Fearful/anxious rescue doesn’t want to come inside
We got a 4yr old lab mix from the pound yesterday and we’re prepared for her to be anxious dog. We are in a hardcore two week shut down and feel good about taking things slowly with her.
We are having a problem we didn’t anticipate, she doesn’t want to come back inside once we take her out to potty. She was a stray before she ended up at the shelter so we think her only indoor experience is chaotic and stressful. She is a lot more relaxed outside and wants to spend hours laying in our front yard which wouldn’t be a problem but it’s 105 degrees out this week and we simply just can’t sit outside for that long.
Sometimes she will get up and we can gently coax her inside but other times she won’t get up from lying down or will just stand still and refuse to come in the front door. We are using wet cat food (the only thing she will eat) to convince her to come inside but we don’t like having to move the can when she is eating (she won’t eat it off a spoon) and I don’t want to pull her since we are trying to establish trust with her.
Any advice is appreciated!