On-leash pottying (ALOK)

• 06-25-2009 3:13 PM

  alittleoffkey Joined on 09-23-2007 North Georgia Posts 80 Points 15

  On-leash pottying (ALOK) Reply Contact Misha's going home with me until aDorkable gets back home, but he has an *ahem* issue. He's recently decided that he can't poop on-leash. He had never pooped in the house, so no one has ever yelled at him or chastized him for pooping anywhere. On vacation, he managed to hold it for three days before having the poop scared out of him (outside, by scary strangers), then deciding to poop in the house near where aDorkable's aunt's puppy had peed. Of course, no one saw him poop, so he wasn't chastized then either. He did it again on Friday before they left. Again, once we returned from vacation he refused to poop for a couple more days, and the day aDorkable left (Tuesday) I took him on a two-hour walk... lots of running, playing and peeing (we don't play until he's mostly emptied his bladder, anyway), but no pooping. He then decided to poop in his outside kennel daily. He's afraid of his poop (after he poops he hides in the back of his dog house and stares out at it like it might eat him)... but apparently he's more afraid of pooping on-leash. I've tried holding off playing until he poops (like this morning), and playing after he pees and then requesting that he poops - but anytime I send him back out he just pees again (or, if he's totally on empty, he lifts his leg as though he's peeing)... then gets frustrated because I don't think he understands what I'm asking. At my house, he'll just have his "new" smaller crate (not the huge wire one) and I'm planning on only taking him out on-leash (NOT turning him out in the back yard). I feel awful locking him up, because he typically spends most of his day around the house with me, or in the backyard playing with the boys, but if he's going to completely refuse to poop otherwise, then I can deal. While we're still here, I won't lock him up in his little crate, because it's in the hot garage and I don't really have time to take him out and just walk him like I do at my house, since I'm helping aDorkable's mom. So, any suggestions for getting him to poo once I get back to Georgia (Saturday or Sunday), or for the rest of this week here? I have CDO. It's like OCD, but with the letters in alphabetical order - like they're supposed to be.

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• 06-25-2009 3:50 PM

  In reply to alittleoffkey

  KarissaKS Joined on 06-01-2007 La Crosse, WI Posts 1,072 Points 795

  Re: On-leash pottying (ALOK) Reply Contact How long is the leash you are using?  Luke absolutely will NOT poop on a 4' or 6' leash.  Heck, I have a hard time getting him to potty on those.  It is marginably better with a flexi-leash --- He still prefers to be off leash so he can go off and have privacy, but he will eventually poop at the end of a flexi (if I look away)....  Luke -- Lab/Shepherd (1-1-04) Elite Versatility, O-EAC, ECC, O-EJC, S-TN-E, O-TG-E, WV-E, HP-E Kaiser (CH'PR' Alasco's Kvichak) -- Alaskan Klee Kai (12-30-07) TBAD, TG1

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• 06-25-2009 4:03 PM

  In reply to alittleoffkey

  Krissim Klaw Joined on 08-26-2007 Posts 769 Points 0

  Re: On-leash pottying (ALOK) Reply Contact  Yep, I would get a nice long dragline to start off with so he has a chance at gaining some distance and breaking him into the skill easier.  Once he learns to go at the end of the dragline you can slowly start reeling him in so he will go on a shorter and shorter lead.  You might also want to make a show of looking away, or turning your body in the other direction so there isn't so much pressure of you staring intently at him.  The final step is you simply must give him no oppurtunity to go without you.  Pick a few days you can devot to having him tethered to you.  Keep him crated when you can't.  For the crate to be successful it really needs to be just large enough for him to stand, turn around with, and stretch out a bit when lieing down.  If you use anything larger he runs the risk of pooing in one corner and laying down in the other.  Finally, although it nerve wracking having a dog that is trying to hold it for days, you need to try your best not to show signs of frustration or tension when taking him out.  Keep things upbeat and relaxed.

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• 06-25-2009 4:07 PM

  In reply to KarissaKS

  calliecritturs Joined on 09-10-2007 Central Florida Posts 11,974 Points 3,770

  Re: On-leash pottying (ALOK) Reply Contact Go get a cheap clothesline and MAKE him a 20 foot or better leash.  Carry a small pocket mirror with you (Yes I'm serious) and give him the illusion of privacy on that LONG leash but watch him surrepticiously so you can praise him "at the moment". He may literally have issues going where other dogs haven't gone -- or in "new" situations.  Don't do marathon walks -- he'll just hold it until he is where he feels comfortable enough TO go.  Rather -- leash him TO you (put a 4'6' leash on him and put the leash handle thru your belt) and the instant he looks like he's about to go (*sniffing around* -- agitated) TAKE HIM OUTSIDE.  Keep him on the long leash and go sit outside with a magazine or laptop -- but watch him.  When he goes PRAISE  him.  If he goofs inside, go put him out of sight, then pick up the poop and go lay it OUTSIDE on the paper towel and LEAVE it.  Then go back in and get him on leash again and take him to it and *show* him. This resolves the communication problem.  But marathon walks are no good -- he can likely hold it longer than you can walk.  TIL he gets back to his kennel. When he messes in the kennel -- do the same thing -- MOVE it to the "right place" and then show him.  Will he know it? Sure -- it's HIS, has his mark and he'll get it that YOU moved it.  "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." Helen Keller

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• 06-25-2009 7:34 PM

  In reply to calliecritturs

  alittleoffkey Joined on 09-23-2007 North Georgia Posts 80 Points 15

  Re: On-leash pottying (ALOK) Reply Contact I walk him on a 25' lunge line (one of mine for the horses), and I always turn around when he goes, or looks as though he is close to going, just so he doesn't get embarassed. ;-) I'm very careful to put him away when I get frustrated... I've worked with horses long enough to know that that particular emotion never gets you anywhere. He usually goes in the woods behind aDorkable's house, but he's been refusing since coming back from my house (probably because at my house we have the fenced yard, and he's rarely had to potty on leash... and he hasn't gained my confidence in having him off-leash anyway). So I took him back there on the lunge and pointed into the woods and said "go potty" and he trotted down the way like he typically did when he lived here... but instead he just sat down and looked at me. When he got back into his kennel he pooped within the next two hours. If he does it again, I'll dump it in the woods... maybe that will help get the point across. Thanks ya'll! I have CDO. It's like OCD, but with the letters in alphabetical order - like they're supposed to be.

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