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House trained... but

Blueroses

Well-known member
Alfie hasn't had an accident in the house for a while now. He can go overnight from 10.30 pm until between 6 and 6.30am. He has never soiled his crate. However, he will only do his toilets in my garden or Jacob the Dobi's garden. He will not 'go' on his walks even if there are lovely grassy areas. At the weekend the poor little chap didnt go from 9 am until 3.15pm because he wasnt at either place. He was on a lovely walk , was offered water, was frequently given the key word, was taken to quiet places ... but still wouldnt go. I drove home from Yorkshire and he went straight away in my garden. Can anyone help?
 
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He is doing really well! But this often happens. And generally they will gradually change. :) It also happens with adult dogs perhaps used to going on grass who end up in the city (common with rescues for example fostered to a city situation).

Do not let him out first thing any longer to go in those established places now (if that is presumably what has been happening?) but always take him out on a walk to go as soon as you get up, and reward well. He will NOT be able to hold himself after a night of sleep. If it takes a 30-45 minute walk then do it, but he will have to move his bowels and have a pee very soon after getting up and won't be able to hold it on a long walk. Just keep doing this til the walk is where he goes, then reintroduce the possibility of going outside too.

Another approach is to try perhaps feeding him first thing in the morning in his crate where he won't soil, before he has gone out to relieve himself, then immediately take him out on a walk to do his business -- the food is likely to activate his bowels pretty quickly and you can give VERY high value treats for him going outside on the walk. Something he adores -- chicken pieces, dried liver etc. I do this with my dogs when I need to be somewhere in the morning and cannot afford a leisurely walk -- I just feed them first then walk them and they all have to poop pretty quickly. But you do not want to feed then go on a long walk so would try the top suggestion for a bit first.

Even having a bulky edible treat during the day (eg dried tripe, lots of fiber) will generally make them need to go within 15-30 mins so is another approach.
 
Brooklyn did the too! And our trainer told us to do exactly what Karlin mentioned, and it worked like charm. We just took her across the street, to different patches of grass every morning (we had to get up a little earlier for a while too BTW, just to give her enough time...knowing she had to burst at some point!). Eventually, she would go anywhere. But yeah, I remember days where she would hold it almost all day because she wasn't "at home", poor thing, then would run outside so fast and pee for ages, like 3-4 times because she had so much in her! I guess the good thing is that she learned to hold it (but probably not for the right reasons!).

Also, every time I knew it was around the time where she would be busting for a pee and it wasn't first thing in the morning, I would just take a book (because frankly, she would just hold it til we got home if not) and go sit on a bench or in the grass and just wait, and wait and wait...until she peed! Then, when she did, I would give her a high reward treat (she only got roast chicken for potty training as this was a major winner for her and if she only got it when she peed, then she went right away). Anyway, it seems like a lot, but once Brooklyn "broke the seal" away from home once, it only took about a week for it to become common for her to go anywhere. She is only about 9 months now, so I am still doing the praising and party throwing when she goes outside of our house, just so she doesn't forget through adolescence. It is quite funny really, I feel like I have dried liver in the pocket of everything I own! Ha.
 
Brooklyn did the too! And our trainer told us to do exactly what Karlin mentioned, and it worked like charm. We just took her across the street, to different patches of grass every morning (we had to get up a little earlier for a while too BTW, just to give her enough time...knowing she had to burst at some point!). Eventually, she would go anywhere. But yeah, I remember days where she would hold it almost all day because she wasn't "at home", poor thing, then would run outside so fast and pee for ages, like 3-4 times because she had so much in her! I guess the good thing is that she learned to hold it (but probably not for the right reasons!).

Also, every time I knew it was around the time where she would be busting for a pee and it wasn't first thing in the morning, I would just take a book (because frankly, she would just hold it til we got home if not) and go sit on a bench or in the grass and just wait, and wait and wait...until she peed! Then, when she did, I would give her a high reward treat (she only got roast chicken for potty training as this was a major winner for her and if she only got it when she peed, then she went right away). Anyway, it seems like a lot, but once Brooklyn "broke the seal" away from home once, it only took about a week for it to become common for her to go anywhere. She is only about 9 months now, so I am still doing the praising and party throwing when she goes outside of our house, just so she doesn't forget through adolescence. It is quite funny really, I feel like I have dried liver in the pocket of everything I own! Ha.


Ha ha Brooklyn Mom , I bet you smell fragrant ! :lol: Thank you for that, very helpful.

Well I have to report back to you both that ........ this morning....... I was up at 6.15...... and took Alfie immediately out for a walk....

and it worked !! :pi*no: cl*p
 
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