Ok, so we are coming up on one year since we adopted our Mika.
She has grown more loving and showing much more personality over the last few months.

Lately, tho, she is showing a VERY stubborn side that we had not seen before. When it is time to come in she absolutely REFUSES to voluntarily come in! Let me rephrase that. If she knows it's kibble time, she comes running! But if she's already eaten and we let them back out, forget it! We have to walk into the yard and get her collar and drag her in the house. Someitmes, I feel as if she will snap at me at any minute! I try not to show my frustration, but also do not want to bow down to her wishes. I understand she just does not want to be locked in the kitchen while we are at work, but it is causing us some consternation as to what to do about it! I know from observing her over the year that she HAD to have been abused by her previous owner, so do not yell at her or make threatening gestures. I just do not understand why, all the sudden, she has decided to push it this way. Also, if we don't have the kitchen door closed before we finally get in, she runs & hides in the living room

Any ideas on how to handle it? I am very confused at her bahavior, and get the feeling sometimes she doesn't like usEven tho she has come out of her shell, she remains reserved toward us at times.

i think she's trying to push her boundaries. just stay firm, she should realize soon you aren't going to budge on the house rules.

If it were one of mine behaving that way I'd either reward her with a really taste treat for coming in when called or if you don't want to use treats I'd put a lead on when she goes outside so she doesn't have an opportunity to play stubborn. I prefer positive reinforcement so if it were me then I'd reward the heck out of her when she comes inside when called. You can start with treats and lots of praise at first and as she becomes more reliable you can only treat her sometimes so she never knows when she's getting a treat or not. Eventually you can phase out treats but I personally prefer to never completely phase them out so they are always guessing.

If treats are not something that works for you then you could try keeping her on a lead when she goes out so that you can gently encourage her on the lead to come back rather than having to go out and drag her back.

No matter what you choose to do, don't let her get her way. If you let her off the hook she will learn that her stubborn streak pays off.

I use the treats/positive reinforcement for just about everything and it works out brilliantly in creating dogs that mind when I call them.

FWIW, our sibe went through a streak where he didn't want to come to our room at night because he preferred to have full run of the house. It got to the point where I had to drag him up the stairs. I solved that one quickly by bringing a yummy treat up to our bedroom at night when we were ready to go to sleep. Now when we are ready to go to bed he runs up to our room way ahead of me and settles down on his bed waiting for his bedtime treat, you'll never find another dog so excited to go to bed at night. LOL

You know, I have always used positive reinforcement, and other than the occasional bout of stubbornness from our other two, nothing like this on a daily basis. When she does finally come, we are sure to praise her greatly, even tho it may take her 5 minutes to get there!
It is just weird how it has just recently started. I have spent the last year letting her know she is loved and won't be treated badly, so know she isn't scared of us or anything. I find it hard to keep the "happy tone" when I am leaving for work, tho. If she were a child, she'd be spending time in the corner for such insolence! (just kidding all)
I tried the treat thing this morning to get her out of the living room and even that didn't work! I have plenty of experience with the husky stubbornness, but nothing of this magnitude. I hate to put her on a lead, but if I must resort to it, I guess I will.......Arrrghhh!!!!!!
Maybe I need to start giving her some extra one-on-one time??????

Some extra one-on-one time on your terms wouldn't be a bad idea. I didn't have a chance until now to sit down and write a full response, but my advice is similar to Val's.

If it makes you feel better- Koda is like this....a lot. He would sit at the end of the run and make us march out there to get him. So, I started using the time to train his safety word. When he wouldn't come when called, I'd yell "Koda! Cookie!" and soon he started to perk up, then he started to run in when he heard "cookie." I used some of his favorite small rawhide treats, or even just training treats. Once in a while I'd have a peanut butter kong which he goes NUTS for. Eventually, he started coming in quicker and quicker. Now I rarely use treats at all, but I'm like Val and I throw them in once in a while to keep them guessing and to practice their safety word. The trick is to find a treat that she goes nuts for. You might have to use some hot dog or chicken bits, but find what she'll come to and stick to it. Use the safety word so she knows it's time to come straight to you.

I know sometimes you don't have time, so in the mornings, I would put her on a lead too. You could even tie it to a post or shut it in the door so you can still do what you need to do in the house but you have something to physically pull her back with when you need to.

But, I feel your pain. Koda drives us both nuts sometimes!

I've noticed with Nikki that the cooler it gets outside the harder and harder it is to get her inside. and when it snows....forget it! haha. She'll ALWAYS come for a treat though so she's not nearly as stubborn as yours

snrose wrote:

I've noticed with Nikki that the cooler it gets outside the harder and harder it is to get her inside. and when it snows....forget it! haha. She'll ALWAYS come for a treat though so she's not nearly as stubborn as yours

You know, after reading this, it occured to me that this is when all this started, when it started getting cooler......
The thing with her is she is smarter than Nanuk & Isis (sorry babies!) so the treat thing worked for a few days and then kaput! I KNOW she loves baked goods, much to my dismay, but with her weight problem, that is definitely out of the question!
I have to find SOMETHING she likes, which shouldn't be too hard, but it can't be fattening.....maybe I'll try the chicken, which I know she likes. That way, I know there's nothing extra in it. Of course, this means all three will be expecting treats!

ah, the joy of three dogs..

And I must say, the joy DOES outweigh the frustration.

MOST of the time!

amykmac wrote:

You know, after reading this, it occured to me that this is when all this started, when it started getting cooler......
The thing with her is she is smarter than Nanuk & Isis (sorry babies!) so the treat thing worked for a few days and then kaput! I KNOW she loves baked goods, much to my dismay, but with her weight problem, that is definitely out of the question!
I have to find SOMETHING she likes, which shouldn't be too hard, but it can't be fattening.....maybe I'll try the chicken, which I know she likes. That way, I know there's nothing extra in it. Of course, this means all three will be expecting treats!

Mine also prefers to be outside when it gets cooler and can test me a bit more when the temp drops...which has been happening lately.

If she doesn't come for regular treats then I would try either hot dog or chicken like Tori suggested. I prefer hot dog since it smells so much stronger and more appealing. No matter what you choose it should be a "jackpot treat" that is really enticing and something she only gets when she comes to you when called. In our house for example, hot dog would be a jackpot treat and a simple dog biscuit or chicken jerky would be an average/normal treat. If she has a weight issue you can still use treats to lure her in, just slightly decrease her normal food portions to accommodate for the few extra calories that the treats add and you should be fine.

And I completely get that about the other two wanting treats as well. So when one of mine gets food, they all end up getting food...well, most of the time. Another idea for getting her attention that works wonders with mine is to make her jealous, if I start treating one of mine the other two come rushing over to get their fair share of the loot. lol Never fails me.