NEW strange behavior in my yorkie

Question
My yorkie is almost 2 years old and has been excellent on house training, only has accidents when it storms real bad. He always liked to go outside even when he didn't have to potty, just to explore, sniff, and chase bugs (and the occasional lizard). A couple of days ago he would not leave mine or my husbands side, he had to be right there no matter where we were in the house. He refuses to go outside willingly and when we do finally make him go outside he won't leave the porch, he tries to get us to let him back in the house even if we are not going in, therefore, he uses the potty in the house (he does go on the kitchen floor, not carpet). He doesn't have to be by our side every waking moment now but he still refuses to go outside, nevertheless use the potty outside. I don't know if something scared him or what?  

Answer
Hi Susan;
It could be so many things that scared him, and it seems certain that something did.
To be afraid when you are out there with him, I would suspect he saw a snake or something that would be there and a threat even if you were in the yard.
Check around your house, but be careful, because it could be something dangerous, like a poisonous snake.
If your house is on a pier and bean foundation, check under the house. If you can't access the underneath of your house, remember things like that can burrow to get under the foundation, or can sometimes access through the foundation vents.
If you have a woodpile,or shrubs or anything something like a snake coiuld hide in, or any other critter, like an opossum etc.
Could he have been outside and been frightened by a sudden thunderclap that startled him ( his mind of something else etc) in such a way that he still isn't sure what it was?
Yu can speculate forever without being able to figure it out, unless you do find a snake or something that is the obvious answer. Do any of your neighbors have snakes like boas or pythons?
In one of the subburbs near us, a neighbor's snake got out, and she heard her Chihuahua screaming and ran to her kitchen. His fore quarters were in the doggy door, and he was really screaming. She was in her late 80, and she looked out the window in the door, and saw that snake swallowing her little dog.
She couldn't pul the dog out of that @%#$&* snakke's mouth and just watched helplessly while it swallowed her little dog.
The thought of going through something like that just upsets me terribly.
Your little dog could even have had a close shave from something like that.
That would traumatize ab dog terribly.
Massage may get him over it though.
Go to this site and read what can be done with these massages, and you can order a video to learn how to do the different massages.
  www.lindatellington-jones.com
I have used this method of massage to cure fear of storms etc, so you can at least help him get over his fear of thunderstorms.
With my English setter, it took only one 5 minute massage to cure her for life.
She was only 1 year old, and my son's La/Chow was here, and he was a couple years old. We had a terrible storm, and both dogs were terrified. I massages one and my grand daughter massaged the other, with the calming massage ( done on the face and ears) for 5 minutes, and both dogs lay down and slept the rest of the storm.
Silky lived to be 13 years, and was never bothered by thunderstorms again.
I have used these massages as a training tool and for so many things.
Some things like aggression, fear etc it can cure the problem in a few massages, and it is a great training tool, as well as great pain relief with fewef meds.
Charlotte