Dog Behavior -

Question
I hope you can help with my dilemma, as I'm sure doesn't require any kind of medicine.  We have had our 3 year old dog (husky/aust.Shepard) mix since he was a puppy and is about 45lbs.  We recently moved from a condo, where we had to take him out on a leash to go 'potty'.  We just moved into a house with a backyard, and now he refuses to go.  As a test, I put him on a leash and went to the front yard, where he went instantly, without hesitation.  I can only think that he associates accessing the backyard through a sliding door with going onto the balcony through a sliding door.  So in his mind, this is not an acceptible place to go.  

Please let me know of anything we can try to change this behavior.  We appreciate your feedback.

Ian & Max(dog)

Answer
I would take him out the front door and walk him around to the back yard to do his business (don't let him stop to go to the bathroom) and see if that helps.  Otherwise, you can try to put him in the back yard and let him there for a significant amount of time to see if he will eventually do his business.  When he does his business in the back yard lavishly praise and reward him...give him a special treat such as a piece of chicken breast or a turkey hotdog.  I am sure he will get used to it, but it probably will take a lot of coaxing and patience on your part.