GudrunTheRed
Well-known member
My friend Heather's 2.5 year old tri-color female Sophie is a real sweetie BUT she's stubborn as a mule when it comes to going #2 and Heather has asked me to ask ya'll for some advice.
Here's the deal: Whenever Sophie goes out to go potty she's on a lead and will go #1 fairly quickly, but when it comes time to go #2 she will pace back and forth for 1-2 minutes before settling down to her business. My Chester will pace a bit too but only for a few seconds. Heather says Sophie will pace back and forth 30-50 times before selecting a spot and she wonders if Sophie is simply stalling for time because she wants to be outside longer. I have seen this pacing behavior progress over the last 2 years and I have to agree with Heather that it is getting worse over time.
Heather admits that she doesn't always take Sophie on walks everyday because she is too exhausted (she owns a very successful salon and is on her feet all day) BUT she will always take her out in the back yard for some play time.
Could Sophie be pacing because she needs more activity and wants to stay outside longer or is there something else going on? Any advice is welcome!
Here's a couple pics of Sophie from about a year ago when I babysat her for a week:
Here's the deal: Whenever Sophie goes out to go potty she's on a lead and will go #1 fairly quickly, but when it comes time to go #2 she will pace back and forth for 1-2 minutes before settling down to her business. My Chester will pace a bit too but only for a few seconds. Heather says Sophie will pace back and forth 30-50 times before selecting a spot and she wonders if Sophie is simply stalling for time because she wants to be outside longer. I have seen this pacing behavior progress over the last 2 years and I have to agree with Heather that it is getting worse over time.
Heather admits that she doesn't always take Sophie on walks everyday because she is too exhausted (she owns a very successful salon and is on her feet all day) BUT she will always take her out in the back yard for some play time.
Could Sophie be pacing because she needs more activity and wants to stay outside longer or is there something else going on? Any advice is welcome!
Here's a couple pics of Sophie from about a year ago when I babysat her for a week: