[yorkietalkjilly]

You might try several quick trips outside and back in to begin to show her outside isn't a long, arduous, scary thing but can be quick and rewarding also until she gets used to the sights, scents and smells out there. Say, "Let's go outside!" in a happy, smiling voice and accompany her outside and hold a nice piece of warm boiled chicken out before her nose as you walk out with her and then bring her right back in the house and as soon as she will accept it, give her the treat and tell her you are proud of her. Call her "soldier" and "winner" and other upbeat names. She won't know what they mean but we take on a different persona when we say bold, meaningful words to a dog and they pick up on our demeanor of confidence and pride.

I doubt she will accept the treat outside as long as she's scared and but she should as soon as she's back inside and comfortable. Short trips out and immediately right back inside might begin to show her that outside at her new home isn't that bad and when she does go outside and right back inside, she gets a great reward and a smile and encouraging, power words from you. A few of those quick sessions a few times a day should begin to inure her to being out in your back yard with you and associating it with getting something very, very good when she does it. After a while, she will take the treat when she's out there so reward her for going out and again upon coming back in.

These short little sessions help scared dogs desensitize to what is scaring them in short bouts not really long enough for them to develop a good case of nerves. It's over practically before it begins. Doing this kind of thing over and over with Tibbe is partly how he was made over from a frightened, panicky dog who ran for the hills every chance he got and would shake so hard he'd drool and pant and go in circles and scream like a banshee if I left the room or walked toward him with something strange in my hand, like a hair dryer or a big book or box. He was a wreck of a dog but these types of tactics and time and building up his confidence a bit at a time completely overhauled his persona.

After I'd had him two or three weeks, I began to build up his confidence by introducing him to 5 or 6 different, noisy, strange things in the middle of the den floor and encourage him to approach and nose- or paw-touch them by placing treats in among them or baiting him to approach them with meat treats held before his nose and saying "Get it - go on, nose-touch!!! You can do it." After he was successful inside, we did this outside, using limbs, rocks, bricks, cans, etc. Little by little, he learned to approach anything I put there and touch it and he'd get the power and pride word-praise and his treat and pats, scratching and rubs and in time, he lost much of his fear of things or new situations.