Toileting in a designated area

[kikilamour]

I am afraid I might have made a bit of an error and allowed the Raffster to start toileting on walks. However I am trying to get her to toilet in a designated area of the garden before we leave for a walk. If she doesn't then we just keep trying until she does and then it is straight out for a fun walk. However if she obliges then she poops a little in the house and then does the rest out of the house. How do I signal to her that pooing outside is a no? Today I said a firm NO and terminated the walk. Don't think she really noticed to be fair Strange thing is she will happily go for a pee in her designated area

[kikilamour]

Well I persevered for 3 days and I think we might have finally turned a corner as she seems to now realise that we are not getting out of the house until she goes completely

[BeeBee]

I am sure you have some good reason to do the opposite to what is most natural for a dog, ie they poo as they are out and about walking.
Good luck with your plan of getting Raffles going in your set spot if you are nowhere near it, ie she's away for the week?

Why do you need her to restrict her natural instinct to go where is right for her?

[Maty]

Spose it means you don't need to take poo bags out with you

Neither of mine will toilet in the garden at all. It is their playground and they like to keep it clean ;)

[LouiseH]

You have to bear in mind that pooing is a more complex activity than peeing. It involves a series of events, not all of which are under the dog's conscious control. What had to happen first is a signal that a pooing opportunity is going to come up. In my dog, for instance, that's preparation for a walk. That unconscious cue starts the internal muscles that move the poo down into the part of the bowel where it will press on the sides and stimulate the need to go, which is the first that the dog knows about it. Kili will usually go about 6-8 minutes into a walk, but he will hang on for a bit longer if he doesn't find the right place (usually long grass) and if we don't find any within about 10 min (or I've announced a walk and then faffed around for 10 min before we leave the house which does happen) he gives me a disgusted look and goes on the pavement.

All of which is to say that they need a signal that toileting is going to be available, then the internal muscular process under unconscious control needs to complete, and its only after that that they feel the urge to go. And like us by the time they've got to that stage they really do want to go! If you want her to toilet before a walk then I suggest you have to build in that signal and the time delay (which will be different for different dogs) before you can expect her to be ready to poo. Peeing is much more straightforward and can generally happen whenever the dog wants - again like us - most of us can visit the toilet before starting a journey, for instance, without necessarily already having the urge to go.

[LouiseH]

Neither of mine will toilet in the garden at all. It is their playground and they like to keep it clean ;)

Kili neither. He won't even wee on the grass when he's on a long cable when we're camping! I have to remember to detatch him regularly

[Caramomo]

In addition an evolutionary hangup they never lost from wolves means that they tend to empty out completely over the first 60-90 minutes of trotting and running to reduce weight and make running easier. It may also make them a tiny bit faster which would be good for the hunt. This could mean that you will never completely eliminate the risk of pooing whilst out.

In addition what will you do on days out or an overnight away, like the annual schnauzer walk? It will be really uncomfortable for Raffles if you expect him to hold it in until you get home or he could become distressed by the thought of performing away from his special spot as he knows that you don't like it.

[kikilamour]

In addition an evolutionary hangup they never lost from wolves means that they tend to empty out completely over the first 60-90 minutes of trotting and running to reduce weight and make running easier. It may also make them a tiny bit faster which would be good for the hunt. This could mean that you will never completely eliminate the risk of pooing whilst out.

In addition what will you do on days out or an overnight away, like the annual schnauzer walk? It will be really uncomfortable for Raffles if you expect him to hold it in until you get home or he could become distressed by the thought of performing away from his special spot as he knows that you don't like it.

Yeah I didn't want to completely eliminate the risk actually but I did want to let her know that she cannot poo wherever she wants to regardless of what it smells like including stores. Obviously I carry a bag which is permanently attached to her collar. In the countryside where we are 70% of the time she can go wherever as she is off lead. In Central London the controls are getting tighter unfortunately so I was advised by neighbours to get her to poo in the garden before heading out

[kikilamour]

Spose it means you don't need to take poo bags out with you

Neither of mine will toilet in the garden at all. It is their playground and they like to keep it clean ;)

So how do I get her to differentiate between the inside of a store and the outdoors. She has not had an indoor accident in months which is great but however I cannot say the same for the interior floor of one or two stores in the Hampstead area

Plus she had diarrhoea once but luckily she went in the back garden..........

[LouiseH]

Oh dear- shops are unfortunate! Kili weed in the big pet store a couple of times when he was a puppy but he decided fairly quickly that he had to be outdoors. I wonder sometimes when we travel through railway stations whether he'll go on the outdoor platforms which closely resemble pavements but he thankfully seems to have decided that they count as indoors too.

All I can suggest is that you try not to take her into shops until she's had a bit of a walk and performed. They are creatures of habit so if she only goes outdoors for a while then she 'll associate going only with being outdoors. Once they get it they get it, fortunately. There's no reason why you can't train her to go before you take her out but it might be more practical if you're doing that to train her to go on command (remembering that she'll probably need a few minutes outside first to "get ready" ) in different places rather than in a particular place, so that you can take her elsewhere.

[Dawnspell]

Barney is constantly wanting to scent mark everywhere since he reached adolescence. I really have to keep close eye on him in pet shops. As soon as I see a sniffy and wiggle he gets a firm "Ah Ah not there" and he stops. I have been restricting the amount of times he is allowed to wee when on a lead walk. Hes told not there at a place he wants to go and moved on, then allowed to go when I stop, which I think is why he stops when told when in a shop. May be trying a similar thing with Raffles will help, not sure about girls but I'm sure they must do more than one wee on a walk

[Maty]

Spose it means you don't need to take poo bags out with you

Neither of mine will toilet in the garden at all. It is their playground and they like to keep it clean ;)

So how do I get her to differentiate between the inside of a store and the outdoors. She has not had an indoor accident in months which is great but however I cannot say the same for the interior floor of one or two stores in the Hampstead area

Plus she had diarrhoea once but luckily she went in the back garden..........

The problem with pet stores is some dogs do wee in there but the staff are used to it and clear up quickly if you let them know. But the scent is there and so other dogs (Rodders included) try to mark the spot. It is a case of being vigilant and stopping them before they do it.

Maybe I have been lucky but they have never even tried to toilet in any other shop they have been allowed in.