on - the leather family room couch, but not the living room furniture. He has free rein of the house and fenced backyard with doggie door access, but up until this odd behavior, he has always preferred to be in the same room with us when we're home, especially me (the mom of the house). When I'm inside, he is, too, right beside me. When I'm outside working in the garden, he follows me.

Appreciate your suggestions.

I understand what you mean about living in an urban area. My favorite training tool in the whole world has been my 50 foot bright red long line. I find a safe area, like a baseball field, and have her drag it

The great thing about the super long length is that you can also hold on to it and still have plenty of room to play if you are unsure about the recall.

Have you tried a squeaky ball? Almost every dog loves them.

Do you have carpet runners in the hallways?

 Quote: Dani Lichtman

He bolts out the kitchen doggie door and refuses to come back in the house for hours. He will scratch at another door like he wants to come in, but when we open it, he runs backwards and refuses to come in the house.

Hi Dani, welcome. Sorry to hear your pup is going through this. I’m no expert but I know a little about fear in dogs.

It has both emotional and behavioral aspects and varies according the dog’s genetic makeup and past history of what caused the onset.

When a dog is fearful of something (people, objects, other animals) he takes action to ease the fear, often avoiding what is frightening him by running away. Also as a note, not necessarily your case - when a dog has no escape (on a leash, in a confined area) many people view the bark and lunge behavior as aggressive when in fact it’s an attempt to keep what’s frightening him away because he has no other escape.

Fear varies from mild anxiety to extreme phobias.

Anxiety is the anticipation of danger or a threat and can be associated with many different types of triggers (often unknown to us). Simple examples - dogs become anxious when the owner picks up keys to leave or family members have heated debates/arguments.

Phobic behaviors (often associated with thunder and loud noises) put the dog in a state of panic. They simply cannot function and may actually do harm to themselves and surroundings (chewing out of crates or in your case scratching/biting at the door) in an attempt to escape the terrifying phobic feelings – even though he’s outside, away from the source, he’s still panicking.

In many homes the kitchen and adjoining rooms are centers of high activity. Cooking dinner, washing dishes and doing laundry are daily (often thankless) tasks. Mix in tight activity schedules, family discussions/debates and positive reinforcement training to keep the dog off the counters makes for one busy multi-tasking mom.

There could be many possibilities that sparked this fear in your pup. Possible example - pots clanging, boys hungry and excited about their day, hubby talking about his root-canal, in kicks the dish washer just as pup gets tripped over while counter surfing behind mom’s back – sensory overload – fear imprinted. From what you say, it sounds like it might be getting worse too, spreading to other rooms/appliances.

Helping dogs to overcome their fears can be quite challenging, especially when they’re phobic behaviors. It requires modifications both on the part of the pup and people in their environment.

For the next few weeks, I would stop all desensitizing attempts. Before cooking dinner or doing the dishes/laundry I would remove him from the area. Put him a safe place outside or in a back room – allow him to feel what it’s like to live through these parts of the day without any fear.

I would also strongly suggest crate training, specifically for the times when you are busy. This will give him a safe/secure place of his own – free of fear, safe to relax, peacefully getting through these times. There is excellent information on this site to help you with this.

Once he starts feeling safe and trusting that you will protect him from the running water and dish washer, the desensitization can begin. I would set aside specific quiet time with him, slowly introducing short bursts of the sound, extending when there is no reaction and he’s calmly taking food from you.

 Quote: Dani Lichtman

Have I made things worse by verbally reassuring him when he stays and takes the treats?

Taking food is a good sign. You want to use your voice as a distraction and reward him for being relaxed though. If he’s quickly taking the food, still shaking and looking for an escape route, you need to back it up a little. Move him to a distance that he calmly takes the food. Start at a non-reactive distance, perhaps you can have someone else turn on the tap/dish washer for short bursts and reward for non-reaction.

Good luck with this.

Excellent post, CJ.

Thank you so much for your insight. I will start putting your ideas into practice.