Housebreaking issues

[Marie]

OK, so I have a 14 wk old girl who is absolutely terrified of walking in the grass to go potty. I am trying to get her used to it, but it hasnt been going well so far.
I think this problem stems from the fact that the guy I got her from would simply let her go to the potty on his cement outdoor porch or the wood floor in a certain part of his house. Problem, right? I got her at 13 weeks, so she had pretty much formed that pattern by the time I started trying to get her to go outside.
She is already crate trained, but as much as I take her outside after meals (tothe same spot every time), after waking up, after play, etc, she is still too terrified of the grass to think about anything other than how scared she is of it. Potty never crosses her mind. As of now, she's been holding it for almost 8 hours, and I feel bad that a puppy her size and age should have to deal with that. She acts like she has to go, so I pick her up and take her outside as soon as I see the signs, and she just stares at the grass and tries to walk back toward my door. We'll stand out there for 15 or 20 mins, and no luck; I've already done this four times over the past few hours, too. She has eaten and had plenty to drink, so I assume that she must reeeally have to go.
I refuse to let her go on the sidewalks and driveways.
Any suggestions as to how I should show her that outside (and particularly the grass) are great for potty needs?

[lvoss]

Do you have a park nearby? I would recommend taking her to a park with lots of grass, bring a long line, some yummy treats and even a favorite toy. Then walk her on the long line, play with her, and reward her for being on the grass. Being active with her on the grass should also help stimulate her to potty so you can reward her for pottying on grass.

Once she is more comfortable about grass, then you can work on establishing a place in your yard as a potty spot.

[BasenjiByTheBay]

Can you find a spot near you that is harder and flatter - maybe dirt - where your pup can go?

Our girl prefers grass, our boy likes a harder surface. First week or two that was our deck - not cool - but now he is great about only going "outside" (on walks). But he still finds a spot that is dirt, or at the very least a low ground-cover type grass that is hard and flat. That's fine with me - actually easier to pick up after than in grass, especially since he's a walk-while-poo guy, so grass cleanup becomes an Easter egg hunt of sorts:rolleyes:

Someone on here mentioned once that dogs are substrate-specific, which I think means they're attracted to one kind of surface or the other. More experienced forum members may know more.

[dash]

I would try having her on a long line and sitting in the grass yourself just call her and have super yummy treats. Hot dog pieces are good. Start by being right on the sidewalk with her and then move away a little at a time. Everytime she takes a step towards you give her a small treat. Praise, Praise, Praise. Keep the grass short where she is, she may not like the prickles on her booty. Good luck and be patient. She will get it.

[Robin_n_Jack]

I think it also depends on the type of grass, whether it has been treated with anything, what it smells like, etc. When we lived in the condo, Jack wouldn't pee in the grass- didn't even want to walk on the grass. He would only pee and poop on the gravel. Now, in our own house, he doesn't mind the grass so much (as long as mommy gets out there with the lawn mower enough- hates tall grass) and will pee and poop there. So, I think there was something about the grass at the condo that he didn't like.

[Vanessa]

Our dogs don't like grass in the morning. They know that the grass is wet. They just will not allow their precious paws to get wet. I will pull, push, even pick them up and put them on the grass. They just won't have it. In the mornings they opt for bark or the sandbox no matter how hard I try to get them to go on the grass.
Maybe introduce your pup to some astro turf. That way your pup will be used to pottying on one particular spot. Gradually move the astro turf closer to the grass until the astro turf is on the grass. That my help ease your pup into grass

[Partner_in_Fun]

Okay, here's one for you. Lacey would initially only go on cedar bark 'cause that is what I have around my house. But there are a lot of times that she has to walk it out so we are typically not in my yard when the urge finally strikes her. Here's the odd bit; she goes to the curb (the first few times she did this I thought she was trying to cross the road without me!) and lines her 4 paws on the cement and faces the road (her back is toward me) with her little rear end hovering over what ever material is in the strip between the sidewalk and the curb, the flood gates open. I thought it was pretty cool the first time she did it. It is one way she keeps her feet dry !

I found that she is much more tolerant of other types of mediums as she gets older.
Going on grass is not typical for her but she is motivated to do so if she smells that a lot of other dogs have been there before her. Maybe your girl is the same – try taking to a grassy area other dogs are using

[rnasto]

I agree with the treats thing, also with Indi he hated grass, snow, water everything and would at first pee and poo on a place on the cement, easy to pick up unless there are tummy issues. After he would do his thing we would take him for a walk on the grass with yummies. 1 Beef Liver cube and he got to lick it every 4 steps or so and bite it after maybe 20 steps something like that. And after a while he would decide to not go in "his spot" and take his walk on the grass for yummies and go when he had to.

We did the same for crossing streams and stuff like that. Basically this was a confidence/trust building exercise. We were showing him that whatever we would ask him to do he could, and we would be right there to help if he needed it. Its worked wonders and he will go almost anywhere with us now (except the pool he he he).

Hope this helps

[Natalplum]

We got Mick from a Pet Store at 5 months old. All he knew was to pee and poop in the crate where he eat and sleeps. It took us a while but with persistence we finally got him to go outside on the grass. Sometimes if the grass has dew he'll go on the sidewalk, which is fine as long as its outside. Make sure you give her lots of love and rewards when she does tinkle outside. Positive reinforcement goes a long way. Good Luck.

[wizard]

You could also try those piddle pads and put one out on the grass in a designated spot until she gets used to it and then gradually "forget" to use them. Or get one of those scented toy hydrants or spikes to help her get used to a particular spot.

[youngandtired]

I also got my Basenji, Sahara from a pet store, she too use to pee in her crate. It was difficult at first, but I was persistant that she had to go outside. I would take her out with treats in my pocket, as soon as she would go I would treat, and praise, praise, and kiss, hug and "Good Girl" her on and on, clap even. She got it pretty fast, but she still does not like going when the grass is wet from rain or dew, and hates long grass. On rainy days she will pee on the rocks where my trash can sits, or just hold, hold it until she thinks it is dry outside, crazy dog!!!!!!

[youngandtired]

I also got my Basenji, Sahara from a pet store, she too use to pee in her crate. It was difficult at first, but I was persistant that she had to go outside. I would take her out with treats in my pocket, as soon as she would go I would treat, and praise, praise, and kiss, hug and "Good Girl" her on and on, clap even. She got it pretty fast, but she still does not like going when the grass is wet from rain or dew, and hates long grass. On rainy days she will pee on the rocks where my trash can sits, or just hold, hold it until she thinks it is dry outside, crazy dog!!!!!!

[sharronhurlbut]

My boy Cody loves to poop on the street pavement.
So, I take a doggie bag and clean it up.
Its not a big deal, and it leaves no mess.
Just what I do with this issue.
Also, I have a girl who will NOT go in her yard.
Either front or back, she will not soil this area…as she has a doggie door to go outside and lay in the sun.
So, maybe part of it is that they don't want to mess in their area...
I would put her on a leash and walk her, until she goes, and pick it up.

[snorky998]

We have a "poo-poo land" in the back yard. It's where we left at least 1 poo for the house training pup so the smell was there. Now they both generally go in the same area unless a garden area (we have 5 in the back yard) seems particularly lush and private. Those areas are referred to as "land mine" areas.

[ComicDom1]

@Marie:

OK, so I have a 14 wk old girl who is absolutely terrified of walking in the grass to go potty. I am trying to get her used to it, but it hasnt been going well so far.
I think this problem stems from the fact that the guy I got her from would simply let her go to the potty on his cement outdoor porch or the wood floor in a certain part of his house. Problem, right? I got her at 13 weeks, so she had pretty much formed that pattern by the time I started trying to get her to go outside.
She is already crate trained, but as much as I take her outside after meals (tothe same spot every time), after waking up, after play, etc, she is still too terrified of the grass to think about anything other than how scared she is of it. Potty never crosses her mind. As of now, she's been holding it for almost 8 hours, and I feel bad that a puppy her size and age should have to deal with that. She acts like she has to go, so I pick her up and take her outside as soon as I see the signs, and she just stares at the grass and tries to walk back toward my door. We'll stand out there for 15 or 20 mins, and no luck; I've already done this four times over the past few hours, too. She has eaten and had plenty to drink, so I assume that she must reeeally have to go.
I refuse to let her go on the sidewalks and driveways.
Any suggestions as to how I should show her that outside (and particularly the grass) are great for potty needs?

I know that some are going to disagree with post but here goes. First I would take the puppy to where you want her to go. Since she is so young, I would do this every couple of hours. I personally do not give my dog a choice about going on the grass. Roo was taken on the grass from the time he was 8 weeks old whether he wanted to or not. I just took charge of the situation and I have absolutely no problem now. I do not think its unusual that your puppy is attempting to hold it to avoid going outside in the grass. Our dog started to do something similar to this when he knew it was going to rain. It never ceases to amaze me how much animals can sense about things in advance that we cannot. Of course he held it as long as he could but eventually went outside the wet grass. We also would always wipe Roo's feet after getting off wet grass and put an old towel down just inside the door that he could walk and sit on as we dried his feet and took off his leash.

Another thing you can do is when she pees on another surface like the wood floor or cement, you can clean it up with a paper towel and then go rub it all over the part of the yard or spot you want her to go in. She will get the message after you do this a few times.

Miranda and I have also found a spray called Simple Solution Home Stain and Oder remover at our local Pet Smart. This spray when used on the Wood Floor and Cement porch will help to discourage her from going potty there again.

Although Roo swims, he still does not like wet grass. So once again I took charge of the situation and did not give him a choice. Once we are on the grass he will either get comfortable or hurry up and go so he can get off of it. We always praise him when he goes on the grass.

We are now in the fall season, and it will be interesting to see how he reacts to snow. From our experience with other dogs that did not like to go out on wet grass or in the rain, it was totally different with snow and they could not wait to get in it.

As a side note: From the time Roo was 8 weeks old, until he was about 3 months, we picked him up and took him from his Kennel area, and carried him into the yard and set him down on the grass. Maybe picking your little puppy up when you are taking her out and not setting her down until you are in the grass will do the trick for you.

Hope this helps.

Jason

[LiveWWSD]

@ComicDom1:

As a side note: From the time Roo was 8 weeks old, until he was about 3 months, we picked him up and took him from his Kennel area, and carried him into the yard and set him down on the grass. Maybe picking your little puppy up when you are taking her out and not setting her down until you are in the grass will do the trick for you.

This is exactly what I did with Zaire when she was little….good call Jason.

I found that if I took her to the middle of the grass she descided that it was better to get her buisness out of the way and then get off the grass. Now she is fine with doing her buisness on the grass.

[tanza]

I have always recommended that pups be carried from the crate to their "potty" place… at 12 to 16 wks, especially after waking up, there is no way they are going to walk all the way to a door, outside and onto the grass to pee... they just can't hold it that long.

For us, I didn't care if they peed on the concrete, in fact 3 of my girls go on the concrete... one on the grass and my one boy mostly on the grass. And for cleaning up, really vinegar and water works as good if not better then all the store bought ones I have had over the years, and believe me, I have tried them all... Works great on concrete, tile, pergo, carpets....