My rescue dog is fearful, won't pee, and is afraid to go outside.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Annie. She is adorable! Great job on signing her up for obedience class. This will help her immensely. It will help to build her confidence. Once she learns basic skills she will know more of what you expect from her. This will help her throughout all areas of her life. As far as drinking water, if she is eating, then she will drink. Leave water available for her at all times. She is likely drinking when you are not around. Getting her to go potty outside may be more challenging if she has not done this before. You can try her on leash or off leash if you have fenced yard. She may be more comfortable one way or another. Give her lots of praise and a treat if she goes. The other option is puppy pad training her. You may need to try both and see if one method is more successful for her. As she becomes more accustomed to your home, she will likely become more comfortable with these activities. Be patient and give her time. She should adjust. Good luck!

Is it possile to go out another door, or to a different part of the yard? If not, you need to teach her, in very small doses, that it is okay to go out. Do not baby her ("Oh, poor puppy! It's going to be all right.), or she will pick up on your tone of voice and be even more scared. Instead, speak to her with confidence (Come on, Lola, let's go out!). If she gets through the door, stop, rward her with a treat, and stop the exercise. Next time, try to get a very little bit farther out the door. Keep inching out in increments until she is comfortable going outside again.

Dogs are situational learners and can sometimes make some very weird connections. I recommend to start clicker training her. You will also need some very high value treats or a high value toy. Whichever she thinks is better. Basically start in the house near the doorway with you and reward her for coming near you. Gradually work your way out the door. What you are trying to do is produce a positive association. It is very important that you remain calm and try not to get frustrated her as she will pick up on negative energy. You can also start feeding her in the back yard or playing out there to continue the positive association. Also give her positive reinforcement for looking at you frequently or when she is afraid. This will teach her to look to you for action. This will be a slow process. Be patient and keep her on the medication for now. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor little Pixie. If she is truly scared to be outside one option may be to train her to a doggie litter box. If you go this route, be aware that it may become a permanent preference for her elimination habits. The other option is gradual work with herto overcome her fear. This may require adjusting your trip to stop at quieter locations and taking plenty of time outside the RV to play, feed and make it a good experience for her. If you are stressed and rushed she will sense it and that may add to her anxiety. There are some wood articles here about housebreaking and overcoming anxiety. Also, make sure there is not a medical cause for her to be obstipated (unable to poop). http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

She may have been trained to potty inside, you can try leaving out potty pads for her to go inside. She may also not be used to having to go potty in a busy, loud, or concrete-filled environment. Give her more time. Keep treats in your pocket and take her out often. Use a command like "go potty" and repeat it when you first get outside. When she does go outside, give her treats and LOTS of praise (people should be thinking you are a wackadoo!). Eventually she will figure out that going outside is a good thing that makes you very happy.

My heart hurts for this poor dog! It sounds like she is suffering from submissive urination, and this will take time and training to fix. Do not make a big deal when you come home. Come in quietly, greet Abby softly, and let her approach you. If you make a loud noise or rush right over to her, that can lead to the submissive urination. Don't comfort her when she cowers. While you think you are helping her, you are actually teaching her that it's ok to behave this way. Comforting her reinforces the behavior. When people come over, I'd put her in a crate. It needs to be big enough for her to stand up and turn around in. This will give her a safe space of her own. Don't let people approach the crate, give her space. Patience is key in dealing with these dogs, and losing your temper will make the problem worse. Speak to a vet about getting a referral to a professional behavioral expert to help with this problem. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

I'm sorry to hear that Coco is so frightened of being outside! Unfortunately, what you are describing is very common in dogs that did not receive adequate socialization as young puppies - all pups need to get "out and about" to see the world and have lots of different experiences during their socialization period, which is from 6 to 16 weeks of age. It sounds like Coco didn't get much socialization during this period, which is likely why she is so fearful now. It will be difficult to get her comfortable with the world at this age, but not impossible. You will need to take things very slowly and make sure that being outside is always a fun and positive experience for her - this may mean simply sitting on the porch with her feeding treats or playing with a toy for a few minutes, then taking her back in. You can work up from there as long as she is comfortable. Ideally, it would be best to work with a veterinary behaviorist on this - he/she can evaluate Coco in person and help you put together a detailed plan to help work on her anxiety. Prescription medication is also helpful for some dogs with severe anxiety like this, so you could discuss this option with your veterinarian as well.