How do I get a dog rescued from an abusive home to walk through doors?

Cory, here's where a professional animal behaviorist can help you and your boy make some faster gains. Your rescue may have one you can consult and this would be really helpful because he'll have other issues as well due to lack of socialization.

I had a Husky rescue that wouldn't come inside, either. But he was an outside dog and I needed to bring him in because MY dogs were upset he was out there and carried on all night.

What an awful place your boy was at and thank you for trying to help him. Do you have another dog that has no issues with doors? You can lead the other dog through the door several times, treating every time as Foster Husky watches. Always use cheerful and upbeat, but soft voices. No babytalk or coddling sounds. You can try attaching a lead from Foster to Other dog, then calling other dog through the door. Often the Foster will either just follow the Other dog or the leash will encourage him to move forward (I try it without the lead first). Treat and praise. Once he's in, let him back out, and repeat the "in" process. This has worked for me; others may have other suggestions, as will your fellow Husky Rescue people.

It will take a lot of patience and some time for Foster to get used to the idea that he CAN go back out if he comes in.

Oh...my....gosh. 25 dogs in a trailer? How can someone be so disgustingly cruel and heartless?

That's great that he's making progress, but SO sad that he is so afraid to come inside. I don't blame him at all since that's all he knows is torture. 2 weeks is really not a long time to get over a lifetime of abuse. Eating by the door is great. Have you tried hand-feeding as well? That helps build confidence. Treats around the door, playing by the door, TONS of praise and excitement by the door...do you have any other dogs you could borrow or foster? Even just for a while? Perhaps walking the other dog in and out in front of him may help relax him. Dogs often relate better to other dogs and I would bet that if he's used to being with 25 other dogs, he may feel significantly more comfortable with a companion.

Basically, as with any animal, the only way to get it over a fear is desensitizing, desensitizing, and more desensitizing. Can you keep him by the door at night? The more activity and positive reinforcement that happens by the door, the better. I definitely wouldn't drag him in, ever. I think he would sooner be better suited as an outside dog (which I never condone) than to be made to enter his personal hell again. I think all you can do at this point is to keep doing what you're doing. He has to learn to trust humans and he has to learn that he will never be tortured again. It will take time, for sure, so just don't push it.

Best of luck

Good for you for fostering this guy. He is young. He will get over this. I had the same experience with a GSD that hated any type flooring other than carpet. I would keep him tethered to you while in the home. Where you go, he goes. I would make a point of leaving the door open, if the weather permits, and place him in a sit position while inside. Use your lead and simply go out. Walk around the yard, go into a run, and lead him right back in. Give praise and a treat if you want. Repeat. Over and over. do not let him come to a halt. He will get over the trauma, if you simply TAKE him in the door. Sometimes if left to their own decisions, animals will forever refuse to do an activity, or exercise. This should only take one to two weeks to fully become a normal motion. Good Luck with your pup!

I recommend trying beef jerky, a little chicken fried in an with garlic/onions/pepper or raw liver. (It's like crack for dogs.) Maybe it will lure him in maybe not. If he comes in don't close the door!!!! Let him leave if he wants.

If he won't come in just ignore it, and do fun things by the open door. Don't make a big deal about it. Just move the fun closer and closer to the door every day. My dog, a rescue, had the reverse issue wouldn't go in the backyard. Now if the door is open he'll run out and stick his head in. Wagging telling us how much he'd like us to join him outside. (Of course he still doesn't like to be left out there alone.)

I am not one of those people who is opposed to the use of treats as rewards, but I would not address this with bribery because that would make it seem like the door IS this big deal that he should be frightened of. In this situation, I would just expect it of him. Don't treat it like it's this big thing, don't try to bribe him or anything even remotely similar. With him being nervous of people, I would really recommend the umbilical method. Basically what you do it tie his leash to your belt. You ignore him- don't acknowledge him unless he does something positive, and just expect that he will follow you anywhere. Dogs learn faster than most people give them credit for, and it's more traumatizing for him to sit outside being upset for hours than it's going to be to get drug through the door with you a few times until he figures out the door won't hurt him. So, again, hook the leash to your waist, walk around outside for a bit until he figures out he MUST follow you, and then walk through the door. Him refusing should not even be an option in your mind, if he balks, keep going. If you're a smaller person and can't physically get him through the doorway without considerable effort, have a larger person do this the first few times.

What kind of treats were you using? I would consider using something seriously high value. Like chicken or pieces of beef or steak. Something really really good. You may have to start slowly by getting him to move closer and close to the doorway, trying to get him to get one paw across the doorway, then two, then three and four.

Other things: is he into fetch? You could get into playing that outdoors with him and start tossing it near the front door and one time lob it slightly through (this takes a better shot than I am -- I'd miss the door entirely) and see if he'll forget the doorway in his excitement to get the ball.

Another thought: Do you have more than one door to your place? If you do, have you tried bringing him in through another doorway?

I got a thumbs down for this? Someone want to explain why working slowly with a dog to lure him through a doorway and get him comfortable with being near the doorway is a bad thing? Unlike the other responder I gave real advice based on what I've done with a dog who is uncomfortable going into certain places.

My mother in law's cocker spaniel came from a abusive home. She was kept in a dark garage in a crate living in feces, barely fed or watered. When she got her, she was skin and bones, worms.Luckily she didn't have any serious diseases like parvo or puppy distemper(she was a puppy). When she got this dog, this dog was afraid of EVERYTHING. She was scared of people. Loud noises. Going out(she had never been outside...). She hated going through the door-they had to baby her and carry her outside to do her business( kinda far stretched for me...I would have just dragged her butt out there..she would have gotten used to it).

When I came in the picture a year or so later, the dog still had major issues. Like loud noises scare the living daylights out of her. People- it takes a while for her to warm up to you, took me a few months just for her to come up to me on her own will although she let me pet her before that. The only "command" she knew was " high five". My mother in law babies this dog way to much- I love my MIL and the dog..but some of the stuff.. ridiculous. So I taught her how to sit- came in handy when she wanted to jump on me. I taught her to lay- which also came in handy when she wanted to jump and lay on me and I taught her to stay- came in handy for my MIL since she could say "stay" and the dog wouldn't be on her heels 24/7..like going to the bathroom..she shut the door the dog would whine..she leave it open the dog would go in..Now it don't matter since the dog will stay until given the release command.

I worked on the outside issue- meaning I dragged her butt outside with some toys she likes(balls,chew toys) and got her to play despite the loud noises. It took a while before she would go out the front door, leash on with no problem..but it did happen. My MIL was surprised at how easy she was to get through the front door with the leash because she used to bulk at the leash as well. I'm still working on the loud noise issue.

Since simply slightly pulling him- I didn't really just drag her out, I gave a full tugs and she would walk with me from the door- you don't want to do how does these sound?

Suggestion One-

Stand on the other side of the open door, with a treat and call him to you. If he comes up to you, this might very well work. He will see you and the treat and associate doors with a good positive thing. I done this with my mother's cocker spaniel when I re leashed trained her..and to walk through doors. I just slightly tugged on her leash to get her going but I didn't literally dragged her butt out the door.

Suggestion Two-

If you can leash him and get to him to walk with you, then you may just have to slightly tug on his leash to get him to go through the door with you. You could have someone hold the leash and you be in front of the door with a treat when this happens.

I'll see if I can find anything that might be more useful in my dog books..I have tons of dog books on training and such so I'll go through that to see and I'll will edit my answer in a little while.

I might add that a high value treat- something like chicken- the cocker loved it. She loves anything though but those nasty dog treats...

If you associate GOOD things with going through the door like treats, praise and fun(walk around the yard, running,etc) then he will get over it- it will take time but be persistent and it will be done. My mother in law's cocker spaniel has done wonderful these past years due to persistent constant training. She isn't has nervous outside as she was when I first started working on her. She likes playing outdoors now.

I had never had a foster with a behavioral like this. I did have one older dog that was terrified of humans and would shy away from us..but we eventually won her over and she won the hearts of a couple that was her forever home until she died of old age.

ETA 1- I don't know what it is about beef jerky but my dogs in the past have loved it- natural deer jerky I mean- Whenever they seen it I could pretty much get them to do whatever I wanted. They knew when we had the deer jerky too...when ever we came home with it...they were all lunging to get in first!

Isn't that a sad story. Good for you for giving your time and energy to this dog.

I was going to suggest treat but......

Maybe he will need to sleep inside for a while.

Lots of time is needed and as you know lots of these problems with abused dogs can not be fixed.